Girlfriend drama brings on 'Three-Thanksgiving' rule
'Dear Amy: My brother was married to my sister-in-law for 29 years. Out of the blue, he announced to my husband and me that he had left his wife and was now living with "Kelly," a girlfriend that he had met online.
I told him that I will still maintain a friendship with my sister-in-law. He said he was fine with that.
Soon after his announcement, he said he wanted to bring the new girlfriend to visit us. He said she was upset that no one in our family wanted to meet her.
We suggested that we should go on an outing together, and we all set a date.
Just beforehand, my brother said she couldn't make it. The next thing we know, he's texting that they've broken up and that she threw him out.
My husband and I went on the outing ourselves and had a good time.
Almost immediately, I got a picture from my brother stating that he and his girlfriend had actually taken this same outing a few days before we did.
I really don't enjoy my brother's drama, but he's still my brother and I imagine this woman will be in his life.
He's a nice guy, but makes some bad, impulsive decisions. I am not ready to invest in an iffy, on/off relationship at this point.
What do I say to my brother without hurting him? He seems to have no direction lately.
...continued
