Carolyn Hax: Adult stepchild mystifies parents and keeps ‘wonderful’ stepmom in divorce
| Parents can't understand why their adult child would keep in contact with a stepmother after she and the father divorced. |
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| | | |  |  | | Advice to help you tackle life's problems. | | | | | |  (Nick Galifianakis for The Post) | Adapted from an online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My parents got divorced when I was a baby, and in my early childhood my dad wasn't in the picture. He started getting involved around the time he married my stepmom, as I understand it, because she told him, "I could never be with a man who doesn't support his kids." My stepmom was wonderful to me throughout my childhood and now into my 20s. This year my stepmom and dad got divorced. Both my mom and dad have expressed surprise that I'm still talking regularly to my stepmom, asking questions like, "Why would you guys still be talking? You're not even related to her!" My mom oddly seems to forgive my dad for everything he did in my early childhood, but holds some kind of grudge against my stepmom for reasons I don't understand. Am I correct that I can choose whatever time I want with my stepmom and my parents have no say in it? Is there a good way I can explain that to my parents? — Stepchild | | | Read your responses to this week's reader questionWe asked readers to channel their inner Carolyn Hax and answer this question. | | | Want more?Carolyn's been writing her advice column for two decades. Explore the archives below. | | | | | | | | | |
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