I had an argument with my sister today. I’m upset and angry and disappointed and sad and a whole bunch of other feelings I can’t even identify right now.
She has convinced herself that I’m mean to her son. Mostly because I tell him “no,” to behave when he’s being a brat and don’t let him have his way all the time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my nephew. He’s 8 and can be a darling. He’s also drunk on the power his parents have given him. He knows that if he’s misbehaving so badly that I won’t let him spend the night, that means his sister isn’t allowed to come over either.
How is that fair?
He’s been kicking my walls to illustrate his point that I don’t “listen to him.” Behavior I don’t think can be justified. Behavior that immediately follows a request that he shower or lower the TV volume or something similar.
What’s my sister’s response? “I don’t know what transpired that made him do that.” Which is code for “I don’t know what you did to provoke him.” or “You did something to him, so his behavior is OK.”
And, yes, she tells me that if I don’t want one over, because he’s kicking my walls and yelling at me and won’t listen to me, then I can’t have either. Because that shows that I like one more than the other.
With behavior like that, can you blame me?
My sister is raising her son to believe that even though he’s three years younger than his sister, if she gets to do something so does he. I think she’s wrong, but no one pays attention to me.
I love him. I don’t love his behavior. I love my sister. Right now I don’t like her very much.
I’ll get over it. But right now I want chocolate and alcohol, neither of which I can have.
Sucky. Isn’t there a pill to make family relations easier?
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