Dear Queenie,
After my mother got divorced she got together with a man no one in our family can stand. He was abusive to me and my brother, but only when Mom wasn’t around and when we told her about it she didn’t do anything.
Mom died some years ago but that man still wants to be part of our life. He keeps calling me and dropping in to visit.
He has children and grandchildren of his own but he doesn’t have anything to do with them, I guess since he divorced their mother.
Queenie, how do I get this man to leave me and my family alone?—Don’t like him
Dear Don’t like him,
This man apparently thinks of himself as your stepfather and still part of your family.
When he calls, keep the conversation short, or don’t answer at all if you have caller ID and know he is the caller. Insist he call before he drops in to visit, and do not let him in if he has not called or if you do not want to see him. When you do see him, keep the visit brief and make sure there is a third party there who can keep him under control if necessary.
