My first niece or nephew is due next month and I am thrilled! I've always wanted to be an aunt.
Unfortunately while I'm close to my brother and he comes over to see his nieces regularly (I have a 1 & a 3 year old), my sister-in-law and I don't get along. No one's fault, really, we are just not compatible. We've even had the occasional fight in the past. I'd say we are cordial now. I'd love for us to try and be closer, especially for the sake of my daughters as she's their only aunt and we have a very small family (my husband has no living relatives except his grandmother who is very old), but she's holding off, and she has that right.
But I desperately don't want our incompatibility to affect my relationship with my niece or nephew. I would love to babysit, I would love to spoil them, and I would love for the cousins to be close. But if the pregnancy is anything to go by, this won't be easy. Of course it's been more difficult to stay in touch with covid, so it is not so strange we have seen SIL only once in the past 8 months, but she's also, for example, refused to accept any of the (pre-loved & new) stuff I offered her.
My brother - who is in a difficult position here - says we will make it work, and that it is also important to him that our families stay close. But I am very worried about this. What advice would you give me?