I question this title as I don’t know what to call it. The issue I would like to share and learn from is this. I am a confident, resourceful, independent, single woman. I have been married twice but unfortunately both of my ex husbands are dead. I say sadly because we were friends to the end in both cases. I have two grown up children. A daughter who lives a couple of miles away, and a son who has two children who lived 50 mikes away. Both happily married.
My issue which bothers me is that I am sometimes treated as s complete incompetant. Eg my daughter and her husband came round to fix something their dog had destroyed when I was boarding it; they let themselves in, the husband started on the job with no greeting, my daughter started cleaning my kitchen. So I am put in a curious role. Some kind of humble gratitude. Is this my future lot as I grow older with no partner?
I was also struck yesterday how an old friend/ acquaintance said she was busy but she would call round to my house and see me soon. Why does she think she can call on me anytime, without arranging it with me first? Should I be putting my foot down? I wished afterwards I had said to friend ‘don’t forget to ring me first’ as I hate being sprung on nowadays, in the middle of something or perhaps half dressed.
And as for daughter and husband...I don’t know, you can’t make people respect you, and perhaps I kid myself that they do really. I don’t usually ask them to help because of this.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing and what did they do about it?