Ask Amy: Mom doesn't like gifts from 'the other woman'
Dear Amy: I am recently divorced. My ex-husband and I share custody of our 8-year-old daughter.
As we were working out the conditions of our divorce, my ex was cultivating a "friendship" with "Cindy," the wife of our workout trainer. At the time, he and I were still intimate sometimes, and the divorce was looking like it would be amicable.
Cindy was seeing him regularly. She furnished his new apartment and bought him a new wardrobe. It was weird, but I didn't think too much of it.
One day he told me he had made out with Cindy, and that he was afraid that he might end up having sex with her. I asked if Cindy's husband knew, and my ex said no.
I was really upset. I didn't want her husband to get cheated on, and so I told him. I wasn't very tactful. Cindy told him that she was just a friend, and that I am blaming her for our divorce. Her husband decided to give everyone the "benefit of the doubt."
I was disgusted. Now, I only interact with my ex regarding our daughter.
Recently, Cindy has been offering to babysit our daughter when my ex picks up work during his custody times. She has also taken to buying gifts for her.
I haven't reacted when my daughter told me who is buying her these things. It is really getting to me though. I can't fathom why Cindy is doing this, other than to overcompensate for her behavior.
How should I handle this?
-- Unsweetened Momma
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