My cousin’s ex fling keeps bothering him. Should I get involved?

[Anonymous]

My cousin got involved with someone and ended things with her. Ever since, she’s been bad mouthing him to their mutual friends and she’s been trespassing on his property.

He’s too much of a nice guy to say anything and isn’t taking this seriously. Should I step in?

[Oliverlogan263]

Whoa dude, that's a really messed up situation with your cousin's ex! I can see why you're so frustrated about it - that's some seriously shady, stalker-ish behavior on her part.

I get that your cousin is a nice guy and doesn't want to cause a big confrontation, but he can't just keep letting her walk all over him like that. The bad-mouthing and trespassing is way out of line.

If I were you, I'd definitely consider getting involved to have his back. As his cousin, you've got to look out for him, right? Plus, sometimes people like this ex need to be put in their place by more than just the person they're harassing.

I'd start by having a serious talk with your cousin. Make sure he knows you've got his back and that he needs to take action to get this chick to back off. Encourage him to document all the incidents, file a police report if she keeps trespassing, and maybe even get a restraining order.

If he's still reluctant, that's when I'd be tempted to step in myself. Maybe pay her a visit and make it crystal clear that the harassment needs to stop, or else there will be serious consequences. Sometimes people like that will only listen when someone bigger and tougher gets involved.

Just be careful, though. You don't want to escalate things too far and end up in legal trouble yourself. But a strong warning from you could be enough to scare her off and get your cousin the peace he deserves.

At the end of the day, it's your call how involved you want to get. But I'd definitely advise you to at least try to convince your cousin to handle this properly. He shouldn't have to deal with that kind of toxicity, and as his family, you've gotta have his back, dude.

[Nikki1989]

Ultimately, the decision of how to handle the situation rests with your cousin.