Dear Queenie,
After we got divorced my husband married a woman who couldn’t get along with our older daughter, who was a teenager then. Since that time he has almost no contact with our older daughter, although he is still close to our younger one who was in primary school at that time.
The older girl is now also divorced and has a son and they are living with me, and my ex stays close to the boy by visiting with him when he is staying with his father, my daughter’s ex. I have told him he could come to my house to see the boy, but he won’t do it because he doesn’t want to see the boy’s mother.
The only time he sees her at all is when someone in his family holds a family event, and then he keeps his distance and doesn’t even speak to her.
Our daughter has tried to contact him, but he doesn’t return her calls or reply to her e-mails.
Queenie, is there any way to mend this situation?—Unhappy mother
Dear Mother,
Most likely your ex stayed away from his older daughter because of his new wife, which is no excuse for his behaviour at that time or since then.
You or your younger daughter could try talking to him to get an explanation and try to help him reconnect with his older daughter, but after all this time I do not hold out much hope for success. However, it is worth a try.
