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Relationships

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

Falling out - longest ever

15 replies

Nellybellyfrillytilly · 26/06/2022 13:25

Bit of a long post, sorry.

My sister and I have fallen out, what should I do?!

Bit of context - We lost our parents when we were were teenagers, have a step mum who I love but sister is not so close with her. I have 2 young children, 2 under 2. Sister doesn’t want children, doesn’t like them, never have never will, fair enough.

We’ve always had a rocky relationship, I’ve always had to be the one to reach out or apologise first, when things are good they are good but it’s intense, when we fall out, it’s huge.

We’re both married, sister got married when I only had one child, pregnant with number 2 - this is where it all started… when we told her about pregnancy number 2, she broke down in tears (not in a good way) said I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy her wedding or drink alcohol, I had ruined the wedding and everyone will be eyes on me, made a comment about me knowing when the wedding was and I should have stayed on the pill… that’s when I lost it, we had some time apart and, she did apologise after time and I tried to hold it together for her wedding.

The next comment was “I got my partner to look after the dog while I was there on your wedding day” after I told her I would need to leave early from the wedding (7-8pm) to put child 1 to Bed (we had no childcare).

I was breastfeeding no 1 to sleep and so said I would need to miss out on a meal the night before the wedding but would literally feed baby to sleep and then head straight over to the pub afterwards. She told me I should bottle feed her so my husband can deal with her, I tried to explain that we’ve tried that but she doesn’t take the bottle (we had actually been trying for months to get her on the bottle so I had a bit more of a life, not just for her wedding) but she said I was being difficult and using baby as an excuse.

Many other comments made but too long to explain. I spent over £400 on 3 hen dos (yes 3, covid played a part in some of it and I didn’t want the bride to be to pay anything), their wedding present and provided breakfast on the morning of the wedding, cooked breakfast, drinks, Prosecco etc - I know it’s not about the money and I wouldn’t change it as I wanted to spoil her. But I was on mat leave and that was all my savings, I didn’t get a single thank you for any of it. She thanked the other bridesmaids in front of me but said nothing to me.

We are now not talking (this has been about 9 months) I’ve had another baby since then, I contacted her to let her know baby arrived but she was less than interested. I’ve tried again to contact her and ask if she wants a relationship and talk about what’s happened and she’s not replied.

Part of me thinks I should leave her and respect she doesn’t want to talk. Another part of me can’t stop thinking about it, stressing and feeling sad that I’ve now got young children, I understand the importance of family and would be distraught if our kids didn’t speak to each other. I don’t want to never speak to her again, when we get on we’re like 2 peas in a pod but this is the longest an argument has gone on.

I’m angry with the things she said and did,I understand I need to get over that but feels like there’s been no closure, no chance to talk on both sides. none of the family speak to her about it (they tend to tip toe around her, incase she shuts them out her life. She’s done this to our step mum before, until she needed a place to stay)

What should I do?

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 26/06/2022 13:31

So you've not talked for nine months or it's been nine months since the wedding? What was the actual last conversation that caused the no taking?

Nellybellyfrillytilly · 26/06/2022 13:36

It’s been 9 months since the wedding, there’s been very little communication, we both text “happy birthday” to each other. I sent a card to her, nothing in return (Not that bothered).

At Christmas my step mum tried to organise a meal (myself, husband, kids, step mum, sister and husband) but they refused to go if we were there.

It baby born in the new year, I text her about that but she wasn’t interested.

OP posts:
billy1966 · 26/06/2022 13:42

Accept that she doesn't want contact and get on with your life and family OP.

You cannot change her.

KangarooKenny · 26/06/2022 13:44

You were breastfeeding so why in earth would she want you to drink alcohol ? She sounds very self centred and selfish.

Floella22 · 26/06/2022 13:45

I should imagine that you have felt responsible for your dsis and acted like a parent after your parents deaths.
You now have 2 dc and your dsis has dropped down your priority list, quite naturally.
Your dsis is acting like a petulant dc. Carry on with the occasional text and card and let her know you’re around if she wants contact.
But don’t beg or grovel.
Put your own family first and hope your dsis grows up a bit.
Thats what I would do.

MsMcGonagall · 26/06/2022 13:46

Well you don't seem to have done anything wrong. So, agree with PP Billy. Just keep texting the happy birthdays but leave her to her own world.

