Family : Anyone else got a dysfunctional one or is it just me?

[Jzee]

I was woken up twice last night by the phone once at 2am then again at 5am by my brother who's schitzophrenic reverse charging the calls from Oz to talk nonsense, which is a bit much to bear when I'm 7 months pregnant. I could go on and tell you about the rest of my siblings, but it's all so outrageous you might then think I'm making it up and have gone mad myself! Does anyone else get stressed by their family even though they are far away?

Do MILs count as family ? She is an alcoholic and I have tried to keep her at arms length for the past year ( relatively successfully I might add )
I have just been chatting to my Dad who mentioned that MIL phoned my Mum recently. MIL was drunk and started telling my Mum what a disappointment I was as a DIL. ( Needless to say the phone call did not last very long - Good old Mum !! )

MIL also phoned my grandmother ( aged 95 ) again MIL was drunk and again saying the same sort of things !

What do you do ?!?
Families eh!

YES!!!>>>>Jzee...MY MOTHER!! and i am also 7 months preggers with my 4th on the way! My mother unfortuanately lives about 3 miles away and actually comes down at 10ish at night and stays till about 3am sometimes, just dumping her resentments from the past that she hasnt dealt with. I am 33 and she is 50 and u wouldn't believe who is the mother and who is the daughter if u were to hear her "on one!" I have to be up for the kids for school at 7am and i am exhausted sometimes, i have started unplugging the phone at around 7.30pm just so i can get on and get on with my own routine and get some rest. Its nice to be able to be there for your brother but at the moment you need to be responsible for yourself and get as much rest as you can especially in your condition. I suggest you unplug the phone too...if u have a mobile if its an emergency at least you will be able to see who is calling you to take a call. You will have a baby keeping you awake shortly...you dont need your brother doing it too. He may find someone else to help him if he cant get hold of you.
Look at it positively, at least he is a little more than 3 miles from where you live as much as you love him, you will soon have a tiny baby to be responsible for and that is your first priority, good luck with the last couple of months.

This all sounds really familiar. Especially as I am 7 mnths preg as well!!! My younger brother is a recently divorced alcoholic doesn't phone in the middle of the night but I do worry about him
as he is eally hard to contact. Whereas my mum is pretty disabled with arthritis and is agrophobic, recently she has got even more paranoid and has an answa phone on all the time . It takes about 4 attempts to speak to her (she lives about 40 miles away)and she gets quite angry if I phone when she's having a sleep . This could be nearly anytime . I've said "why don't you take the phone off the hook then?" she doesn't want to do this . I've also got a really stroppy sister
She's really depressed and does my head in but I would like to help and worry about her as well , luckily even tho'I hate to admit it my in laws are pretty stable. It's good to hear of other dysfunctional families

AT one time at my family farm, there were 2 drug abusers ( my brother and myself), my anorexic cousin, my senile grandmother, my mentally handicapped sister and my parents. How's that for dysfunctional? But I agree it's a bit much to take for you being 7 months pregnant as well!