DEAR ABBY: Ever since our daughter moved out, married and had children, she has become a different person. She doesn’t treat my wife like a mom. They used to be close, but now it seems my wife can’t do anything right. She can’t post pictures of the grandkids when others can, and she can’t hug or kiss her grandkids when others can. When asked what she did to be treated this way, my daughter responds, “I don’t know.”
My wife wants to be a typical grandma and love, spoil and have a relationship with the grandkids, but she keeps being pushed away. I have had it to my wits’ end with my daughter because when my wife hurts, so do I. I’m ready to write her off and move on. What are we to do? -- FRUSTRATED GRANDPARENTS
DEAR FRUSTRATED: Your daughter may fear that her children will love Grandma more than they do her. You might ask your daughter if she would be open to family counseling, but don’t be surprised if she isn’t. If I’m right about that, then your idea about moving on and finding other interests with your wife to fill that empty space isn’t a bad one.
If she craves being around little children and needs to fill the time, perhaps she could volunteer for a program such as Foster Grandparents, in which volunteers work as aides in schools, day care centers, Head Start programs and family support centers. To find out more about them, visit americorps.gov.
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Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
