So, what should I do with the letters?

Spiky Bugger

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About 47 years ago, my kid and another kid became preschool BFFs. The other kid’s mom and I really hit it off. Other mom soon had another baby. Life went on. As was done back then, we followed our husbands and their jobs. We phoned, we wrote, there were RARE (it was 2300+ miles each way) in-person visits. We shared our life events, mostly in writing, over the years.

On one phone call, I whined that MY irresponsible twit daughter had procrastinated herself down to TWO college choices, as she had missed all the other deadlines. Other Mom said,”I’ll see your ‘irresponsible twit’ and raise you a pregnant high school dropout roaming the country with the father-to be. She’s on YOUR coast now.”

We joined Other Mom, Other Kid et al at the in-a-lovely-park wedding, 2.5 hours north of our home. My kid was the vocalist and I put mucho rum in the rum cake. After the baby was born, My Kid and her then boyfriend, went to visit Other Kid, the baby and the baby daddy. Baby Daddy was gone. The other kid was obviously terrified, had been crying and was sporting growing bruises. She invented a story about having been mugged by a stranger. Everyone knew better.

The next day, I called Other Mom and told her what had been observed. She had feared something like that. I said that Other Kid…and baby…would always and forever be welcome at our home, but not Baby Daddy because I would not be able to NOT try to kill him and didn’t want to live in a jail. Other Mom said she understood.

But distance, and Other Kid’s decision to stay with the abusive ass, complicated contact and…after 20+ years… we drifted apart. About 15 years later My Kid and Other Kid hooked up via FB. She and Other Mother were not on very good terms. She and little sister were not speaking. Other Mother’s husband lived elsewhere. Time passed and I was told that Other Mother had Advanced Dementia and that Younger Sister was totally caring for their mother, who died in late March.

I still have the letters (in storage, but I get them in two weeks)…the Mom-to-Mom letters wherein a number of things were discussed. Including Other Kid and her sister. Obviously, My Kid, who told Other Kid that the letters exist, thinks I should hand the letters over to HER BUDDY, the Other Kid.

In my mind, MY BUDDY…who I am sure loved her daughters equally…shared her thoughts with ME. Would it be GOOD for the daughters to learn how they were making their mom crazy? Would it be BAD that each daughter could read what she wrote, while venting, about herself and the other daughter?

Should I say:
1–WHAT letters(?);
2–Here are the letters that don’t say anything bad about either of you;
3–Here they ALL are; work it out amongst yourselves?

Given that I’m dealing with the early stages of MrSue’s dementia, I’m impressed by how Younger Daughter did all the caregiving without even ongoing ORAL support from her big sister. Just sayin’.

Well…???
 
My immediate answer upon reading your post was “do not give letters to anyone, they were written for your eyes, no one else’s.” Then, as I usually do, I keep on thinking….maybe once you get the letters in hand in a couple weeks you should reread them and THEN make your decision. Tough one.
 
The letters were private. They were meant to be private. They were a safe way for someone with a lot on her plate to share some of the load with someone she knew would understand and care. I would not share them with anyone. Whether or not to destroy them, idk.
 
So I thought about this a bit more, and while I won't change my previous response, I'll add a question for you to consider:
If I share the letters, is there some benefit to someone? Is there some potential harm to someone?
Personally, I wouldn't take a chance on it, as I don't see how anyone could benefit from sharing, based on the information provided.
 
I’m glad I ask a group of SMART people.

I WAS thinking of what my kid wanted and what the daughters probably wanted and what I wanted.

I neglected to consider what Other Mom would have wanted.
 
Read them to reconnect with those memories, then burn them. The only letter to hold on to or share as exception might be one that contains only glowing praise of the daughters that would be a joy for them to read. If such a letter exists, tuck it away for posterity.
 
Read them to reconnect with those memories, then burn them. The only letter to hold on to or share as exception might be one that contains only glowing praise of the daughters that would be a joy for them to read. If such a letter exists, tuck it away for posterity.

See? I like that but thought that being the self-appointed editor was a bit much…not at all unlike me…but a bit much!
 

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