Handsy Grandpa Ruins Relationship During Family Dinner
Dear Abby | October 22nd, 2025 | Letter 1 of 3
DEAR ABBY: I'm 22, and my boyfriend is 21. We've been dating for a few months. At a recent family dinner, his maternal grandfather hit on me. I was helping to clear the dinner table and leaned across the table to grab some dirty plates when Grandpa shoved his hand up my skirt. Then he leered at me, and my survival instincts kicked in. I slapped him across the face so hard he fell off his chair. It created a scene, and my boyfriend's mother screamed at me. My boyfriend's sisters tried to downplay what he did, dismissing Grandpa's behavior as he's just a scamp! I left the house in a hurry, and the family is now talking about suing me for assault. I'm dumbfounded, and now I'm second-guessing myself. I have told my boyfriend we are over, and he's upset because we had a nice relationship. I'm no longer sure I can go forward with it. Am I in the wrong here? Should I apologize? -- SHAKEN IN NEW JERSEY.
DEAR SHAKEN: You have no reason to apologize. Your boyfriend's family should apologize to you. Your boyfriend's grandfather is not a scamp. He's an old man who appears to be losing control of his faculties. You were not wrong to defend yourself. If there is any more talk of suing you for assault after what Gramps did, tell them you will file a police report about his inappropriate behavior, which was far from harmless. His next victim could be a minor.
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