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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To have not informed estranged family.

57 replies

Mmmcheese89 · 06/11/2024 18:48

18 months ago I had to have a broken bone fixed under general anaesthetic. It was an open procedure involving plates, pins and a cool scar.

I've been estranged from my entire family for over 10 years, so over 9 at the point of surgery. Estranged, no contact AT ALL. Any of them. Not surviving parent, sibling, grandparent or aunts/uncles. It's been a blissfully peaceful decade. The best of my life.

I had a fair bit of time off work and colleagues knew why. Upon my return one colleague in particular couldn't get past the fact I didn't contact my family to let them know. I went in to surgery alone, came out alone. The only non-clinical support I had was my neighbour kindly popping in to feed my pets when I wasn't allowed home same day as planned.

Every couple of months since it gets brought up by this colleague. They're young, still live at home, have very different life experience than me. Not a bad thing in any way. But she just keeps saying how she can't understand/believe I didn't contact them.

I've been polite and brushed it off. I've been stern and said 'Enough now. My private life isn't your concern. I'm evidently ok.' but she just keeps on. Management are ineffectual when I try to raise it further.

So. Even though I am strongly feeling I wasn't.

Was I being unreasonable not to notify my blood relatives of my accident and surgery?

OP posts:
MarkingBad · 06/11/2024 19:03

I'm not estranged from my family but still didn't tell them when I had surgery, only one knew. I just didn;t think it was any of their business and that they would have been worried unnecessarily if they did know.

Your colleague sounds like a AH, it's none of her business what you do or who you tell. As she won't let it drop make a formal complaint of bullying in the workplace or tell her you refuse to respond to anything on that topic and stick to it.

Iwashopingnottobreakmyduck · 06/11/2024 19:00

Be more firm. Right I have already told you stop commenting on my personal life. And report her every single day she does in writing

Stormyweatheroutthere · 06/11/2024 18:58

My own dps haven't known my business for a long time.
Dm since 2012..
Df since 2000...
I could list a page of incident that haven't occurred to me to tell them about over those years... Df doesn't even know how many dc I have.

MumOfOneAllAlone · 06/11/2024 18:55

Omg, no op ❤️

I'm completely estranged from mine, and everyone from my past. I took my baby and started a new life. She's now 5. Best thing I ever did

This colleague sounds like a twat. You need to tell them, in no uncertain terms, in front of management, that they are upsetting you and to stop - don't worry about her being younger, clearly she thinks her opinion on your personal life is so important she needs to bloody harp on about it, she needs to be told!

Congratulations on your freedom 😊 x

ThisJadeLurker · 06/11/2024 18:51

You need to stop telling your business to colleagues (or anyone else your business does not concern). That’s rule 101 of being estranged. Unfortunately, you get people like your colleague, who you tell a little bit of information to, and they go on and on about it. This is especially true when it’s about being estranged. Then you end up being made to feel bad, hence the post, when you didn’t in the first place.

Stop telling people your business.

izzygirlis4 · 06/11/2024 18:51

God know. I've been estranged from my mother for 8 years. Didn't cross my mind to let her know about any operations or illnesses I've had.

Next time id tell her very rudely to mind her own business.

OchAyeTheN00 · 06/11/2024 18:50

Of course not. At this point though you need to be more direct.

‘thank you for your concern. I understand you mean while but I am getting exhausted by the fact you won’t listen to me. I do not speak to my family. They have no idea about anything in my life and therefore they did not need to know this. It is my decision. Please respect it, if you bring it up again I won’t be so polite, and you’ve had fair warning. But honestly I’m likely to tell you to leave me alone. In a very sweary manner. So please save us both the bother and let it go’.

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