Fenella123 · 26/06/2022 13:48

Wait, so you're saying she's flaky and a dick to you and your stepmum ... Yeah.
Just be civil (send cards etc) and if she gets her head out of her arse and wants to make contact, all well and good, but otherwise leave her be.
Therapists are highly paid and have motivated clients and it still takes ages for people to change. You are not a therapist, your sister does not want to change, there is no magic wand to make her.
Leave her be and live your best life.

Hoolahulahoop · 26/06/2022 13:54

You've done nothing wrong here.
Enjoy your own family unit. Try and move on. Time may heal but I would struggle to deal with someone like this sadly.

Kris02 · 26/06/2022 14:18

KangarooKenny · 26/06/2022 13:44

You were breastfeeding so why in earth would she want you to drink alcohol ? She sounds very self centred and selfish.

I agree. Frankly, she sounds a bit of a narcissist.

I’m sorry OP. Losing your parents as teenagers must have been hard, and I’m sure that makes you cherish your sister even more, but people don’t change. She sounds cold and hard and selfish. And she’ll always be that way. Jealous people remain jealous, and tight people remain tight. Narcissists and sociopaths and manipulative liars, and so on...all of them stay that way until they die. That’s one lesson life has taught me, over and over again. Weirdly, we all know this, and yet we still convince ourselves that X or Y really has turned over a new leaf. They just don’t. You are what you are.

Seaoftroubles · 26/06/2022 16:11

You've done nothing wrong. She sounds selfish and totally lacking in empathy, l doubt she will change now so best to stay low contact and leave her to get on with it. You will never win with someone like her and you would always be treading on eggshells around her. Life's too short for that kind of drama so enjoy your family unit without any regrets.

Bigbird50 · 26/06/2022 16:13

I am not sure I agree with the comments here. You seem to judge the relationship she has with your step mum. We don’t know what the background is but I know I had zero relationship with my step mum whereas my younger sister did have one. Your sister was clearly looking forward to you being a full part of her wedding - she sees you as her family and not your step mum. She was upset and sobbed so I actually feel sorry for her. She clearly hasn’t coped well following the death of her parents, we all grieve differently and her way is to cut people off when upset. I would leave it alone. You have your family and a step mum and are happy within that.

she doesn’t have the same relationship and that’s the way it is.

oh and for those throwing in diagnosis comments- please get a grip. Both these girls lost both their parents and have responded in different ways it doesn’t mean someone is a narcissist because they get upset

Watchkeys · 26/06/2022 16:15

Leave behind the drama.

oldstudentmum · 26/06/2022 16:23

Stop wasting your time and energy on this. She isn’t going to change, just because she is family doesn’t mean you have to get along or see each other. You sound polar opposites. What would your opinion be if she were a close friend doing this/behaving like this?

Bigbird50 · 26/06/2022 16:23

I see from a previous post that you were asked to be maid of honour prior to any pregnancy and then surprise surprise your pregnant and she was upset. Why did you agree to being her MOH if you had plans to get pregnant? I note on these forums you get validated for your views and she is a jealous arse but I don’t quite buy that. If my sister asked me to be MOH and I decided to get pregnant before the wedding she wouldn’t have been happy either. It changes the whole dynamic . There is clearly
alot going on here- both of you reacted differently to your parents deaths, you have a relationship
with step mum but she doesn’t. I would leave it well alone as I can’t see anything improving

Nellybellyfrillytilly · 26/06/2022 17:55

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I’m not trying to make out its all her fault, I snapped at her while pregnant and full of hormones, there was a lot of grovelling from my side and I felt terrible.

There’s a lot of background on both sides and I agree with everyone that we have dealt with our parents death very differently. it was clear she struggled around the wedding and leading up to it, she really wanted our parents there and I felt exactly the same when I wed, unfortunately, instead of embracing and accepting help, she pushed me away and took a lot of anger out on me (this is obviously just my side and how it’s come across to me)

I have been trying to think in terms of “if she was a friend what would I do” it’s just such a unique situation, yes family is family but it doesn’t mean they can treat you a certain way, I would never speak to anyone the way she’s spoken to me.

I was asked to be maid of honour 2.5 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I didn’t know at the time I was pregnant but my sister knew we had plans to start a family.

OP posts:
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