Dear Prudence,
My mother died last fall after a battle with cancer. My father is 76 and a working psychiatrist. He was devoted to my mom for over 50 years but began a relationship with a co-worker within two months of her death. I want him to be happy, but he is acting like my mom died years ago and not a few months ago. At first I said I was OK with this, but I have realized that my initial reaction was made in a state of shock. Last month he brought her on vacation to the same house he and my mom rented just a few weeks before she died. He acts like it’s no big deal, but every time I walk into the house, all I can see is my mother at the end of her life. I am still grieving the loss of my mom but feel like I can’t share memories with him because his new partner is always with us. I know he has his own life to lead, but this is just weird, especially for someone who is a therapist. He would never counsel a patient to jump into a new relationship so quickly after the death of a spouse. How can I talk with him about how I’m feeling? We have always been very close, and now I feel like I’m hiding something huge from him. I’ll be OK with him moving on once I have just a little more time. This just seems so very fast and disrespectful to my mom.
—Moved On Too Quickly for Me