Family, Parents Sisters and Brother

Updated on July 08, 2011
J.W. asks from Tomball, TX
5 answers

After my brother who is 16 year younger, was born my parents stopped having much to do with me, my sisters and our children even though we spent alot of time together working on the ranch before he was born. Growing up we were always told the place was to be shared by all of us. They said they wanted the grandchildren to fish in their lake.....

Then one night my Dad called me and my sisters the same night to tell us we were being disowned and my brother who lives near them was getting everything so I stopped visiting them even though I continued to call and visited a few times.

Now my sisters, who use to call me to see how our parents were doing, act like they do not remember being disowned. My Mom and Dad are not in good health and I am there for them as much as I can but I can't take it seeing family being two faced back stabbers toward each other and me and my family! How would you feel?

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for your responses. My Dad passed away in June so he is no longer in pain. My Mom is living at home with a care giver 24 hours a day. I call her 3 or 4 times a week but I do not have much to do with my brother or sisters. Too much drama and too much stress to take on as well as fight my cancer. My focus in on my Mom and my family, children and grandchildren.

Yes I am sad that everything we were told growing up about sharing the ranch and passing it to all the grandchildren turned out to be a lie. There is nothing I can do about it. My brother who is 16 years younger and has never worked more than 2 or 3 days a has everything. His name is the same as my Dad's. He says as soon as he can, he will sell everything.

It hurts to know my grandchildren will never have the opportunity to love the land and the life style. On the other hand my brother has acquired $3,000,000 in cash, and property. He has thrown away things that had meaning to those of us who are older simply because he could.

More Answers

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Wow, why do families hurt each other?
I am sorry. There is obviously a story behind all of this.

I would feel like my parents are not well. I am going to help them as much as I want and not feel guilt when I am not up to it. I am not going to be made to feel guilty for anything I do of my own choice.

I am going to stay away from family drama, and I am not going to cause family drama. In the end if it really comes down to some ugliness. Tell them how you feel from you heart.

No regrets. You are entitled to any feelings you have.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.M.

answers from Portland on

Families seldom match the story-book ideal. Parents often are far from perfect, loving, understanding, forgiving, selfless people; more often, they are dealing with the dysfunctions they were raised to think of as normal. Guilt, resentments, revenge, tit-for-tat behaviors, withholding love, bribing or buying love – it's the stuff of operas, movies, and everyday life.

You might be in a much better emotional state if you just learn to see what is true rather than wishing for your parents to be what you think they should be. If they are not loving toward you or able to receive your help, then you might need to reassess what you can reasonably do for them. There are people who are able to give unstintingly to people who do not give back, and there are people who will quickly become burned out by what they feel they must give.

You can't be responsible for the choices your family makes. You really have little-to-no control over their attitudes. It sounds like you are all stuck in old patterns that just do not work. As long as you try to make your family be (in your own mind) what they are not, you will struggle and feel a great deal of grief. But if you can back away and take a longer view, you may be able to make saner decisions about what action you will or won't make.

If you can do this, perhaps you can even influence your siblings toward making decisions that can actually effect some real changes that will work better for all – perhaps even better for your parents. But do it for yourself, for common sense and sanity, not because you expect others to understand or appreciate your choices or reciprocate. They may not.

There's a self-help process called The Work that can help you get to a clearer place, if you're interested in trying it. Check out http://thework.com/thework.php. Wishing you well!

2 moms found this helpful

L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
Didn't you ask this same question in 2010? I remember because I thought it was so sad.

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W.M.

answers from Nashville on

I would feel the same way given the info you told us. I think that the right thing to do is to pray a lot, be there for your ailing parents as much as a daughter should be but without all the 'love' and warmth that you would normally show. I would not mention a word to your sisters b/c ultimately they will turn on you. I am the outcast in my family b/c I said something about my back stabbing brother and sister and now we don't speak anymore. If my mother was in poor health, I would do what was asked of me b/c it was the right thing to do but nothing more. Good luck, stay strong and know that you are in the right...as long as you are doing right by you, your family, and GOD, you will be ok.

M.D.

answers from Dallas on

I would be hurt if my parents disowned me, but I would try to find out why? I would also like to think, I wouldn't disown them... I'd try to mend whatever was broken. As for your sister, what does she say? Maybe since time is running out with them, she wants to have a positive feeling when they do die. Material things will come and go, but the bonds of love will last forever...

I'd try to make peace with them... if they don't want it, you know you tried...

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