My (23F) boyfriend (23M) and I have been together for 3 years now and are very much in love. We have a healthy and happy relationship and have started talking about the future; moving in together, getting engaged in a few years, etc etc. My family loves him and his family loves me. But his mother is also incredibly jealous of us.
For reference, my parents have been married for over thirty years now. His mom has been married twice but divorced both of them. Her first husband (my bf’s older sister’s dad) was kind but an alcoholic, her second husband (my bf’s dad) was verbally and physically abusive. Since her divorce with him, she hasn’t dated anyone. She’s gone on plenty of dates with men but hasn’t found anyone she’s that interested in. The dating apps have not worked out well. Her daughter, my bf’s older sister, moved out of the house about five years ago and lives across the country, so right now it’s just my bf and his mom living at the house. I have two brothers and we all still live at home. My boyfriend and I graduated college last year and have both been living at home since, but are getting ready to move out and get a place together soon. We are long distance but see each other usually every 2-3 weeks.
When we do get together, which is usually only for a weekend as we both work full-time, it feels like we have to always include her in our plans or carve out time to spend with her because she’ll get upset and feel left out if not. She is incredibly lonely and gets annoyed when my bf is gone for long periods of time or chooses to do things with only me, leaving her at the house alone. She and I have a great relationship but the conversations we have always end up leading to talking about her son, to which she usually makes comments about how she wishes she could find love like we did, how it breaks her heart sometimes to see us so happy, how she’s so grateful we found each other but gets so upset and jealous of us. She has also made numerous comments about how she’s jealous of my family: the fact that my parents are still together, and that all of us kids are still at home. That’s fair, but she gets almost defensive when my bf wants to come stay at my house instead of me going to his. She claims that my family doesn’t feel my absence as much because there are still 4 people in the home. Whereas, when my bf leaves, she’s by herself.
In a week, my boyfriend is coming with me on my family vacation to the beach. As we were talking on the phone about these plans, his mom chimed in that she needed to find a trip to go on herself because she would be too upset and bored at home without him.
I really feel for her. She’s had a tough life and it would be hard to be alone for so long. But sometimes these comments make me uncomfortable, to the point of being frustrated. My boyfriend does his best to be firm but sensitive with her, making it clear that he is going to prioritize being able to spend time with me but also empathizes with how she’s feeling. But should I say say something to her? Sometimes I want to be blunt and tell her that wallowing and pitying herself only makes things harder. But that’s mean. What do I say? I’m genuinely worried she’s going to lose it when my bf moves out. Any advice for how to handle this situation? Or advice on how to find her a man hahaha
Comments
Her feelings are valid but making you feel guilty for loving her son isn’t fair. Let your bf lead the boundary convo, but if she crosses one with you directly again, it’s okay to kindly say it’s starting to feel a bit heavy.
Kids leaving the nest is just a part of life. She should have prepared herself for that. Also, maybe she should lower her standards for dating. She might have an easier time finding someone to spend time with.
You may want to encourage her to join some groups that interest her. Are there any crafts she may be interested in trying out. Maybe join the Y and take a swimming aerobics class. Something where she can meet people her age. If she’s older, maybe the senior center in the area. If she doesn’t find interests of her i believe you will become “the enemy” who is taking her baby from her. Your Guy really needs to put his foot down and tell her to stop with the passive aggressive behavior and find her tribe!