Girlfriend is creeped-out by photos of boyfriend's ex
Dear Amy: What do you think about former in-laws continuing to display photos of ex-spouses?
I'm a divorced mother of one child, and my boyfriend of four years is a divorced father of two. We are both in our 40s.
My grandparents kept a photo of me, my ex-husband and our child in their living room after we divorced. While my ex and I get along well, I felt the photo was a little disrespectful to my boyfriend and uncomfortable for me, so I asked Grandma to take it down, and she did.
My boyfriend has been divorced for five years, after his wife left him. It was a very toxic situation and continues to be so.
His mother continues to keep dozens of photos of his ex all over her house -- some with the ex-wife by herself, and some with my boyfriend when they were married.
The one and only time I spent the night at his mom's house over a holiday, my boyfriend told me that he was embarrassed and sorry for all the pictures. We slept in the spare room under a giant photo of him and his ex, holding hands and running across the finish line of a race.
My boyfriend was quite embarrassed. His mom has absolutely no relationship with the ex. I assumed he would speak to his mother, but he hasn't. The photos are all still there, and he doesn't invite me to visit her home as often.
He and I have been together for four years, and my relationship with his mom is lovely, if not particularly close.
I'm guessing this kind of thing just doesn't register as a big deal to many, but I find it kind of thoughtless.
What's your perspective?
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