I'm not sure I'd classify it as abuse in the traditional way, but Garner is going to fail at what she thinks she's trying to do. I do think she has a snob (look at me...aren't I just the best. mom) vibe about her. This isn't about her kids...it's about HER! So in that sense, it's pretty inappropriate & possibly mental/emotional abuse. What happens when they go to Ben's house? Do we really think he's going to keep her puritan rules? I highly doubt it.

I remember some in-law types that thought they were just the bestest, most wholesome Christian people on the planet, so they weren't going to allow their kids to every watch TV. They barely had. a relationship with us but kept sending annoying pictures of their kids to us about every few months. As if we were going to hang them all over our house & bump the actual grandchildren's pictures off the wall. It was inappropriate & narcissistic to bombard people like that.

In my experience, whenever a parent tried to crack down & hover over their kids lives, they succeeded in controlling them until they graduated, but then when those same kids when off to college & real life, those kids had the hardest time coping. There was substance abuse, flunking out of college, unplanned pregnancies, & mental health issues.

So that's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.