Dear Abby: Oh, HELL, no

[cereta]

DEAR ABBY: My husband recently asked how I would feel about him buying a plane ticket for his brother "Jake" to visit us and his parents over the holidays. I told him I wouldn't like it -- not because my husband would be paying for the ticket, but because Jake is a registered sex offender.

My husband is now upset with me, saying Jake "served his time." I understand that, but the underage girl he messed around with was his niece. My daughter is 10 and starting to develop. She's also affectionate with family. I don't want her hugging Uncle Jake.

My husband and I are now not speaking. He told me that if his family isn't welcome in our house, he will start treating my family badly. Am I wrong for not wanting Jake sleeping under the same roof as my daughter? -- PROTECTIVE MOM IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR PROTECTIVE MOM: No, you're not wrong. That your husband would try to blackmail you into allowing a registered sex offender to sleep in the same house as your adolescent daughter is deplorable. Your daughter is old enough to be told that Uncle Jake has a problem with young girls, and that if he ever makes a move on her, you want to know immediately.

It isn't like Jake did time for bank robbery. Sex offenders are usually prohibited from having contact with minors. The man has a sexual impulse disorder that shouldn't be ignored, and your husband should not allow any risk that your daughter might be molested.

Comments

[clayr]

He told me that if his family isn't welcome in our house, he will start treating my family badly.

How does he not get the difference between a registered sex offender and the entirety of his family? This seems like an extremely defensive phrasing as if the husband is leaping to hyperbole to try to invalidate the woman writing the letter. You know "OMG, you don't like any of my family" as a response to one specific criticism? Is it just me getting this vibe?

[minoanmiss]

You're not the only one.

Dammit, I want to set up a See A Lawyer fund for so many of the letter writers...