‘I Hate My Son’s Girlfriend. Do I Have To Give Her a Gift?’

Dear Emily,

A few years ago, my adult son brought home a new girlfriend for Christmas. She complained about the guests at a holiday party we took her to, wouldn’t eat the food at my other son’s house, and accused me of having bad politics. Needless to say, I didn’t love my time with her, but I thought maybe she’d just made a bad first impression. Last year, however, was even worse: she said my grandchildren were poorly behaved and, to put it politely, actively ignored them at dinner.