How's your relationship with your family?

[Mop]

I'm curious about what other people have to say. Do you have issues with your family, and has the pandemic affected your relationship with them?

Most years I only really spend time at my parent's home during the summer and December, but this pandemic has meant that I've spent the majority of the last 8-9 months with them. During this time, I think I've become a lot more critical of my parents and siblings. I don't say nasty things to them or anything like that, and I still act as I normally do around them. However, I feel like I dwell on their flaws a lot these days, and become quite resentful/frustrated with some of their personality traits and choices they've made in their lives.

I'm not sure if I've become like this because I'm getting older or if I'm just exhausted of them after spending so much time in the lockdowns with them. Maybe I'm just being petty.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

My parents and brother are... tolerable, and they at least try to be supportive. My irritability with them is more a signal to me that I really need to leave the nest and try to get my own place than any fault with them.

They like having significant distance from society. I don't any longer. That's the only spot where issues come up.

 

[The_biscuits_532]

Pretty good. I'm living with my mum and stepdad at the moment because lockdown happened whilst I was visiting, and they're pretty chill.

I haven't seen my Dad, Stepmum and brothers since like six months before lockdown. I speak to them over Skype every now and then.

The only real issue I have with (close) family is that my dad goes absolutely apeshit if I even mention my mum. He didn't take the divorce well and never got over it. It's been 15 years.

 

[JuniperW]

Pretty good in general, at least better than it was a few years ago.

 

[Punji]

I have a very positive relationship with my family members. Both my parents and extended family.

Recent events have done nothing much in this regard. No family gatherings or any such things doesn't really impact much for me.

Over the past few months the relationship between my brother and I has improved dramatically and seeing him on an occasion is now rather pleasant compared to how we used to feel about each other.

 

[Monosuki the Aurian]

Hmm.....family.....let me see......

Well, I'd say, for the most part, we have our scuffles every now and then, but it's quite alright. And we are loving with one another, caring in all ways. For the most part, we have a pretty healthy relationship.

But, I think that was.....a few years ago, when we lived in a different place, when all used to be good.

As for now, I think it either might be quarantine, or just the madness of indoors, but I don't think everyone is getting along right now. We used to be all good, but the house stability is about as stable as the world is right now.

But, I remain hopeful. With some luck, we just might get better, and all will be well once more!

.....That was before I heard the Big Split.

And for those who can see past the codeword "Big Split", you know what I'm referring to.

And this happens to be the year it's going to happen.

 

[Alaricat]

I have a weird relationship with my family, my dad and his girlfriend are really nice to me. My dad and i used to have a horrible relationship but i'm happy we were able to have a real bond when he learned to really trust me after I moved out (also helps that him having a gf has made him a lot nicer in general). I don't talk to my mom, she's kinda insane... Last time I interacted with her was when she sent me a box of halloween decorations for my birthday along one of those temporary tattoos from a vending machine. Extended family is great though : ))

 

[Kuuro]

Oh god, interesting timing for this post.

My sister is very depressed and refuses to talk to my mother, and I just spent the last couple hours being the messenger between them. My sister feels my mother is never there for her, my mother feels my sister is never in touch unless she wants money

I just get along with everyone. I'm not particularly fond of family company, though. They're constantly holding grudges against each other, cutting ties, working it out, arguing, taking the tiniest things personally and getting upset... they're very emotional and talk like the world is to blame for all of their problems. And since I'm neutral, I'm the emotional dumping grounds. My friends are much more understanding and much more stable, so naturally I prefer their time.

I do wish I were closer to my parents, though. We don't normally go much further than surface-level conversation, and seeing how their relationships with my siblings have gone, I hold back a lot of my thoughts and personality when I'm around them to maintain what we do have. Perhaps that's not helping our deeper bonds, but at the moment it's all I know how to do. Maybe I'll open up more.

 

[Redlinelies]

Been living by myself since long before the pandemic so it hasn't changed my relation to my family a lot, though maybe slightly less spontaneous visits.

I get along with my parents fine today, but also no problems with all my sisters and their families too except one of them. Thing is they've always been the one having issues with everyone else in the family and is also always the one having problems or starting things with the rest. Always asking for favors, always have some underlaying agenda, and immature despite having a family and old age.

Last year I pretty much shut out my direct contact with them after they lied to my face one last time and they wouldn't even face or talk to me when I confronted them with the facts. They are essentially a giant sore to the family if I were to be honest. I Don't hate them by any stretch of the imagination since they are still family, but enough is enough somewhere and I rather keep my distance and keep my peace.

 

[MagnusLucra]

I was estranged before the pandemic, still estranged now.
Only person I stay in contact with is my Brother, which I run a restaurant with.
The pandemic has caused some of my family to reach out, but I'm not interested.
However I have gotten a lot closer with the in-laws, and we've been helping each other out more than before.

All I have to say is that I'm happy I'm not trapped living with any of my family, and I hope anyone who currently feels trapped finds some kind of freedom soon.

