Carolyn Hax: She’s annoyed by how welcoming her dad is to his stepkids
| His wife doesn't believe she can offend him or hurt his feelings because he "can decide whether to react that way." |
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| | | | | | | Advice to help you tackle life's problems. | | | | | | (Nick Galifianakis for The Post) | Adapted from an online discussion. Hi Carolyn: I feel like a jerk for being annoyed at how welcoming my dad has been to his stepkids and their children. My parents divorced as I finished college. I have lived abroad for the past 12 years. In that time, my dad remarried and his wife has four kids who all live locally. I've met them a total of 8-10 times — at Christmases, etc. They all have children who my dad and his wife are very involved with. I am pregnant with my first child (the first among my siblings) and I find it so obnoxious when Dad mentions something about "our seventh grandchild," etc. To me, it's his first one. I want to have a better attitude. But I don't know them, and he seems to expect me to feel like my upcoming kid is just one of the gang, and I don't. Any advice? — Annoyed | | | Want more?Carolyn's been writing her advice column for two decades. Explore the archives below. | | | | | | | | | |
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