Sister-in-law is in the way

Dear Annie: My sister-inlaw of more than 40 years has again done something that I feel is disrespectful. She has taken one of my granddaughters under her wing. What’s wrong with that?

A few years ago, our then-21-year-old granddaughter moved in with us to save money.

She ended up living with us for almost two and a half years.

We were ready to ask her to move out late last year, but then she learned she was pregnant. We agreed to support her until the baby was born. She agreed she would have her own apartment before the baby came.

One day, I found one she could afford, in a good neighborhood, not too far from her work. She refused to even go look at it, and over the next hour or so, in text messages, she became belligerent.

We packed her stuff, put it on the porch and changed the locks. (We’re in our 70s, we weren’t prepared for an angry 20-something.)

Enter my sister-in-law, “Mayra.” Mayra gave her a get-out-of-jail-free card and undercut the independence that we were trying to instill in our granddaughter. Mayra lets her stay there with her sometimes.

I don’t want to confront Mayra because I don’t want to implode the family again. — Peeved Parents

Dear Peeved: You were wise to push this overgrown birdy out of the nest so that she might learn how to fly. Now, let her learn. Don’t track her every move from your perch up above. If your sister-in-law chooses to take her under her wing, that is between the two of them, and it’s in no way a personal affront to you.