Sunday, November 6, 2011

When a sibling disappoints...

I am angry - angry, hurt and disappointed all in one. I have an older sister. She is older by two years, married with two college aged kids.  I would describe our relationship as quite close. We have always lived nearby to each other and I have been involved with her life and kids to a fair degree as they were growing up. Now we live about 5 min from each other and my parents live with her so I am over a fair amount and we talk and know what is going on in each others lives.
My sister is not a very emotional person in general and but I have always felt that she is there for me.  Well, how wrong I was! The last three months I have been through some fairly traumatic life events - a divorce, the decision to continue to have a  baby on my own and most recently one failed IUI and a chemical pregnancy -- through all of this I have not received ANY response from my sister -- not a text or a phone call to ask how I am doing, not a word of support or encouragement when I have met her numerous times. I know she knows what is going on since my parents tell her everything. The day of my egg retrieval, I was at my parents apartment, resting before I came home and she came in and chatted for 45 min -- but not once did she ask how I was feeling. I was lying right there 2 feet from her!!!!  She obviously knew I had had surgery and saw all my meds on the coffee table.  I don't know if her coming in to talk was a show of support, maybe she feels 'weird" about it?  But anyways this is really eating me up and filling me with a  lot of resentment. I do not like feeling this way since we are only two siblings and I don't want our relationship to be damaged but I cannot fathom if she was going through any tough times that I would not at least call and say "Hi -- I am here if you need to talk." I have mentioned it to my parents but they cannot really say much since they live in her house so don't want to "rock the boat" so to speak. 

The irony is that my sis is always there for other people. Her friend broke her hip and is in a nursing home, and my sister has been taking food for her every day. Yet when my Dad was in the hospital last summer for 5 days. My sister visited him 2 times only. Her husband visited just once.  My ex husband and I spent almost all 5 days there ---- so when you ask her friends they think she is God's gift, but the family is never a priority. Her husband is a very selfish man who does not believe in family and has no relationship with his own sibling, and I think that attitude has rubbed off on my sister. Anyway, I am hurt and disappointed that a person I thought would be there for me is not. I have got more kindness and compassion from my colleagues who knew about my IVF.  I don't want to confront my sister so I have decided to write this blog and get it out of my system, and move ffd knowing the kind of person she is and not expecting anything. It is very sad when a sibling disappoints.

1 comment:

  1. It really sucks when anyone disappoints us but it is harder with family. They are supposed to "have our backs." I'm so sorry that your sister is not able to care and/or express her caring and support.

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