Nicole and Danny have been married just a year, but say married life has been anything but blissful for the newlyweds, and according to Danny, Nicole’s mother, Alana is mostly to blame.
“Alana is so manipulative; she’ll pretend that she’s sick, so Nicole has to go take care of her,” says Danny. He has referred to Alana as a “monster-in-law” who “monopolizes” his wife’s time with incessant phone calls.
Danny says Nicole drives over to Alana’s house – over an hour away – at least four times a week to check on her mother, thinking something terrible has happened to her. Especially, he says, since she rarely eats and consumes mass quantities of sugary soda.
Alana, who says she suffers from grave depression which she claims causes her not to eat, says her son-in-law is “inconsiderate, rude, controlling [and] competitive.” She says “My daughter Nicole is my only family member, and Danny is trying to sabotage it and take her away from me.”
Danny says Alana spends so much time with her mother; he’s often left to care for the couple’s young daughter by himself.
In the video above, Nicole admits it makes her feel sad and guilty to see her mom so unhealthy, but says she feels stuck. “My mom calls me five times a day and keeps me on the phone for at least 2 hours. And then I have to call her at least twice a day to check on her.”
But Alana insists it’s Nicole who needs her. “I do believe that if my daughter Nicole didn’t talk to me on a daily basis that she would have some severe anxiety.”
Danny says he is running out of sympathy for Alana. “I’m way past the point of feeling sorry for my mother-in-law. Right now I resent her, and I’m starting to hate her.” He calls the relationship between Nicole and Alana extreme and obsessive and says he and Nicole constantly fight about Alana.
Nicole says she’s caught in the middle, and exhausted by the tug-of-war between Danny and Alana. “I feel like I’m torn between my husband and my mother, and I can’t win.”
Does Alana have a monopoly on her daughter’s time? Is Nicole’s relationship with her mother negatively impacting her husband and child? Watch Dr. Phil on Wednesday to see whether he can help this family to find a happy middle-ground! Check here to see where you can watch.