Son’s girlfriend is a wedge

Dear Amy: My 18-year-old son (who is in high school) has had a girlfriend for the past year. When they first started dating, she would come to my house and barely acknowledge my presence and either hang all over him or retreat to his bedroom with him.

When I told him that her behavior was rude and unacceptable, he told me that she has an anxiety disorder and that she would no longer come to my home because I am too hostile to her.

As a result, I never see my son. He goes to her house every day after school.

Now he has sleepovers with her at my ex-husband’s house. He wants to go to a hotel with her. I have made it quite clear to both my son and his father that this is not acceptable. I am ignored.

Her parents are fine with her sleeping over at his father’s house. I see my son putting off important things and distancing himself from his friends because of her.

Yes, I know I should have pretended to like her, but her initial disrespect was too much for me to ignore. How can I fix this situation? Anxious Mother

Dear Anxious: Rather than blame every action on your son’s girlfriend, you should urge him to take responsibility for his own actions. They are obviously sexually active, and birth control should be at the top of your list of concerns.

You have done just about everything wrong — you have not been able to even fake having an open mind long enough to get to know her. You have put the couple on the defensive. You have made their immature behavior all about you. You have drawn a line in the sand and they are (quite happily) at the beach.

Your son is a legal adult. You should shelve your harsh judgment about this relationship (for now), get to know this girl and her parents as well as you can, take this relationship extremely seriously and behave toward them as if they are a “couple.”

Dear Amy: This is my second marriage. I owned my home before we got married.

My wife and I split expenses 60/40, based on our incomes.

I do not have any car or cellphone payments, yet I have been paying 60% of my wife’s new car lease and cellphone bills.

I am looking to get another used truck and asked my wife if she would help pay for it. She said no. She said if she did, then she would not contribute toward our taxes ($7,800).

How do I convince her that sharing in paying the taxes is just another shared expense?

She feels that since it’s my house I should pay the taxes. I pay for any home improvements myself.

What is fair? 60/40 Husband

Dear Husband: You should redefine what you consider shared expenses. Because cellphones and vehicles come in many makes and models, with widely varying expenses attached, you and your wife should each pay for your own. Therefore, if she wants a fancy leased car and the latest cellphone and can afford it, she can pay for it.

Household and living expenses should be shared. That includes utilities and property taxes. Your wife is behaving like a tenant and should perhaps pay rent. Officially co-owning the house would give her more of a stake in your financial partnership.

Send questions to Amy Dickinson by email to askamy@amydickinson.com.