There’s a famous quote by an author that goes, “You can never give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it.” However, I must say I disagree because it’s fine to set boundaries if your relatives harm your well-being in any way.
That’s what these siblings did as their elder sister reached out to them after four years of disownment. She refused to help them when they needed it the most, so they didn't want to reconcile. Scroll down to find out all the family drama that followed afterwards!
More info: Reddit
It's strange how people face backlash for establishing boundaries with their family, who have wronged them
Image credits: Anetos / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster became her youngest sister's (Libby) guardian after their late mom, and they got the house while the middle sister (Roxanne) only got the jewelry
Image credits: After-Ad3390
Image credits: prostooleh / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When the poster needed money to cover Libby's living expenses during college, she asked Roxanne for help, but she got mad and disowned the two
Image credits: After-Ad3390
Image credits: DC Studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She also called Libby a lot of nasty names, claimed she had always hated her since childhood, and even called the poster money-hungry
Image credits: After-Ad3390
Image credits: bearfotos / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, after four years of no contact, Roxanne suddenly reached out to them and said that she wanted a relationship again
The poster and Libby refused, but Roxanne lied to their aunt, who tried to convince them to forgive her
In today’s story, we look into this family conflict that troubled the original poster (OP). After her father was gone, her mother asked her and her younger sister (Roxanne) if any one of them would be their youngest sister’s (Libby) guardian. Roxanne refused, but OP agreed, and she really took on the role when their mom was gone, too.
Well, the poster got the estate, while their mom’s savings were split between her and Libby, but her jewelry was divided equally among the three sisters. Life moved on for them after that, and the youngest got into college with the funds that she had. However, Libby needed more money to cover her living expenses, so OP reached out to Roxanne for some financial help.
Considering the fact that the middle sister was earning quite well, the poster was taken aback when she refused. What really made her angry was how Roxanne took things to another level by calling her greedy, as she already got the estate. In fact, she also called Libby a lot of nasty names, confessed that she had always hated her, and cut ties with the two.
It was not until four years later that she reached out again, claiming that she wanted to talk and build a relationship with them. Obviously, they refused, but then, Roxanne went and whined to their aunt that the sisters were excluding her. Well, the woman tried to explain that they should forgive her for everything, but the poster was adamant about her decision and didn't budge.
Image credits: syda_productions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After she vented online, folks were quite divided as they felt that both sides of the argument were understandable. Some claimed that Roxanne might be suffering from Middle Child Syndrome, where she felt neglected, and nobody even realized this. OP tried to argue that their parents never ignored her, and spent the most on her expensive college education.
However, folks felt that money wasn't enough if she was not given proper attention while growing up. The unequal distribution of the inheritance could also be another factor that made her feel like she was not loved by her parents as much as the other sisters. Even experts stress that it can spark sibling rivalries and give rise to feelings of inadequacy, anger, or resentment.
On the other hand, Redditors didn’t really blame the poster for not agreeing to bond with her as per her whims and fancies. Even her anger towards Libby sounded completely unreasonable, so the poster just couldn’t forgive her for what she said about the youngest sister. Research claims that it’s important to establish boundaries with family members for your personal well-being.
That’s exactly what the poster did here, and it was not wrong of her to want no involvement with a person who abandoned them in the time of their need. Libby never shared a proper relationship with Roxanne, and didn’t want to reconcile either, so their aunt’s pushing didn’t really affect their decision. Well, it just shows how complicated families can be, right?
What are your thoughts on the story? Don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments below!
Netizens were divided, as some said that Roxanne might have felt neglected since she was the middle child, but many understood the poster's anger
