DEAR ABBY: I have been married to 'Duane' for 41 years. Between us we have five children. I had three sons; he had a son and a daughter. All of them are grown now. Over the years, the relationship my husband has with my sons has deteriorated. They feel he treats them like they are still young children. Duane feels they should let him know what they are doing and be available whenever he needs help with something.
DEAR ABBY: I have been married to “Duane” for 41 years. Between us we have five children. I had three sons; he had a son and a daughter. All of them are grown now. Over the years, the relationship my husband has with my sons has deteriorated. They feel he treats them like they are still young children. Duane feels they should let him know what they are doing and be available whenever he needs help with something.
He doesn’t have a close relationship with his son either, but they do talk on the phone. His relationship with his daughter is good, but she talks to me more often because we have developed a close relationship over the years. Sometimes Duane gets an attitude if he thinks she has talked to me more than to him.Also, he tells my sons that if they buy anything for me, they must purchase something of equal value for him. My sons do not like this at all.