Do you ever feel like yours is the only dysfunctional family?

[resipsa]

Just been to a local garden centre to escape the rain and try to inject some early festive cheer. Its Christmas displays are fantastic. Despite at one point having 3 pricey items in the bag for the children, we left empty-handed. The pre teen was unspeakably rude to us both for no obvious reason and the 7 year old refused to behave as requested. They tend to trigger each other so hard to know where it started to go downhill. The 7 year old's tantrum as we left was Oscar worthy. From my perspective, we seemed to be the only dysfunctional family unit in the WHOLE place which was heaving. Do you ever feel the same?

All of the time @resipsa!

Yes - it feels lonely! My two (10 & 12) are so spiteful to each other. All the ruddy time. And the 12 year old generally either has serious cheek and / or is often filled with sudden rage. I'm so envious of friends with kids that get on well. It makes me sick!

Thank the Lord for you two. I was thinking it really was just us 🤣

Not just you. We are the same. I said this to DH other day. Is it just us? 12 year old gets a bit funny because of her period. 8 year old will say mum, is it hormones time? She's being nasty to me. I'm having to be on it with making sure things are fair and snide comments or bad attitudes aren't being overlooked. I have kids across different key stages and it can feel like everyone is disgruntled, can't please them all.

Me and mt brother hated each other! Made my mum's life a misery no doubt. It's a big part of the reason why I only had one!

DS and DD can't even be in the same room without war breaking out. They hate each other - properly loathe. Weekends and holidays have to be organised around keeping them apart. Makes me so sad. It's utterly dysfunctional and awful.

My now 18 and 20 year old fight like cat and dog. Nightmare when they were younger and we would end up taking them out separately. They have reached an uneasy truce as adults, we can all go out and enjoy ourselves together - they barely speak to each other but are civil when they do. Just two completely different people.

No it's not just you. Went to a shopping centre yesterday with our two teenagers. DD keen to look around the shops and DS tolerating it. DP seems to lose his mind in those places and I'd forgotten how bad he is as it's been a few years since we last went. He seemed to start getting hangry and agitated as soon as we got there. Me and DD looked in a couple of shops and he kept standing outside and walking off. DS started crying (he has ASD) as there was a Lush shop in the shopping centre and he can't cope with the overwhelming smell.

Went to get a Nando's to sort the hanger, we queued for 10 mins only to be given a time slot 40 mins later. DP started getting aggy and walked off in opposite direction while telling me to find somewhere else. I ignored him and started walking towards the shop that I needed to go in. 15 mins later he reappears but we have all lost the will to live and end up driving home in silence while DD sat and cried in the back as she wanted to spend some money she had saved up. Total shit show start to finish.

@bowchicawowwow I laughed kindly at that story as it was so familiar, from the horror of an adult having to wait for food to the back seat tears. I'm sad for us all on here that it's not just us!