Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be upset by my 43 year old sister 'unfriending' me on facebook?

69 replies

jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:27

sorry this is going to be a bit long but you need the background really. My sister is my Dad's daughter from his first marriage and I have always had a bit of a difficult relationship with her. She is 18 years older than me (my mother was my Dad's third wife and sixteen years younger than him, so there wasn't a huge amount of age difference between my sister and my mum) and when I was little we were quite close, but when I got older and started having my own opinions I realise she was quite difficult. It's incredibly easy to offend her - I won't go into the list of what does now as I would be writing forever - and she has got the most enormous chip on her shoulder and a completely false view that my Dad 'favours' his children with my mum (there are three of us) over her.

This is untrue for a couple of reasons: My Dad is an appalling, absent father. My parents split up when I was fourteen (he ran off with one of her friends) and since then my mum has largely done the parenting alone (my other siblings are all younger than me, I am 25). He treats us all the exact same way her treats my sister. The only reason she had more experience of him being absent than I did is because her parents split up when she was two or three. My brother, incidentally, was only two when my Dad left my Mum so he has had the exact same experience, but she has this major victim mentality that insists she was the one who was hard done by.

She had a baby a couple of years ago and that improved our relationship a little as she seemed to soften somewhat (she is usually very hard, unaffectionate and can be quite bitchy and spiteful, particularly towards my mum who I suspect she is a bit jealous of). I love my nephew to bits. She then split up with the baby's father which was not a surprise as she is really an incredibly difficult person to get on with, as I have said. So she then moved away to another county, in the middle of nowhere, with no car and no nearby train station. So it is really difficult for us to see her - my mum works six days a week including nights and my siblings and I have no viable means of transportation.

Anyway, my mum invited her for christmas this year, as she always does, and my sister ruined the whole occasion: she was rude to us, rude to our other guests, didn't contribute anything, moaned about the food, sulked in the living room away from everyone else for most of the day and wouldn't let anyone else near my nephew.

Three days later I realise she had 'unfriended' me from facebook, which really upset me as I have got literally no idea why. She hasn't done the same thing to any of my other siblings, or to my father (who she always claims to be furious with). Why she has singled me out I have literally no idea.

Any advice on how to deal with this at all and AIBU to get so upset by it? I have been sitting on it for a while and don't know what to do. Happy to answer any more questions if needed.

OP posts:
puds11isNAUGHTYnotNAICE · 20/02/2015 09:30

Can't imagine I would be upset about not having someone like her on my fb.

SunnyBaudelaire · 20/02/2015 09:33

well it doesnt sound as though you like her or that she likes you, so why not just let it go? I do not see what there is to 'deal with' tbh.

jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:36

Sorry, I should have been clear - it's more about my nephew. I don't want him to be isolated from his family. I don't particularly 'like her', but she's my sister and I do love her.

OP posts:
thatsucks · 20/02/2015 09:38

The Facebook thing is neither here nor there really is it?

Do NOT ask her why, let it go and decide if you want to have her in your life at all. Sounds like it would be pretty easy not to - she lives arse end of nowhere, you don't like her, she doesn't like you.

You don't have to have contact with someone where there is such mutual resentment and lack of love you know.

SunnyBaudelaire · 20/02/2015 09:38

well it doesnt sound like it from the way you are talking about her.
tbh if my half sister spoke about me like that yet wanted to be 'auntie'' I would tell her to do one.

thatsucks · 20/02/2015 09:39

Ah X post. Yes I appreciate that's hard about your nephew.

diddl · 20/02/2015 09:40

Well yes, it doesn't sound as if there is anything to "deal with".

You don't get on.

Shame that she ruined Christmas, although she's likely got a different take on it all.

Did she grow up with her mum?

Marynary · 20/02/2015 09:42

I presume that she "unfriended" you because you don't like her. I would do the same.

ressyHedMair · 20/02/2015 09:48

she sound more damaged by your father's poor parenting.

I read something once about anger, have never forgotten it, that it's very difficult for people to identify what it is they're angry about, and express that anger appropriately to the appropriate person. It's apparently more usual to bite the head off your next door neighbour because your boss undermined you earlier that day.......... etc.

jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:48

I think you're all being quite unfair tbh, I did say I would answer any other questions about the situation and I do not think I have been really horrible about her - this is what she's like.

In the past she has said horrendously hurtful things about me, hence why I have said she is hard and unaffectionate here (she is - should I lie and say she's great?!). I tried very hard with her at christmas, chatted to her to try and reconnect, gave her presents, tried to help her out with the baby, etc etc. That's why I don't understand why now.

And I do think it's possible to love someone you don't like. I don't particularly like my father given the way he's treated his wives and children, but I do love him - he's my Dad!

She fell out with her mum years ago. She has a history of falling out with friends and relatives.

I am actually now nearly in tears from your comments, I just wanted some help and support and you've basically just told me I am a horrible person - I'm not.