 

[Kinare]

Eh. Without boring you with a wall of text story of my life, it could be better. Went through a lot of shit with my parents during childhood and young adulthood, pretty sure dad only loves me because he has to or he feels guilty for the abuse as a child, mom is... still mom, but slightly more tolerant of other people's needs. I had to move back in with them a couple months back and it's been civil, only because I don't dare ask them to change anything. That means when they talk on the phone extremely loudly right outside my room (because apparently they think they need to yell on the phone) and wake me up so I get zero sleep before work I can't say a damn thing.

I have two younger brothers, the older of the two I have an ok relationship with, but we're not like best friends or anything. The other one I have no idea. He's a very hateful, spiteful person at times and I was at one point on his hate list for reasons I still don't know. I don't know what he thinks of me now and could care less, I tried to help him when he was younger and that turned out to just hurt me more so fuck 'im.

Oh, and then there's my grandma, maybe one of the biggest betrayals of all. When I was living with her, she ended up making me kick my cat out, then instead of just letting the cat live around the property she decided to take it to the city she worked at about an hour and a half away and just let it loose somewhere. Not take it to a shelter or give it to someone, just let it loose. She told my mom about it, and my mom felt so guilty knowing how much I loved that cat that she told me. Just typing it now fills me with so much anger, how can someone be so cold? Someone who I was so close with when younger, he house was my refuge from my parents at times (she lives right up the road from them). So I've been pretty distant from her since.

Dad's side of the family I was never close with, but they're alright. They like me for some reason, maybe because they barely know me, hahahaha.

 

[Mr. Fox]

Not great but I put up with them because I have to. That might change at the end of the year.

 

[Raever]

 

[Mop]

One of the things that frustrates me the most about my parents is that they're horrible at managing money and thinking about the future.

They're the type of people who will spend way too much of their money on having a bigger home than they need. So much so that even though they earn a very good amount of money, they're pretty much never able to buy nice things for their jumbo-sized house, because a huge proportion of their money is just going towards the mortgage. And it's not even really like there's an endgame to all this money they're blowing on this "investment", because they just keep moving properties every 5 or so years (and losing money on the exchange just about every time) after getting bored of the location they live in.

Also, when my older brother went to university, they were able to give him a free ride with the university fund they'd saved up, but by the time I went to uni, the fund was already used up and I just had to take out a bunch of loans. I don't want to be resentful about that since it's very normal to have to take out loans for university, but it felt unfair and very avoidable if my parents had just planned ahead better.

 

[Yakamaru]

Have good relations with everyone in the family except for my mother of whom I have cut any and all contact with since around April last year.

I cut out toxic elements from my life, doesn't matter if it's family.

 

[Nexus Cabler]

I have a decent relationship with mine, but there is still much room for improvement. However, I'm thankful we all love each other.

 

[Deleted member 111470]

It's excellent. That is because I myself am excellent.

 

[aomagrat]

Depends on how long I've been drinking.

 

[TemetNosce88]

Overall, very good. I get along really well with my mom, since we have a lot of common interests and hobbies. My relationship with my dad wasn't very good growing up, but he's mellowed a lot with age and we get along reasonably well now. We still have very different world views, which means there isn't a lot of common ground there, but it's by no means bad. I used to be very close with my brother, but we've been growing apart as our lives and interests have diverged more and more as we get older.

While I have a good amount of extended family, my relationships with them are basically non-existent.

 

[Guifrog]

I think we're good! All things considered

Dad's obsession with politics is super annoying but I love his outbursts of silliness; mom can be a real chatterbox, but she's also one of the happiest people I know

I seldom talk to my brothers nowadays, but it's always fun when we do

 

[sleepy kitty]

My mom and I get along great, I wish my brother and I spoke more, same with my stepfather. Sister is awesome and so is my baby niece, although sometimes both my sister's and my personality clash and we don't talk for a few days. It's okay though, because we've both been through a lot of hell growing up and we're still healing.

 

[Rayd]

the only thing that could possibly make us any more distant is if i moved across the country. and that's putting things extremely politely.

not to mention that the only person in my family that treated me well and that i liked died of unnatural causes right before i was going to move in with them away from everyone else, cause if there's one thing life has shown me all these years its that im very lucky!

 

[MCtheBeardie]

I actually have pretty close ties to my sister, and my mom is okay. She can get on my nerves sometimes, but I hold no ill will towards her. My brother doesn’t live with us anymore, so I have nothing to say about him other than he’s still kissing up to my parents for money.

My dad, however... he’s getting a little unbearable. He’s one of those super conservative people, like really conservative, so his rants can get all kinds of hateful. He’s just constantly pissed off, so I’m starting to get very fed up with it.

It’s gotten so bad, he snaps at officers when he’s drunk. We had to physically force him to wear it, it was terrifying. I have fond memories with him though, so I tolerate it. He’s weak to the people he cares about, so my family and I can usually reign him in.

 

[CoffeeCat_]

Good, I think this pandemic has brought us together even more

 

[GarthTheWereWolf]

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