DEAR ABBY: My son is engaged to a girl we all love, but recently, there’s been an issue that has left my husband and me stunned. My son’s fiancee is a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman who fits perfectly into our family. We have always been excited about their upcoming wedding and looked forward to welcoming her as our daughter-in-law.
However, during a recent visit to their house, my husband witnessed a conversation between him and our future daughter-in-law that has raised some eyebrows. As he was waiting for our son to get ready for their date night, my husband was casually chatting with his fiancee in the living room. At one point, she mentioned a recent conversation she had with a friend of hers, and my husband innocently asked her what they had been talking about.
Their conversation was going well until she casually mentioned that she did not appreciate my husband's frequent visits to their house, even when my son is not around. She explained that she liked having her own space and that his visits made her feel like she was being watched all the time.
My husband was taken aback by her comment and did not know how to react. He told her that he was just trying to spend time with his son, who lived just 10 minutes away from us, and that he did not mean to intrude on their personal space. However, our future daughter-in-law insisted that his visits made her feel uncomfortable.
My husband felt disrespected by her comment and did not know how to react. He decided to talk to our son about the conversation he had with his fiancee, hoping that our son could clear things up and help resolve the issue. Our son was also surprised by his fiancee's comment and promised to talk to her about it.
As parents, my husband and I are having a hard time understanding why our future daughter-in-law would speak her mind like this, especially considering that my husband has always been a loving and supportive father and father-in-law. We cannot help but wonder if we have unknowingly done something to offend her.
Do you think our future daughter-in-law was out of line for speaking her mind like this, or should my husband just back off and respect their personal space? We value your opinion and would appreciate any advice you can give us.