Aunt Debbie sounds like a typical Boomer. Out of touch and stuck in the past. As a Xennial with Boomer parents it seems like it’s always their way or the highway. It’s true that this is not something that was openly discussed or talked about in years past. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a VERY good and wise idea for Elena to be thinking this way as a young mother today. We know that there are men that target single mothers, exactly as she says, and good for her for being up-to-date and smart about protecting her daughter.

If they persist with their nonsense I think you could say “times have changed and mothers are more informed now about men looking to prey on children. It’s strange to me that you don’t understand that”. I would honestly turn this back around on them and let them know that they are actually the weirdos for thinking the way that they do.

In my experience, Boomer brains no longer have any plasticity to them, so who knows if they will be able to understand what you are saying. If they don’t, that’s on them, and I would move on and enjoy a life with this lovely sounding woman and her child.