Dear Abby: My boyfriend’s mom has dementia. He asked me and my kids to move in with him and said he would marry me. In exchange, he expected me to quit my job and take care of his mom. I felt it was a disaster waiting to happen, and taking care of someone with dementia while raising two teenagers was a terrible idea, so I refused.
He put his mother in a nursing home, and now I am no longer treated the same by him. The woman is abusive. She hits and bites and isn’t easy to deal with. Living with her would have destroyed our relationship and been stressful for my children. My boyfriend isn’t the easiest guy to open up to. I’m sad and don’t know what to do.
— Too Much to Handle
Dear Too Much: When your boyfriend proposed marriage, it wasn’t because he loved you. He was looking for an easy solution (for him) to his mother problem. To expect you to quit your job and sacrifice your retirement benefits was nervy. You are not trained to care for a violent dementia patient. He treats you differently because he’s angry you didn’t go along with his plans for you. What you should do now is move on, because his resentment is unlikely to diminish.
Previously
Dear Abby: How do I cope with the silence from close relatives that deepens the loss of my mother?
Dear Abby: My handsy brother-in-law wouldn’t leave me alone, but my sister thinks I’m the villain
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, California 90069. Copyright 2024, Andrews, McMeel Syndication.
