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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

I don't want to spend any time with my cousin

12 replies

NoNoCelebration · 23/02/2022 20:28

She’s technically my only female cousin on my dads side (I have two step cousins who’re female who’ve always been treated the same though).

But she hates me. Always has. She’s a month older than me, we grew up within half a mile of each other and she doesn’t have any sisters and my brother and I are her only cousins (her none related parent is an only child) so people assume we’d be close.

There’s a huge backstory which includes her bullying me at school and my mum begging them to put me in different classes at high school to her, but my dad and his family decided I was making it all up. On my 18th birthday she told me she wished I’d never been born and if she ever saw me again it’d be too soon – again my dads family don’t believe me. We’ve stayed away from each other ever since.

I moved to go to university and thought I'd never come "home" but unfortunately I had to move back.

Our DDs are also only a month apart in age, but had the same due date – she had her DD at 35 weeks, but she’s thankfully ok.

When she found out about my DD she apparently cried and said I’d “deliberately had a girl”. She was not the same when her brother had a girl a year later, and she treats my DNs like her cousins, but doesn’t even acknowledge me or my DD as family.

She even posted publically when our DDs were starting school that she’d been “forced to put (her DD) into (private school) to avoid her cousins brat” my brother commented underneath asking if she meant his girl and she replied “No (DBs name) your girl is lovely”. She’s never met my DD to pass judgement.

We both have big birthdays coming up. I assumed I wouldn’t be invited to hers and I definitely don’t want her at mine.

But my dads just announced that him and his sibling are planning a joint celebration for our birthdays. I’ve told him in no uncertain terms that if my cousin is there I will not be, but he keeps saying that we need to put it to bed and be friends. I have friends, and my friends don’t treat me like a piece of dirt. It will be horrible for both of us, neither of us will enjoy it and quite frankly I don’t want my DD there as I don’t trust my cousin to not kick off at me, so it won’t be a proper celebration anyway as why would I celebrate my birthday without my favourite little person?

I know this isn’t AIBU, but AIBU to not want to spend time with someone who so clearly hates me. I’ve never to my knowledge done anything to cause her to hate me so much. And I think after so long it’s unlikely we’ll ever be friends.

OP posts:
rolypolydoly · 23/02/2022 20:42

I think your dad is unreasonable for pushing you into something you clearly don't want.

It's your birthday. You have the right to spend it with anyone you like, and not spend it with anyone you dislike.

Your dad needs to respect that

EnjoyingTheSilence · 23/02/2022 20:46

Tell him you’re not going. If he organises something he’ll be wasting his time because you won’t be there.

NoNoCelebration · 23/02/2022 20:47

Thank you both, I do have another celebration planned that my dad can come to so it's not like I'm doing nothing, he's just insistent on doing something together because "family".

OP posts:
WutheringHeights66 · 23/02/2022 20:48

Why does your dad feel you need to be friends? I have cousins I wouldn’t recognise in the street because they grew up hundreds of miles away, DH has cousins he wouldn’t recognise. My D.C. recognise their cousins but don’t speak to Half as they rarely see them and have nothing in common.

You need to make the position perfectly clear to your father, you’re an adult.

NoNoCelebration · 23/02/2022 20:54

@WutheringHeights66

Why does your dad feel you need to be friends? I have cousins I wouldn’t recognise in the street because they grew up hundreds of miles away, DH has cousins he wouldn’t recognise. My D.C. recognise their cousins but don’t speak to Half as they rarely see them and have nothing in common.

You need to make the position perfectly clear to your father, you’re an adult.

@WutheringHeights66 Why does your dad feel you need to be friends?

He's big on family, all his friends are related to us in some way, so he obviously thought his siblings child being only a month older than me meant we'd be best friends.

He gets quite angry, insists either that my cousin didn't bully me or she was just a child and didn't know any different. But there's been over 10 years since we both 18, I live within minutes of her she could of reached out at anytime and never did instead she cries and accuses me of delibrately having a girl and publically calls a child she's never met a brat, so she clearly doesn't want anything to do with me.

OP posts:
HarrietSchulenberg · 23/02/2022 20:56

Dear god, there is no way I'd be going to a joint birthday party if she's as bad as that. Plan something else on the day and tell your dad you're doing that instead. If he keeps pushing it, just remind him you're doing something else.

FuckThatBullshit · 23/02/2022 20:59

Family my clit! Don't be pushed into this shit

AttilaTheMeerkat · 23/02/2022 21:00

What the others have written. Do not attend such a celebration.

Seeing as your dad is so bloody big on family can your mum talk some sense into him?. Denial is a powerful force though so that may not happen.

I would also tell your dad that if he keeps on using DARVO against you re your bullying and or otherwise abusive cousin your own relationship with him will be beyond repair.

SeasonFinale · 23/02/2022 21:01

Show him the Facebook Post.

NoNoCelebration · 23/02/2022 21:02

@AttilaTheMeerkat

What the others have written. Do not attend such a celebration.

Seeing as your dad is so bloody big on family can your mum talk some sense into him?. Denial is a powerful force though so that may not happen.

I would also tell your dad that if he keeps on using DARVO against you re your bullying and or otherwise abusive cousin your own relationship with him will be beyond repair.

@AttilaTheMeerkat My parents split up when I was teen (unrelated to this issue) so the chances of him listening to my mum are slim.
OP posts:
NoNoCelebration · 23/02/2022 21:16

@SeasonFinale

Show him the Facebook Post.
@SeasonFinale I can't see it, my brother showed it to me, not sure if he still has it, but thats an idea thank you.
OP posts:
Mooloolabababy · 23/02/2022 21:23

Fuck that, not a chance I would go. Tell your dad that it's unacceptable to minimise her bullying behaviour and that you won't be seeing her again, ever. I'd also try and get a screen shot of the shitty comment she made about your dd. She's an arsehole op.

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