Dear Queenie,
Ever since my husband died his family has been critical of everything I do. They didn’t like the arrangements I made for his funeral or the headstone I chose for his grave. When they visit the cemetery they throw away the flowers I put on his grave and put their own instead.
Queenie, should I just ignore them and not have anything to do with them?—Widow in still mourning
Dear Widow,
Your husband’s family is also mourning his death, so try to have a little patience with them.
If you have children, cutting contact with their father’s family would deprive them of having a relationship with their grandparents and any aunts, uncles and cousins, so I would not advise complete non-contact, but you might want to limit time spent with them until all of you have learned to deal with your grief. Counselling by your clergyman or a professional counsellor might also help.
If no children are involved, do whatever you need to do for your own sake.
