Dear Prudence,
Recently, my mother-in-law came for a visit. I am seriously allergic to dogs and cats (I wish I weren’t!).
My mother-in-law has a Chihuahua, “Chari,” who accompanies her everywhere. She assured us that Chari would be staying with a dog sitter. Well, surprise! My MIL showed up with the dog in tow, claiming he “wouldn’t be able to stand being apart from his Mommy.” I ended up having to stay at my sister’s, and a cleaning service had to be hired to purge the house after my MIL and Chari left.
I am furious with my husband for siding with his mother over me. She lives three hours away, not three states, and it wouldn’t have been the end of the world for him to have insisted she go home due to my allergies. He thinks I made too big a deal over the situation, and even that maybe some exposure to the dog might have helped me develop some “immunity!” How can I get it into his head that he needs to support me in the future?