My name is Camilla. I’m 32, and my mom (58) recently told me she was seeing someone new. She said she’d “finally found love again,” ten years after my dad passed. For weeks, she kept him a secret, insisting I’d “meet him when the time was right.”
I was genuinely happy for her—until last night.
At our family dinner, she walked in hand-in-hand with none other than my ex.
For context, my ex (34) and I broke up last year after things got toxic. What started as minor disagreements always spiraled into hours of silent treatment or dramatic exits—he’d grab his keys, storm out, then return as if nothing had happened.
I began editing every word, walking on eggshells just to avoid another blow-up. I was emotionally drained and finally ended it.
When he saw me, he tried to act casual, saying, “Hey, long time!” My hands were shaking. I somehow managed to ask, “You’re dating him?” They both started talking over me—“People change,” “Let’s be mature.” That was it. I just got up and left.
Now my mom expects me to welcome him as part of the family. I told her flat out, “I won’t pretend this is okay.” She says I’m “punishing” her for finding happiness. My aunt texted to say I’m cruel and selfish, and that I should “grow up and get over it because life is short.”
I’m sorry, but how exactly am I supposed to sit across the table from this man and clap because he’s holding my mother’s hand? Am I really expected to smile through birthdays, holidays—maybe even a wedding toast—while my own breakup gets rewritten as their “second chance at love”?
If I set a boundary and opt out, does that make me the villain? Would anyone honestly be okay with their parent dating their ex? My mom keeps saying, “If you love me, you’ll support me.”
But isn’t love also not putting your child in this position?
Source: brightside.me