Dear Steve and Shirley,
I am a 34-year-old single mother. I have had the same best friend for 20 years and she is my daughter's godmother. My daughter's father died when she was 2 years old, and my best friend said she would always be there for my child. Well, she has not kept her promise.
My daughter is 7 years old now and she has a spicy personality and behavioral problems. She acts out when she's upset, and she has a problem with being disrespectful to adults. I have tried everything to discipline her, but nothing has worked.
This past Saturday, her godmother took her to a birthday party for me so I could rest and nurse a cold. Within 30 minutes of leaving, my child walked back in yelled at the top of her lungs at her godmother. The godmother said that as soon as she got to the party, this child of mine insulted the birthday girl and told her that her hair was a mess, her party decorations were terrible, and her house was stinky.
My best friend said she was so embarrassed she dragged my daughter out of the party, kicking and screaming. I know my friend was very upset, but I thought as an adult, she should have handled it.
A few hours later, I called my best friend to see if she cooled off. She said she wasn't mad, but she is done with my daughter for good. She denounced her title as the godmother of my child. I didn't even know you could do that. She doesn't want my child to interfere with our friendship. I'm like, what, who does that?
I tried reasoning with her, but she kept saying that she's not changing her mind. It's going to devastate my child because she loves her godmother. So how will I tell my child that her godmother quit her I'm so upset?