About three years ago, this 45-year-old woman got divorced after her husband cheated on her. During their marriage, they had two children together– one of whom is now an adult, and their younger child is 17 years old. So, following the split, she decided to just remain single.
Yes, she did go out on a few dates with new guys, but it was tough for her to find the “spark” again. Honestly, she also didn’t mind being single again, either.
According to her, it was actually the first time she’d been flying solo since she was just 16 years old, and her newfound freedom allowed her to dive back into the activities she really enjoyed.
For instance, she now lives alone and regularly knits, creates pottery, and tries out new hobbies. She also opened a small food business because, quite frankly, she just loves food. On top of that, she even adopted a pet cat.
“So I want nothing more than that. I am happy with my situation,” she admitted.
Her sister-in-law, on the other hand, finds the whole thing strange and keeps insisting that she should be going out on dates in order to avoid “losing” her divorce.
Her sister-in-law seems to believe that if she remains single, then her ex-husband will have metaphorically “won” their breakup– mainly because his new girlfriend, who was his former mistress, is a lot younger than she is.
She, however, doesn’t think her divorce is some sort of competition, which is why she’s told her sister-in-law on numerous occasions that she shouldn’t need to date in order to “win.”
In her eyes, her ex-husband is just that– her ex and the father of her children.
“And since my children are still with me instead of their father, I see it as a win for me,” she added.
Still, her ex-husband has reportedly been fueling her sister-in-law’s fire, telling everyone they know that she is lonely and spending her time with cats ever since the divorce. So, over the recent holiday, she finally reached her breaking point.
It all began when she was invited to her brother’s house to spend the holiday with him and his family. But, her sister-in-law also attended and made sure to tell her that her ex-husband had gifted his new girlfriend a piece of expensive jewelry recently.
Then, her sister-in-law had the nerve to tell her that she needed to “get a man too” so that she could also be bought nice stuff.
This really frustrated her, and she finally told her sister-in-law to mind her own business. After all, it seemed to her as though her sister-in-law was much more obsessed with her ex-husband and his new relationship than she was.
“My sister-in-law should focus on her family rather than putting her nose into mine,” she reasoned.
Well, while that might’ve been an understandable reaction, her sister-in-law didn’t take it well and wound up crying like a baby. Her sister-in-law also claimed to have just been “looking out” for her. Apparently, her sister-in-law believes that children will always leave eventually, but a partner will stay. So, her sister-in-law wanted her to “win and not die alone.”
Anyway, this whole incident obviously made the holiday pretty awkward, and now, just about everyone in her family– aside from her kids– has begun blaming her for ruining the gathering.
And even though she doesn’t personally think she was in the wrong, their reactions have now left her wondering if telling her sister-in-law to stop pressuring her to date was really the wrong thing to do.
How would you feel if your sister-in-law kept reminding you of your divorce and insinuating that you were “losing?” Did she have a right to finally stick up for herself? Would you have reacted differently in this situation or not?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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By Katharina Buczek
Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing in... More about Katharina Buczek