OP posts:
jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:50

ressyHedMair yes, I don't doubt she is completely damaged by that. the point is we have all had the same experience with him and been similarly damaged and she refuses to see that. it's something we all have in common and yet she deliberately pits herself against us and I don't understand why.

the other issue I have is that she's perfectly happy taking it out on me and not on him. it's not her fault he's a shit father but it isn't mine either.

OP posts:
ressyHedMair · 20/02/2015 09:52

yes, your awareness has surpassed hers. age irrelevant at this point.

you're right, it's not YOUR fault that both of you had a shit father. i'd be wary around her too, if she's going to blame you. let her delete you and "stay deleted" if you know what I mean. Let her find another 'outlet' for the frustrations and disappointments she hasn't 'boxed' up correctly.

SunnyBaudelaire · 20/02/2015 09:52

"hard, unaffectionate, bitchy, spiteful, jealous.chip on her shoulder,major victim mentality"

Look I do not want to upset you, but are you talking about her nicely?
Why do you want a relationship with her child? Really?

ressyHedMair · 20/02/2015 09:54

ps, Blamers are like heat seeking missiles for the person who will keep trying to please. No more trying to please.

There's a huge difference between being confrontational or reactive and simply no longer attempting to please somebody.

thatsucks · 20/02/2015 09:54

No OP it is not your fault your dad is an arsehole, and you CAN decide to go no contact with her. She's just a person you don't like and who brings stress to your life, put aside the blood relationship. Your nephew is a problem, that's something you have to work through. Sorry for you x

SunnyBaudelaire · 20/02/2015 09:55

AND you are talking about her as though she should have moved somewhere that would facilitate your relationship with her child. Why should she do that for someone who patently dislikes her?>

jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:57

SunnyBaudelaire these things are true. that is what she is like. what do you want me to say? these are things about her that have also been said by her best friend she has known since early school days. yes these things are nasty but these things are true. maybe you are feeling sorry for her because you don't know her, and to tell the truth I often feel sorry for her too, if only because she is so angry that she can't seem to be nice to anyone, but feeling sorry for someone doesn't mean you can't have a less than favourable view of them.

Of course I want a relationship with my nephew. It's important for children to have extended family where they can.

OP posts:
jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:57

SunnyBaudelaire if you read my post properly you would see that I said it's the fact she complains no one comes to see her which is the reason why I complained she moved so far away.

OP posts:
jamjarscrunchie · 20/02/2015 09:58

thatsucks thank you for your kind words, yes I might have no contact with her (even though that doesn't sit right with me as she's my sister) but I want to be there for my nephew x

OP posts:
SunnyBaudelaire · 20/02/2015 09:59

well everyone has their own 'truth' jamjar. yes I do feel for her, if someone who disliked me that much wanted a relationship with my child I would tell them to eff off.

Pagwatch · 20/02/2015 10:00

I do think you need to sit down and try to understand a little better what you actually want. You genuinely don't sound as if you like her and, while you seem to have managed to move on from having a twat of a father, she does not sound as if she has.

That is her choice. She is allowed to chose to distrust, dislike and reject you. It is obviously not nice but you cannot control the feelings of others. Life isn't like that.

Can I also suggest you rethink 'I don't like him/her but of course I still love them'.
That actually is often bollocks. Accepting anyone with an 'of course I love him' is just really illogical and unhelpful.

Marynary · 20/02/2015 10:00

Your views on your sister are subjective and a matter of opinion though OP. I'm sure that not everyone sees her the way you do and I'm sure that her story regarding Christmas and other events would be very different to yours. You can't blame her for wanting to only stay in touch with the people who like her.

thatsucks · 20/02/2015 10:00

OP can I point out that you are only responding to the posters criticising you and not to the many who are supporting you or at least saying just let it go, so you are seeing this thread as 'you all being unfair'...

Why is that? Genuine question. Might be helpful to think about it.

Bravenewworld1 · 20/02/2015 10:02

having an absent dad is not as painful if you had a strong supportive mother- sounds like she did but does the same apply to her. if she didn't then maybe her situation was far more difficult than you or your siblings

seaoflove · 20/02/2015 10:08

hard, unaffectionate, bitchy, spiteful, jealous.chip on her shoulder,major victim mentality"

I don't see the problem with the OP describing her sister like this, if it's accurate. There are plenty of people like this out there. An ex-friend of mine, for one. I too got tired of her sniping and bitchiness and stopped making the effort to connect with her. Funnily enough, our friendship ended when she unfriended me on Facebook and it was a relief.

OP, I understand that you feel bad about having no contact with your nephew, but I can't see how you can facilitate a relationship with him when it's proved to be impossible to have a normal relationship with your sister. I would rather go NC but leave the door open for a reconciliation with your nephew at a much later date.

Swipe left for the next trending thread