Dear Prudence,
My husband and I own our house while his ex lives in an apartment complex. My 8-year-old stepson spends half his time with us so his laundry adds up pretty quickly (we have our own washer and dryer while his mom uses a laundromat). His mom has always found it difficult to accept my presence, despite the fact I have been in my stepson’s life since he was a toddler. They broke up before the baby was even born, but his ex tried to win my husband back several times through increasingly desperate means (she has shown up drunk at my mother-in-law’s place screaming and crying that they were meant to be together). She seemed to calm down after our wedding two years ago, but we recently announced our pregnancy.
Now, her dirty underwear is making its way into the laundry my stepson brings home. The first time, I figured it was a mistake and tossed the thong into the trash, but by the fourth time, the pattern was clear. It is just so bizarre. I haven’t mentioned it to my husband and just keep throwing the items away. What should I do here? I mean, eventually, she is going to run out of underwear, but I worry she will start to escalate to get a reaction here. She has done so in the past and I really don’t want to deal with this during my pregnancy.
—Dirty Laundry