You Can't Choose Your Family

Etc

I'm estranged from my siblings for the last 16 years, I'm much happier not having any contact with them, how do you feel about your nearest and dearest ?

Raconteuse

I am very lucky - great parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts/uncles/cousins. No family is the Brady bunch (or any fictional perfect family) but we've never had problems.

However numerous friends of mine have the most fu*ked up family situations - some awful relatives and horrendous stories - and these were shocking to me at first, but I'm used to the idea now and feel blessed. Nobody wants to have to be estranged from kin.

One eyed Jack

They’re alright, we were never a close family in the first place, but now we’re all independent adults we’re off doing our own thing anyway.

My old man died a few years back and I still miss him even though we had what might be considered a contentious relationship

Have a great relationship with my mam though, she still breaks my balls at times, but I dread the day when she goes.

chrissb8

Love my parents and sister. The more time I spend away from them the more I see what they have instilled in me as a person. Forever grateful for the childhood, memories, love, affection they gave me. Dad is 66 and doing HIIT classes as is my Mom too! Long may they continue such health!

NSAman

What family I have left are my world.

My siblings are literally all fantastic people. They are caring and good people. Living away from them, I now understand what values our parents instilled in us, independence, honesty, caring nature and most of all respect for all.

We share many mutual friends, as well as having our own circles of friends, no one that I can think of has a bad word to say about anyone and they never belittle anyone. We give each other space, but we would literally be right there with each other when something bad happens to anyone of us.

We call each other normally once a week. We meet once a year all together, I can honestly say I love their company and their families.

Alas our dad is no longer with us, being so far away from our mother, I rely on them to make the decisions and look after her. (I do my bit when I get back home) and I know she is treated like a Queen, they treat her so well.

I have friends who never talk to their brothers or sisters or even their parents, it always makes me understand how lucky we as a family are.

05eaftqbrs9jlh

Fractious enough, not quite like yours OP but having to constantly field minor drama. Really can take its toll, family can be a complicated animal.

My brother came home after years living abroad. My elderly parents care for my intellectually disabled adult sister and were happy to host him and his family, but nothing they did was enough and he threw tantrums about how they weren't rolling out the red carpet. He kept saying he'd wasted two weeks of holiday and ragequit in favour of my sister's house up the country for a few days in spite of the fact that his child had a bad bug. He lied about that and they ended up infecting my sister's whole family.

When I wouldn't side with him that my parents are just obsessed with looking after their dependant child and didn't pay enough attention to him, he stopped contacting me and hasn't spoken to me since except through the group chat.

I kind of feel like... good riddance...

Is that really bad? I don't care.

Stateofyou

My family and in-laws are both a sh*t show! NSAman, yours is the dream... definitely blessed. My own family with my spouse is different in every way and I'm so thankful for our little oasis.