10 Comments   
am i the worst person everI have a rule: When a relationship ends, it's game-off for the entire Van Poppelen family. If I can't handle being friends with my ex, my mother sure as heck better not be sending him birthday cards. Is that any way to treat the man who broke your daughter's heart -- and skipped out on rent? Until further notice, I forbid any and all kin from contact with the person I used to date. Am I the Worst Person Ever?

When you're in a relationship and things are good, it behooves a partner to make friends with your 'rents. But when things go sour, it gets tricky. I understand that some of us may come from high-drama families. In these cases, woe be to the deadbeat ex who is screwing up your life. In those situations, the message to hit the bricks is pretty clear. But most of our families aren't like that -- while you're bearing the brunt of the emotional turmoil, parents, siblings and even grandparents also go through their own issues when you kick someone to the curb.

If you want to maintain a steely exterior -- and zero contact with that a-hole -- you need the whole family on board. It was your choice to pursue a relationship with this guy, and it's your choice to end it. Therefore, it's important to keep your eyes open for these ways in which your family may be undermining your efforts to move on.

The Greeting-Card Giver
Grandparents love snail mail. They never miss a holiday or birthday and take every opportunity to slap a Bob Hope collectible stamp onto a greeting card envelope -- addressed to your ex. As innocent as this seems there is usually a personal message to the tune of, "We love you even if Brooke does not ..." This is unacceptable and must be stopped.

The Facebook Commenter
My mother uses Facebook but doesn't quite get it. She writes very personal messages on people's walls, including your ex-boyfriend's like, "We sure are going to miss your chorizo stuffing at Thanksgiving this year -- does Brooke have the recipe by chance? LOL!" In this case you need to log in to your mother's account (you have all the info since you're the one who set it up for her) and block him as a user.

The Shared-Interest Haver
I don't care if your ex and your brother are the only two people in the entire world who are fixed-gear, collapsible-bamboo bicycle collectors and formed their own love connection riding the trails together. I imagine it would be fairly easy to snap your stupid bicycle over my knee, bro. Consider yourself warned.

What's your strategy to stop your family from maintaining contact with your ex?

Brooke wants you to know that luckily she gets along with a handful of exes, but keeps her family on a short leash where that is concerned.

Other Worst Person Evers:
-- Am I the WPE? My Hairdresser Got Hit by a Car After Giving a Bad Cut
-- Don't Want to Help You Move -- Am I the Worst Person Ever?
-- I Don't Want to Be in Your Wedding -- Am I the Worst Person Ever?