Well, this is awkward.

According to a post on the ex-Jehovah’s Witness subreddit, a young man was disfellowshipped by his own mother when he was 19. She broke off all contact with him because he left the faith. She didn’t even attend his wedding. He’s 38 now and has a two-year-old daughter, and out of nowhere, the mother wrote him a letter requesting to meet her granddaughter.

I hope you are well. I’m writing to you because I want to make arrangements to see my granddaughter. I know you said you did not want this, but I hope you can reconsider your decision. It’s my heart’s desire to get to know her. Also, it’s important for her to have a relationship with her maternal Grandmother. Please make this possible by contacting me.

For a few minutes, I was torn on how to respond to this. Part of me wanted to tell the man to say yes and bring the whole family back together again. Wouldn’t that be a happy ending?

But the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. How can someone walk out of your life for nearly 20 years, only to write you because she wants a favor? Before she gets to meet the grandchild, shouldn’t she make an effort to get to know the son she abandoned? She doesn’t apologize for her actions. She still doesn’t want her son in her life. He’s just the obstacle she needs to overcome. And what will she even talk about with the granddaughter? Because if this is just a ruse to get her alone for the sake of indoctrination, there’s no point in setting up a meeting at all.

I would be cautious about saying yes. Suppose she meets the granddaughter and they bond. Suppose she grows up and says she’s not a Witness. What’s the grandmother going to do then? Abandon her, too? The son already had to deal with a mother who put religious nonsense over their relationship. Why put your child through the same hell? Say no and be done with it.

She doesn’t deserve to meet her granddaughter.

