That question is hard to ask no matter how you phrase it, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, and his answer might be just as hard to hear
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I have a stepmother who my brother and I really despise. She has made our relationship with our dad really hard, and has tried to stop him seeing us at points. She has resented us since we were little. My dad has recently admitted that he thinks she is jealous of us and has a lot of regret for the way we were treated in the past.
The trouble lies in the fact that he has said if anything happens to him (ie if he dies first) we would need to make an effort with her will-wise, to ensure we were treated fairly, as he doesn’t quite trust she would do the right thing.
It feels incredibly hard to acknowledge this and agree when he has essentially admitted he doesn’t trust her with his dying wish. I also find it really hard to deal with the fact he is finally acknowledging how cruel she has been, but still insists we have a relationship. It makes me think he’s a coward. I really want to bring this up to him, but have no idea how to say: “Do you not think you should reconsider your marriage, based on the way in which you have shown you don’t trust your wife, and believe she is jealous of your children?”
