“She’s Not Much of a Mother”: Susan Miller on Her Ex-Daughter-in-Law’s Life After Divorce
Susan Miller from Manchester still can’t come to terms with how things turned out for her son and his ex-wife. The way Laura has carried on since the divorce, her former mother-in-law calls nothing short of “reckless irresponsibility.”
—My son left Laura with their child, and no, I’m not making excuses for him. Though, as a mother, my heart still aches for him, whether I like it or not. He remarried quickly—to his first love, Emily, the girl he dated back in university. While he was serving in the military, she ended up marrying his best mate. But then she divorced, and my son ran into her at Tesco—next thing you know, they’re back together. They’ve even had a baby boy now. He seems happy, at least.
He met Laura after his service. They worked together, got married in a rush, and little Charlotte came along. At first, it seemed like a solid family. But then, well—old flames, I suppose.
The divorce was civil, no shouting matches. He moved out, left her the flat, the furniture—everything. Took only his personal things. Laura handled it with grace, never stopped him or me from seeing Charlie.
—But what she’s been up to since? Absolutely baffling, — Susan shakes her head.
The neighbors, of course, were quick to speculate:
—“Drinking? Partying? Bringing men round?”
—“No,” Susan scowls. “She doesn’t drink, and she’s not the type to chase after blokes. But she acts like life’s a never-ending holiday. Always cheerful, always out and about—weekends at the cottage, hiking trips, hosting friends. You’d think *she* wasn’t the one left with a kid after divorce!”
Laura takes Charlie everywhere. Says fresh air’s good for her, that she needs to socialise, that her mates have kids too. But Susan’s not having it:
—“Who knows who’s at these picnics? Strange men? Divorcées? Alcohol? Cigarettes? The child’s soaking it all in. What sort of upbringing is that?”
She’s convinced Charlie would be better off with her:
—“With me, she’d have proper home-cooked meals, trips to the theatre. Not gallivanting about with god-knows-who.”
Susan tried getting her son to step in:
—“Tell her to rein it in. Charlie’s your daughter too. You’ve got your new family—fine. But your little girl shouldn’t be raised in this… circus.”
Her son just shrugged:
—“Mum, I’ve no right to interfere. *I’m* the one who broke us up. She knows how to live her life.”
He pays child support, sees Charlie when Laura brings her round. But Susan hasn’t been allowed inside their place in ages:
—“Always some excuse, always ‘too busy.’ I reckon she’s just scared I’ll call her out. Maybe she’s got a new bloke. What if he’s rough with Charlie?”
Recently, Laura flat-out warned her over the phone:
—“If you keep meddling in my personal life, you’ll see Charlie once a month—in the park. Be grateful I haven’t cut ties completely. Another woman in my shoes would’ve told the lot of you to sod off after your son cheated and left. But I’m keeping civil—for my daughter.”
Susan’s livid:
—“Can you believe it? Now *I’m* the villain. I’m over here fighting for my granddaughter, and she makes *me* out to be the problem!”
—“What am I supposed to do?” she moans to her friends. “Can’t I even speak up if something’s not right? Or do I not matter anymore? Maybe I should have a word with her mum—her old matchmaker. Let her talk some sense into her daughter. I didn’t raise my son just to watch my granddaughter grow up in this… frivolity.”
What do you think, girls? Am I right to worry? Or should I really just step back and stay out of it? But how am I meant to stand by when my Charlie’s being raised by such a flighty woman?
