Relationships

@ElicBxn (64169)
United States
August 16, 2016 8:17pm CST
I was told once that if you have a sibling marry someone, especially if said someone then parents a child with said sibling, even if they later get a divorce, you are still a sibling-in-law with that former spouse. And, you know, I'm really okay with that - to a point. My brother is the only one of us who's been married - at least up until this weekend when my sister will get married. He and his first wife also had a child together. However, this woman did her best to isolate him from us. I don't know why, maybe because she personally had a bad relationship with her mother? It didn't work. I don't have the best relationship with my brother, but his relationships with our parents and our other sister were/are fine and strong. Honestly, the only bad relationship in the family was ever between me and my brother, and, honestly, he started the problem - I just never have had the energy to try and mend it. So, when I think of this woman, I think of her as my niece's mother, before they divorced, as my brother's wife - never as my sister-in-law. In the 25 years since my brother divorced her, I have met many of his girl friends. I have liked them all, the first one has some really bad baggage and some out of control kids, but SHE was nice enough. I honestly really like my new sister-in-law, in fact, I've liked her right from the start. I didn't feel like his last girl friend, who I liked well enough, liked me that much. That's fine, I wasn't marrying her and, as it turned out, neither was he... However, this weekend I am gaining another new sister-in-law. And I like this one too. She's actually a little older than I am, about our brother's age. I like this gal better than my sister's last girl friend. Not that I disliked the previous one, I just didn't feel that she was as supportive as my sister needed. I mean, I'm friends with her on Facebook... So, did you know that even former spouses are still your in-laws? Hmmm... I wonder if you can get that undone? Make them... what? out-laws...?
2 people like this
3 responses
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Aug 16
After the divorce my mother-in-law told me I was still her daughter-in-law. I still keep in touch with her, his sister, and one brother. The other brother doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with me.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
25 Aug 16
Probably not paying attention to the facts, or maybe he just isn't that friendly to begin with.
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
25 Aug 16
@dawnald Oh my, he actually admitted he was wrong?
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Aug 16
@ElicBxn Richard kind of poisoned the well. Went to both his family and mine, and told them some things. Later he went back around and told everybody it wasn't my fault, but this brother, who knows, he probably still kept the first set of conversations in mind.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502343)
• Italy
17 Aug 16
I did not know, but this does not seem to be the case in my country.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502343)
• Italy
18 Aug 16
@ElicBxn I see, I suppose this is part of the different customs and traditions we have in different countries.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169452)
• United States
25 Aug 16
Sounds complicated. I have a couple of ex brothers in law that I could cheerfully do without. Both of them are parents of nieces or nephews of mine.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
25 Aug 16
The nice thing about my ex-sister-in-law is that she lives 1000 miles away...