If you have or are going to have children, protect them from her! Ideally, don't even let her meet them. She'll rant and rave when she realizes she's not going to get the opportunity to manipulate and emotionally abuse your kids, but you must resist the temptation to buy a little peace for yourself at the cost of your children's wellbeing.

Remember, forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting. Forgiving means no longer wanting any revenge against your mother, it doesn't mean you have to allow her to hurt you again. Anyway, with luck, she'll soon dump you in favor of a new boyfriend/husband and you won't have to worry about her for a few years.

P.S. Most people like and respect their mom, but most people have a kind, pleasant, protective mother. You can be the type of mother to your children that you would have wanted for yourself.

If her husband says his mother pays less attention to him or seems to love him less, most people will tell him he's imagining it. If he says his mother spent $100k on his brother and nothing on him, that's harder to dispute.

The LW has probably gotten in the habit of talking about how her husband and the golden brother-in-law are treated in terms of money because it's an objective standard.

Good! It was much more honest than the "do it for yourself" or "it's really just taking care of yourself" bullshit women usually hear. The columnist explained the obnoxious social expectations very clearly, so the woman can conform to or reject them.

Btw, hopelessunbeliever, if you're so worried about the starving masses, why don't you turn off the computer and go help them?

Beentothefarside, actually, a yellow light does mean to slow down. How did you pass the written driving test?

Most drivers are reckless idiots and it's gotten worse over the past ten years as they've become distracted reckless idiots. The LW should consider moving closer to his job, taking public transportation, or asking to work from home some days.

To everyone who "follows the flow of traffic" rather than the posted speed limit: you are a selfish jerk. If you want the law changed to "flow of traffic" rather than a set speed limit, work towards getting legislation for that written and passed. I have a feeling the "flow of traffic" jerks want a 25 mph speed limit around THEIR children's school and THEIR neighborhood, even though they feel free to go 40+ around other people's kids and houses.

I agree with Terricon. Free donuts, sure, donut and cookie places sometimes give away freebies rather than having to throw food out. However, most grocery stores are big chains with surveillance cameras, and the cashiers' drawers have to total up at the end of their shift. Women's clothes stores are staffed by women, so unless lesbianism has really taken off in retail...

He should try to get primary custody of her. He sounds like a good father and he'd be a far better example for the little girl than her mother is. Besides, how sweet would it be if his ex-wife and her new husband had to pay child support to him for a change?