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Dear Happy Cow
Several years ago my parents split up. The experience was both hard and liberating. Over time my sisters, my parents and I managed to carve out a life that provided us with comfort and familiarity. Recently, in the last year to nine months, my father started seeing a woman who has become his girlfriend. It is nice for him to have some companionship, but I am finding it rather difficult to accept her into our family. One of my sisters also finds the situation awkward, the other isn't bothered and doesn't seem to take any notice.
I just don't think this woman is good enough for my father. She is rather domineering. She tells him how to dress, she decides where they will go on holiday, and when they will go out. She is always around when we visit my father and barely gives us a chance to talk with him. She even manages the things he eats, telling him he should eat this or that. I know I don't have to like my father's girlfriend but it is terribly hard to avoid her, even though I haven't lived at home for a few years, because she is always there.
I would just like to spend some time with my father and have some family celebrations without her involvement. I find myself becoming more and more frustrated every time I visit my father because I would like to talk with him about it, but I just don't seem to have the opportunity. I'm also concerned about hurting his feelings because I guess his relationship with his girlfriend must be important to him or he wouldn't spend so much time with her. How can I approach my father about such a sensitive issue?
Nick, Liverpool
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