DB can’t keep friends. Every single friendship she’s had, has ended really badly. One in particular, for example, ended because DB made a fake profile and was sending messages to her friend’s boyfriend, trying to convince him to end things with the girlfriend. She continued to send messages, and eventually the friend and her boyfriend (now husband) made a police report after discovering the fake profile was made by DB.
Why do I bring this up? Because the only person that DB has continued to be friends with is her mother. The same mother that raised her exactly how DB is now raising Natalie and Zoe. DB is dependent on her mother.
So now raises the problem of seeing the same habits being forced onto Natalie and Zoe. They are kids. Kids should have friends and be allowed to be around their friends. DB has started to seclude Natalie and Zoe as often as she can and it is so concerning.
Zoe was recommended to register for summer school, after her grades and her willingness to be a good student started crashing (after they stopped coming home to us). DB decided that she was not willing to put Zoe into summer school, stating she’d “flourish independently”. We recommended swimming lessons, as both Natalie and Zoe still can’t swim great. DB refused to put her in normal lessons and scheduled private lessons instead. Birthdays? Birthdays are now just celebrated with just DB. No longer friends involved in birthdays.
Little by little, or not so little, she is secluding these kids so that they are solely dependent on her, just as she is he own mom. Their inability to mature and create relationships is quickly fading and it is a scary situation for not only us, but for their future.