DEAR DEIDRE: EVERYTHING my sister-in-law does is one big competition – it drives me insane.
Our daughters are both 13. She has very little interest in my daughter – her niece.
Her daughter is doing so much better than mine is in school apparently.
She also is getting better piano tuition, because her daughter is on grade four while mine is on grade two.
It’s even got as far as her looking in my daughter’s lunchbox and saying, “Ooh, I’d never put those cereal bars in for my daughter. They’re full of sugar.”
I could thump her.
I’m 38 and want to say something but inside I’m trying to keep a lid on everything because she’s my husband’s sister.
She’s 41 and lets on that everyone is so scared of her and yet I’d like to give her a piece of my mind.
DEIDRE SAYS: Her comments are irritating but she says it's because she’s insecure about herself.
She may have been the one left behind when she was growing up.
She may have felt like an under-achiever – and your husband may be able to shed some light on that.
Bigging her daughter up reassures her that she is doing a good job because she doesn’t have confidence in herself.
Don’t rise to it. Say that comparing children’s achievements is an unhealthy approach and change the subject quickly when she’s point-scoring. She’ll soon get the message.
Source: Read Full Article