Dr. Doitright is not a real doctor or mental health professional. The doctor’s advice should not be taken seriously.
Dear Dr. Doitright,
My grandmother does not approve of my marriage. What should I do? My parents died in a car accident when I was five years old. Since then, my grandmother has been both mother and father to me. She sent me to counseling, a private middle school, and she also got me into one of the best high schools on the East Coast. She did everything that she thought would make me feel better. I was given all the freedom a child could receive but one. I wasn’t allowed to date anyone who didn’t ask for her blessing. So when I came here for college I decided to make my own rules and forget about hers. I’m not ungrateful; I just felt like I was in bondage. All this has caused our relationship to go sour because I only answer one call out of the twenty she pushes unto me each day. I tell her I don’t need her advice, and I often cut her off when she tries to tell me how to go about living. Even though all this was happening, I still wanted things between us to be good so I tried to introduce my husband to her, but she used the opportunity to stone us out of her yard. Tell me; is this lady crazy or what?
Independent and Annoyed
Doitright: You say you are not ungrateful for your grandmother’s care, but you are dead wrong. You’re not just ungrateful; you’re an ungrateful little rascal! Did you stop to think about the pain your grandmother felt when she lost her child? Have you imagined how fearful she was of raising you as her own? Did you consider how her life was before you came along? No, I bet you didn’t. Grandmothers are old-fashioned queens, and we ought to respect their ways of parenting. She sent you to the best schools and sought professional help for you when you needed it the most, and this is how you repay her. As an intelligent college student you should know that parents deserve our love and respect. An important passage in the Bible says to “honor thy mother and thy father that thy days may be long.” This simply means that disrespecting your grandma does not run right on the Lord’s heart. Think on these things.
There are a few good mechanics here in town but the one I speak of is the greatest. I always call on him whenever my vehicle needs to be serviced, and sometimes that’s four times per week. Since he is married, I make sure my vehicle is serviced during the day because I wouldn’t want him to be too tired to service his wife’s vehicle when he goes home; that would only make her suspicious. Hell, she may just follow him one day and find him here, servicing my vehicle. But now my vehicle is running out of problems. I need a new serviceman.
Fix It Up
Doitright: It’s been a while since I’ve received a letter with such a thorough code. Thank you for the refreshing change. But I must tell you that you are playing with fire. What you need to do is to stop calling your mechanic because neither of you are doing well in the Lord’s eyes. Find yourself another serviceman that is not tied to another woman, and please seek the Lord in prayer!
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