After getting married not long ago, my husband Jack and I had a rough road to happiness. His three grown children didn’t like me at first because they were still sad about the death of their mother. They made it clear I was a stranger, even though I tried to connect with them.
Jack was heartbroken when his wife died, so he raised their children by himself. He worked hard to take care of them, even after they left the nest. His children, on the other hand, became more and more mean to me.
When Jack asked them to marry him, they became even more rude. They said they had other plans and couldn’t come to our small wedding. But they showed up just a few days into our vacation in the Bahamas, which was a surprise.
It was soon clear what their real goals were. One of them called me a “oldie” and said I didn’t deserve the nice things they had. I tried to stay cool and begged them not to ruin our special time together. Jack had done enough, though.
Jack faced his kids with a fierce determination I had never seen before. “You gave me everything, and this is how you repay me?” Being rude to my wife?” He told security to take them out of the building and stopped giving them money.
The results of what they did were very bad. They had a hard time getting used to not having their credit cards. But over time, they learnt how important it is to work hard and treat others with care.
A few months later, Jack’s kids called to say they were sorry. “We were wrong.” Could we start over?” Jack’s happy tears showed how relieved we all were.
It was amazing to see how they changed. They learnt how much their dad loved them and how to follow his rules. Jack’s strong actions kept our relationship safe and taught his kids an important lesson.
Similarly, a bride’s experience with her selfish mother taught her how important it is to set limits. On her wedding day, her mother demanded that her picture be put up next to a table with pictures of loved ones who had died.
The bride was strong and wouldn’t let her mother take over the event. She made a different “memorial” for her mother instead, which included a screenshot of their fight. It was clear what the message was: real greed has no limits.
In both situations, tough love and hard talks helped people heal and grow. Setting limits and expecting respect helped Jack and the bride keep their relationships safe and find new ways to move forward.
You can’t give up love and respect, and it can take guts to get them back.
