Family Conflicts • sophianinja • 8d ago

I'm not certain I can manage my future mother-in-law.

I'm 26 and contemplating ending my relationship with my girlfriend Cam, who is 25, mainly because I'm uncomfortable with her family. I feel she struggles to recognize that her mother, Aimee, is a deeply flawed individual. This seems to indicate a fundamental incompatibility between us. After two years together, during which we've been living together, I was even considering proposing before our upcoming family vacation. Aimee divorced Cam's dad and married her stepdad, Bob, who is 18 years older and quite wealthy, with an estimated net worth of over $20 million. Unfortunately, Aimee is often rude and disrespectful toward Bob, who has significant physical limitations. She refuses to walk with him and has let him fall in the middle of the street numerous times, which could easily result in serious injury or even death. After spending time with this family on multiple occasions and now heading out on a three-day vacation with them, it's clear to me that Aimee has little regard for Bob and her behavior towards him is frankly disturbing. Moreover, Aimee spends Bob's money extravagantly, treating my girlfriend and her stepbrother to lavish purchases, including an $80,000 rug and various renovations. There are countless examples of wasteful spending and disrespectful treatment that I’ve observed. I worry that Cam idolizes her mother, and while I get why—Aimee is very affectionate towards her—I can't help but be concerned that Cam might adopt similar behaviors in our relationship. I've tried pointing out how Aimee treats Bob, who is genuinely kind and accepting of Cam, but she seems blind to what I view as clearly abusive behavior. Coming from a less privileged background, it also frustrates me that Aimee spends money so frivolously, especially since she wasn’t involved in Bob's life when he was building his wealth. My own upbringing hasn’t been without flaws; my dad cheated on my mom several times, and she struggles with a severe hoarding problem and has taken money from both me and her siblings. I love them both, but I can see their faults and acknowledge their mistakes. After this vacation, I’m not sure I can have Aimee in my life and feel strongly about it. I would appreciate any advice on how to approach this topic with Cam. I worry that she may not understand my perspective, and it feels disingenuous to bring it up now if she hasn't recognized these issues at 28. Is this relationship irreparable?


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