Dear Abby: Dad’s diabolical second wife ruined the last years my siblings and I had with him
The letter says Selma cut off family contact, threatened to leave over visits and a chairlift, and delayed help after his stroke.
- A reader wrote to Dear Abby describing her stepmother, Selma, as "diabolical" after Selma married the reader's father 33 years later, claiming Selma isolated him and turned previously warm family relationships cold and clinical.
- Family interactions declined sharply as Selma stopped Sunday dinners and holiday celebrations, while threatening Dad that if he accepted family visits or a chairlift installation, she would leave him.
- During a serious stroke, Selma failed to call 911, instead seeking a neighbor's advice, then reportedly placed two doughnuts in the incapacitated man's mouth before he was flown to a hospital.
- Abigail Van Buren validated the reader's "righteous" anger over her father's death, recommending she consult a licensed psychotherapist to address the trauma caused by Selma's years of manipulation.
- The reader seeks to mourn without the burden of anger, illustrating the emotional damage families endure when toxic individuals isolate vulnerable relatives like Dad through years of manipulation and cruelty.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Dear Abby for May 9, 2026
FOR RELEASE: SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026
Dear Abby: My father’s death makes me hate my stepmother all the more
DEAR ABBY: My brothers and I loved our father. He was an alcoholic until he was 37. After he stopped drinking, we became the best of friends. He was both mother and father to me, and I was so proud of him. Dad remarried 33 years later to a woman I can only describe as diabolical. At first, “Selma” was full of compliments and smiles toward us. After they married, my father’s glow and his relationships with us turned cold and clinical. He could ca…
Dear Abby: I feel rage when I think about my stepmother’s cruelty toward my father and us as a family
DEAR ABBY: My brothers and I loved our father. He was an alcoholic until he was 37. After he stopped drinking, we became the best of friends. He was both mother and father to me, and I was so proud of him.
Dear Abby: Dad’s diabolical second wife ruined the last years my siblings and I had with him
DEAR ABBY: My brothers and I loved our father. He was an alcoholic until he was 37. After he stopped drinking, we became the best of friends. He was both mother and father to me, and I was so proud of him.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium