I’m 19 and I’ve had the privilege of being with my boyfriend since I was 16, and no one else before that so I kind skipped the whole ‘teenage dating’ phase but I watched many friends go through it and my mum possesses so many traits of that.

She’s in her 50s and been divorced roughly 8 or so years now, and in that time she has had a revolving door of boyfriends. The longest she has been single since divorcing was about 5 months, and into the next.

These men also lack in...quality. Unfortunately, I’ve had to sit through conversations about antivaxx beliefs, drug use and in the worst instance was verbally abused regularly by one of these men.

I would’ve thought after my dad, her taste in men would’ve matured but apparently not. You’d think she’d be picky with what he put her through but instead she repeats history with equally distasteful men.

She broke up with her most recent fling about 4 months ago, and I see on her phone a dating app. I’m not the biggest fan of her being on this, but I guess it can be hard to find singles in her age range so I haven’t taken up an issue with this (though my older sister says it’s ridiculous she’s on there).

My issue is the men she talks to aren’t in a relationship with her, yet divide her attention away from her kids. She becomes very selfish the moment she’s infatuated with someone. She will come home from work, sit in the driveway for HOURS talking to a man she HASN’T EVEN MET.

Just now what’s ticked me off is I was watching a show with her, but the whole time she’s giggling like a school girl at her phone so obviously not interested in the time we’re having together. What’s even worse is whenever I try to talk to her she’s alwayssss looking/typing on her phone to some (I assume) loser.

I don’t know what to do, it’s driving me nuts. I’ve bitched to my sister about it quite a bit, but I’d love to hear from others who are a bit older and have maybe been through a divorce on how I should approach this.