
Molly stepped into the middle of a heated conflict involving her son, his fiancée, her daughter, and her younger son during a family car ride—and now the fallout has left relationships strained and emotions running high. Got a dilemma? Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.com - Listen to The Dr. Laura Program daily on SiriusXM Triumph 123.
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Dr. Laura Schlessinger
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Dr. Laura Schlessinger
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Caller Molly
Hi. Thanks for having me.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
You're very welcome. What's happening?
Caller Molly
Well, this has been going on for almost four years. I have an adult son who's married with a new baby, and I have adult daughter and another son. My daughter and the son that's married got into it at Christmas a couple years, three years back. Um, and.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Okay, slow down. Your son, one of your sons and your daughter got into a fight?
Caller Molly
Yes.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
And what was the fight about?
Caller Molly
Well, child just is taunting. My son was kind of taunting my daughter, just kind of picking at her a little bit and she.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
And how old were they when this happened?
Caller Molly
Too old. 27? 28? 20? 26? 27.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Well, is your son kind of a bully in general or.
Caller Molly
No, he's not a bully, but he. No, he's. He just likes to, when he was younger, kind of taunt and, you know, a little sarcastic where you're like, okay, enough, stop, that's enough kind of a thing with him. So he was just kind of picking. My daughter had said, hey, stop, stop it, stop it, stop it. And she finally blew. And she said some things that were pretty Hurtful but you know, she kind of went all out.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
And what did she say that was hurtful?
Caller Molly
Well, she kind of picked on his income, you know, what he was going to do for his job, she trusts, you know, things like that.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Can you just tell me exactly to best of your memory what she said to him?
Caller Molly
She just said look here know you're going to be working at this job, you're only going to be making this much money and you know, good luck to you. That kind of thing. Taunt, that exact thing to taunt him, to get him to shut up kind of. We were at a parking lot, we got out of the car and you know, I was obviously like oh no, not this. So he had told me he was going to apologize to her but his fiance at the time was like no, that was kind of crazy, you know. So it has never resolved itself and it's been about four years and I have, I have interjected myself because my son, my son ended up leaving that it was Christmas. My son end up leaving and going back to where he lives and it has been an ongoing stress point since
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
and I'm sorry, are you married to his dad?
Caller Molly
Yes. Yeah, we've been married for 30 something years and well what the hell is
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
wrong with your husband?
Caller Molly
Woohoo.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
What the hell is wrong with his dad? Not getting in his face and telling him to be a man and not do that kind of crap anymore and go apologize and mean it. Why didn't your husband do that? And he can still do it?
Caller Molly
Yeah, he, my husband went to him and you know, he was leaving and said I can't believe you're leaving. You know, we're doing all, you know, we have all this Christmas and you're leaving and my son just left. My husband is more of a wants to keep the peace type thing I believe.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Oh, you married one of those.
Caller Molly
Yeah, wants to keep dicks.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
It doesn't pay off ever to marry a weak guy.
Caller Molly
No, and I ever and no. And where I'm at now is that I this many years later I vacillate. I between eating crow like kind of going, trying to make a resolution with my son and my daughter in law but there's still right and wrong and I can't seem to go, I can't be that person that's like hey, everything's great. But that's right Molly, that's not big.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
That's right Molly, forget the hurt thing. Your son has grown up being a bully. That's a bully. And he got nailed back.
Caller Molly
Yeah, and then.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
And he just. He deserved what he got. She finally fought back. Finally. Good for her. So you know what? You have three kids. Two of them are reasonable.
Caller Molly
Yeah.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
That's how you. I need you to think.
Caller Molly
And that's what I think.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Good.
Caller Molly
But there's time. My heart gets in the way. And there is a little bit.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
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Caller Molly
Yeah, because that's the part that knows the best.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Knows that well, that's the part you have to respect.
Caller Molly
I like that word. Yes. That's the word that I don't do to myself sometimes when I fall on the sword and go, oh, and I don't like that about myself. I don't like myself.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Respect.
Caller Molly
Respect. Okay. Because there's been a lot of someday,
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
you know, when they probably have a baby, he's going to want back in the family and you're going to tell him what's required.
Caller Molly
He does have a baby, a brand new eight month old.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
And it didn't make him pick up the phone and want mommy and daddy.
Caller Molly
Yeah, we all went to see the birth of the baby and then even my daughter. And that ended up obviously, that. Not obviously, that ended up okay. Until it didn't and I was put in the back burner and she was putting on the back burner again.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Well, then the hell with them. I'm sorry. Sometimes the worst people to get along with come from your own family. Sorry.
Caller Molly
No, I. I'm glad that you. I'm glad to get the clarity. I've been wrecking my brain thinking, should I have done this? Should I have not gotten involved?
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
No, no, that would have been. That would have been bad, bad parenting, really.
Caller Molly
And I am being serious.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
I'm being serious. Let them stew.
Caller Molly
This is right and this is wrong. And that's why that's correct.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Thank you. Yes.
Caller Molly
Yeah.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Yes.
Caller Molly
And I have been the only one. I've got a lot of, you know, flack from the family. Like, oh, that was too. No, there's right and wrong, Molly.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
If you're the only voice in the wilderness, it doesn't make you wrong.
Caller Molly
Okay. All right, all right. The part I knew was true. I just kept. Sometimes I GR myself right over it.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Okay, you got it now, right?
Caller Molly
Got it. I got it. And thank you, thank you, thank you.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
You're welcome. You're welcome. My number, 1-800-375-2872. If you like this podcast, be sure to rate it on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen to my podcast. Of course, I'd love if you gave me five stars. And be sure to share this podcast with a friend on Facebook or your preferred social media platform.
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Episode: Stay Out of the Middle?
Date: May 15, 2026
Host: Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Guest/Caller: Molly
In this episode, Dr. Laura speaks with a caller, Molly, about a persistent family conflict involving her adult children—a son and daughter—whose argument at a Christmas gathering escalated into a lasting rift. Molly struggles with whether she should continue trying to mediate or accept the estrangement that has resulted. Dr. Laura gives her trademark direct, no-nonsense advice on respecting boundaries, accountability, and the limits of parental intervention in adult children's disputes. The overarching theme is the importance of not forcing reconciliation when there's clear right and wrong, and the empowerment that comes from respecting one’s own judgment.
Dr. Laura quickly focuses on personal responsibility and the realities of family dynamics:
Dr. Laura highlights the futility of being the only one trying to enforce peace at the expense of one’s own boundaries and self-respect.
This episode reinforces Dr. Laura’s overarching philosophy: Stand firm on principles, reject guilt for healthy boundaries, and remember that sometimes family peace cannot come at the cost of condoning bad behavior.