“My son-in-law worries me…”

The point of view of Marcel Rufo, child psychiatrist

A father who breaks his children’s toys and, moreover, lies to his wife… You can hardly intervene on a subject so complicated and so mysterious, because it refers to the functioning of the couple of your daughter and her husband. You know that a careless move on your part would backfire on you, Francine. It would be different if one of their children told you, “Daddy broke my toy.” There would then be grounds for opening a discussion with her parents, without accusing anyone: “I am very surprised. Why did he (she) tell me that? What do you think? ” There is, however, one thing that you must react to, and that is the unacceptable comments that Anthony made about your illness. You could approach it like this: “What you said to me is not very nice, nor very supportive. What would you think if you had such an affection and I spoke to you about it that way? ” This discussion, of course, must take place one-on-one, in the absence of your daughter Amandine. The verbal aggression you suffered left a mark on you and made you very uncomfortable, Francine. We can understand it! It is in your best interest to revisit this subject with your son-in-law to restore your dignity.