DEAR ABBY: My daughter, "Maddie," 34, just left what I thought was a great marriage. After only five years, she cheated on her husband, "Glenn." Their 6-year-old son is crushed. I know there are two sides to every story, but our entire family loves Glenn. He's a hard worker, but quiet and kind of a homebody.
I think poor communication and lack of excitement were her issues with him. (She refuses to talk with me about the situation, so I'm surmising based on what I know of them both.) This was their first marriage, but ever since high school, Maddie had a long string of boyfriends. Most of them seemed to be nice guys (she's had a few duds), but when Maddie's dad and I got to know them and became fond of them, she'd dump them.
I think Maddie is upset with me because I can't warm up to her newest guy. When she started cheating with him, he was also married. (He's now divorced.) He's a good bit older than she is, and I don't picture this relationship lasting. I have met him a couple of times and been friendly enough, but I haven't friended him on social media. She posts photos of them together, and I rarely "like" the photos because I DON'T like them.
I hate what she's done. It really hurts me. How can I get past this, and how should I handle what I feel is pressure from her to accept this new guy? -- STANDING BY IN GEORGIA
DEAR STANDING BY: Your first priority should be to create as stable an environment for your grandchild as possible. There may have been problems in Maddie and Glenn's marriage that you weren't privy to. Be cordial to the new man in your daughter's life, and in the future stop allowing yourself to become as emotionally invested with the men she dates as you have in the past. From your description of Maddie's pattern, there may be more on the horizon.