I saw this Dear Abby question in a Kansas Newspaper today about a young single mom having problems with her deadbeat baby daddy’s mama. Apparently the father is living with his mother and neither of them are helping the young single mom out fianancially, yet they want the right to take the baby out of town, etc. The young mom wants to know how to approach the grandmother about this.

While reading this question (Dear Abby voiced my sentiments) my irritation began to rise. Firstly, they aren’t offering any financial support so that’s strike #1. Secondly, they are, in essence, demanding the right to separate the child from her mother over night so that’s strike #2. Unfortunately, it’s becoming commonplace for fathers to skip out on child support, but for him (and his mother) to assume an entitlement mentality is going too far.

Since she is young, I can understand why this single mother would ask the question. She doesn’t know any better and still has a lot to learn. She doesn’t understand that she is under no obligation to answer to or allow her baby’s paternal relatives to demand anything.

I am a firm believer in the notion that people make choices and we can’t make them do anything. The opposite is also true; I can make the choice to exclude, eliminate, and ignore overbearing people. If they are not adding value to my life, I can cut them out of it.

The situations this young single mom described is a perfect example of people who need to be cut off. Until they make better choices i.e. start paying support and asking for visitation, they have no rights.

What do you say? Have you ever been in this kind of situation? What’s your opinion?