DEAR KACIE

DearKACIE

XMAS OR EX-MAS?

I got divorced two years ago. The holidays with my family are making me anxious because even though I am over my ex, they are not. They still gave him gifts last year. They adore him. I am not mad that they are still friends with him, but they don’t offer any support for me. I’m broke and could use all the gifts and gift cards he received. I don’t want to spend time with my family at all this year. I can’t stand that they favor him over me.

Wow! It’s awesome your family has a good relationship with him. And by the sounds of it, you must be somewhat amicable. But wow! Your family is incredibly inconsiderate of your feelings. I can see why you’d rather not spend the holidays with them. But maybe it’s not so much that your family gave your ex gifts, but that they don’t reach out and see how you’re doing. Maybe they don’t know how much you’re hurting—mentally and financially.

I get it. It’s hard to talk about your divorce. You don’t want anyone to see you struggling. But everyone struggles with a divorce. Although, clearly your ex isn’t struggling too much with his Santa bag full of goodies.

Make sure your family knows how you’re doing financially—and mentally too. It sounds like it’s more about a communication issue with your family than the gifts your ex received.

If you have any questions you’d like Kacie to answer, submit them to contact@simplykcmag.com.

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