IT'S AN AMBUSH!!!

Seriously. This woman has spent some time collecting information and marshalling her thoughts before she reached out and scheduled this meeting. You're going in cold. This puts you at an immediate disadvantage. And honestly, I think that's the way she wants it. There's a pattern in her behaviors, and it screams, "Control freak!"

The thing about control freaks is that arguing with them is futile. They don't listen to your side. They only argue for one reason... to win.

So, based on these assumptions, here's how I'd approach this meeting:

- I'd accept that this is the discovery meeting. I'd listen, ask questions, etc. And I would commit to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Anytime she asked for any kind of decision, I would defer in some way. "I need to talk with DD." "I need to talk this over with my spouse." "We'll look into this." Etc. If she presses, I would say we can revisit this topic at another meeting in a couple of weeks.

And if she has any problem with it, I would remind her that I knew nothing of the content of the meeting beforehand, so this is the first I'd heard of any issues (even if it wasn't). This problem could have been avoided if she'd told me what the meeting was about.

- Likewise, I would argue about nothing. Even a statement as seemingly innocuous as, "We don't see that kind of behavior at home" can be interpreted by a control freak as, "YOU LIE!!" In the interest of preventing the relationship from going south immediately, I'd just listen.