Family Reunions/Get Togethers

[Tishy]

Why are they so taxing? One day, thats all I lasted. I have a strained relationship with my sisters. So in an effort to appease my mother and have good relations within the family, I decide to go to my family's cottage with my lesbian sister (more on that later), and my sister, her husbad ad two kids. There was also some family friends that were coming to visit as well.

Saturday afternoon was fine. It was relaxing, I played with my nephews and had a nice nap. Then dinner happened. My lesbian sister served us pasta salad which she necglected to tell us that she left out in the sun for a while. I bet you all can see where I am going with that!

So the family friends come over and my lesbian sister and the older son hook up. Yes, my sister hooks up with him. This has been going on since she was 13 and whenever he is around she suddendly becomes heterosexual. I am all for her being bisexual if she wants, but she is always harping about her "lesbian rights" as she calls them. Yet when we question what is going onn with the guy she bites our heads off.

Finally everyone leaves and I fall asleep on the bed on the porch. An hour later I awaken to horrible pains as my sister poisioned me! Food poisioning struck most of us from her pasta salad. I finally fall asleep around 6, only to be awakened at 7:10 by my brother in law yelling at his kids. It's 7:10 on a SUNDAY. Shut your trap. I finally got out of bed at 8:30 and was gone at 8:45. I couldn't deal.

I am such an evil person. I love my family, but only in doses. Am I the only one that this happens too?

[Meredith]

I don't live anywhere near mine. I only see them at Xmas and Easter.

[titan1978]

I come from one of those families that used to be close and have fun times with family gatherings and

X-Mas, but over the years my immediate family has gotten so fed up with the games and dysfuntional dynamics, that we pass on most family fun times. I can't keep my mouth shut when the bigots in my family voice their opinions, and I have an aunt that I have a hard time dealing with. She is very passive aggressive, manipulative, and controlling. She tends to run the show, so I keep myself happy by not attending.

What happened to you sounds awful! I would have left too.

[SpiritualJunkie]

Family reunions make me happy and sad at the same time. I don't think think my situations is anywhere near as bad as yours, though.

My sister's just come back from Montreal (which she hated) after having spent a year going to school there. She's going to Toronto in the fall. In the meantime, she's staying with me and my parents for three months this summer (she's been with us since June). Me and my sister can talk about just about anything with each other but she has got to be one of the moodiest, most cynical people out there. She won't stop bitching about the city we live in (yet when she moved away from home, she bitched about Montreal, too). She won't stop bitching about work. When she arrived at my cousin's b-day party yesterday after work, the first thing I heard from her was exasparated whining. Totally inappropriate since after two months of being "home", that was the first time she was seeing extended family since Christmas. When I try to plan to do something with her (even watch a movie I already watched just so she can see it), she ends up bailing...partly because she's saving money to pay for school and also due to pure laziness. In other words, she's just not that fun to be around yet she thinks everyone around her is boring. It seems like she's so unappreciative of the little things people try to do for her because she's only thinking about herself.

I don't know why I get so excited to see my cousins (the ones who are around my age) everytime there's a family gathering. We used to be so close when we were younger and then all of a sudden, things just fell apart. Maybe I'm still hoping we can all become good friends again someday but now it seems that they have nothing to say to me and vice versa..the thing is, I WANT to start talking to them again. I just don't think they realize that and I'm not prepared to get into some deep, serious talk about it with them. I have aunts where years can pass without having seen each other and yet still converse with so easily yet I no longer feel close to the cousins who I used to hang out with all the time. I don't know why it upsets me so much.

On the upside, I'm a lot closer to my younger cousins (they're 10-14 years old) now than I was even two years ago. They're such funny and cute kids and just fun to talk to.

[PhoenixRising05]

I only have one usually once a year and that was this past week. However, my family wants to keep doing more of them starting this year and it grates on my nerves. I love them dearly but it's bad enough I have some relatives show up without calling. I think once you have your own life and you work 5 days a week and all that stuff it goes against what you are doing to go to these things. It's almost like your family is forcing you or telling you what to do again since you know that if you don't go they will never let you forget it.

[Dan]

You aren't alone, don't worry. You know what they say right? Family is like fish, it gets old after a few days...

[SoapQueen89]

Yeah our family gatherings are hit and runs. The family comes to eat dinner and most leave within 2 hours of arrival. I don't get to see my mom's side of the family but at Christmas and a summer picnic here and there. I see my step dad's family more often. We got to the point that we go out to a restaurant for holidays (Father's Day, Mother's Day, Easter ...etc.) except for Christmas. The family gets together to exchange money envelopes and eat dinner.

Any amount of time longer than 2 hours, my family goes for the jugular. LOL! Currently my step sister is not happy with my stepfather because of his huge 40 year old dirty little secret. Actually the family is not thrilled with the news but she's taking it the hardest. So she's giving him the cold shoulder right now.

Yeah family functions used to be a few times a year, but now it's just mainly at Christmas.

[Tishy]

I love hanging out with them on a one on one basis. But all together in a really small space is too much.

And I am still sick from the damn pasta salad

[Sweet_VeeVee24]

It's not family reunions that irk me; those I can handle because I can actually latch on to the family I want just as a way to get away from the one that I have.

For me, it's family coming over for 'special' occassions. Thanksgiving and Christmas make me cringe everytime I think about it. This is how it usually goes. Family who haven't gave two craps about us in years are always the first to drop their happy go lucky asses at our house to pig out, and have nerve to want to carry food home with them.

Not once are we ever invited to their homes for either events but they don't show up till, you guessed it, the next holiday.

[SpiritualJunkie]

Hmm..were they invited?

Taking food home in my family is pretty much a given, though. In fact, we're pratically begged to take food home with us.

[Sweet_VeeVee24]

No, these are folks that always drop on in...you know the kind, "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd come by and.....Ohhh, I didn't know you were having dinner." That type.

And food going out is a given but to those who were rightfully invited.

Last Thanksgiving I told one of our "Mooch Crew" that my house wasn't Burger King and they couldn't have it their way. We literally have to have someone in the kitchen at all times or whole entrees go walking off.

It's quite sad when you have to hide your Reynolds Wrap, Ziplock bags, plastic wrap and bags from those that just come on in.

While we say things to these Mooch Crew relatives, my grandma, who is 93 just lets it go because, she just wants to enjoy the event.