Dear Queenie,
My mother’s husband (my stepfather) used to be so mean to her that I wished she would leave him, and I didn’t like the way he treated me either. I will give him credit, when she got sick he took very good care of her until she died. I couldn’t have asked for her to get any better care than he gave her, but I still don’t like him.
Queenie, do I have to pretend that I do?—Resentful daughter
Dear Daughter,
You do not have to like your stepfather or to pretend that you do. However, you do have to be civil to him – that is just common courtesy. Think of it as doing it in memory of your mother, in gratitude for the care he gave her.
