My relationship with my nieces

@sissy15 (12269)
United States
September 9, 2022 10:31pm CST
My niece got married recently and I wasn't invited. It really didn't bother me but it bothered my mom. What bothered me was she didn't invite my brother who she used to be close to and who actually helped her move states. He helped her a lot but wasn't invited to her wedding. This particular brother isn't in the good graces of my sister she has made herself close to recently and I think that's why she distanced herself. My sister has more money than most because she isn't married nor does she have kids and she is a saver. It also annoyed me she couldn't invite my brother but could invite my uncle and aunt (her great uncle and aunt) who she doesn't even really know. They also have money and I can't say that's why she invited them but it's a theme I'm noticing recently with her. I feel like some things have started to go to her head lately with her new job position. I could be wrong but it's just how I feel. I'm glad she's making money but I don't like the way she has started acting towards others like she is somehow better. My brother was mad that none of our aunts or uncles showed up to her wedding but they didn't even know who she was. She has never once reached out to talk to them but invites them meanwhile snubbing my brother who helped her move. That's what makes me mad. I haven't really talked to her in years. I used to try and reach out and then when she started ignoring me I took the hint and now don't bother. The phone works both ways. I used to try and keep up with people and then realized they didn't really care to talk to me or didn't bother to reach out to me so I stopped to see who would continue to talk to me and that's when I realized it wasn't worth my time. A relationship should never be one-sided. I may not talk to people all the time but I'll reach out every so often to say hi and see how people are even if it isn't on a regular basis. I'm terrible with upkeeping friendships but I will never ignore them and if I haven't heard from them in a while I will message to see how they are doing. I used to feel super guilty if I went too long without talking to someone then realized I wasn't hearing anything from them either. I have friends where we go a long time without talking but we take turns reaching out from time to time. Those are my friendships that have lasted. I have just found the older I get my time is precious so I should only bother contacting those that want to remain in my life. I see my great nieces nearly every day since they are in kindergarten and I work in the same hallway and neither of them knows me. People could say this is my fault because I didn't bother going to anything I was invited to or to make myself present but while this is partially true it goes both ways. My son doesn't know my nieces either for the same reason. I didn't see them going to anything I invited them to so I stopped inviting them because I got the picture. They didn't want to come so I didn't invite them so they didn't have to worry about getting an invite. I still get invited to things and I still ignore them. It's nothing against their kids they have nothing to do with any of it but I can't see involving myself where I'm only ever invited to things that involve gifts and when my nieces can't be bothered to come to my son's either. I would invite them to things like Thanksgiving too and they didn't bother coming so I got to this point where I just figured it wasn't worth my time anymore. My mom said she went to my niece's bridal shower and my niece didn't even bother talking to her. My brother also seldom sees my mom. He has all kinds of opinions he shares with people about everyone else and how we handle situations while not being involved in anything himself which ticks me off. I've basically wiped my hands with them. I won't be rude but I also don't go out of my way for them either. If they message me first I'll respond. If they talk to me I'll talk but I won't go out of my way to talk to them. I love my family but I really don't know most of them. I grew up with my nieces the way some people do cousins since we were close in age and we were close when we were younger but as we grew up we grew apart and I guess that happens sometimes and I've learned to accept that but I don't appreciate family being mad when I show them the same respect I was shown. I'm not out and out mean about it but I don't go to things anymore. I hold my brother's kids to their own standards because they aren't just my brother's kids like my younger nieces and nephews they were basically like cousins and friends growing up and I hold them to their own standards. If they can't be bothered to show up to things then neither can I. I am tired of giving time to people who don't return it. My time is precious and I could be using it for something better than a party for a kid who I don't even know and who won't even really know who I am whether I show up or not because they have other family they are closer to. If they wanted me to be a part of their kid's life they'd have made some effort too. It is only partially my own fault it's also theirs. I could take time but at the same time even if I did would it have mattered if they only called on me when they wanted something? My kid doesn't know them and it doesn't bother me. I don't think me not being there bothers them either because honestly we no longer know each other. The only thing that really bothers me is the way they act behind my back or at least the things I've heard. It also bothers me the way they treat my brother who has helped them a bunch of times. Whether my sister is close to him or not anymore shouldn't matter. They are having their own feud right now and that's only between them and shouldn't involve anyone else and the fact that they're taking my sister's side without listening to anything he has to say ticks me off. They're my brother and sister and I'm leaving stuff between them the way it should be. He's my brother and I don't care what anyone else thinks about me hanging out with him.
4 people like this
4 responses
@magallon (19280)
• Philippines
10 Sep 22
Maybe they only have limited list of visitors so they decided to invite those who are not close to them but have money.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
11 Sep 22
If that was the case then they sure got things backward because those people didn't show up anyway. People tend to not go to things for people they barely know.
1 person likes this
@magallon (19280)
• Philippines
12 Sep 22
@sissy15 maybe they realized what they've done. It is frustating when you invited someone and expected for them to come but then they ignore your invitation. Maybe they felt that frustration.
@LadyDuck (457918)
• Switzerland
10 Sep 22
Well, we maintained my niece during 10 years. We paid for her college, we paid her bills... he had a young daughter and she did not even informed us. We knew when the baby was already 2 years old.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
11 Sep 22
That's sad, I'm sorry that happened to you. Sometimes people really are ungrateful. I feel like sometimes people forget the people that helped them get to where they are today. I'm just too tired to care about much here lately. I've had so much going on around me that some things just don't matter anymore. I was so annoyed when I wrote this the other day because of how my brother was treated but now I just don't care anymore. Funny how time and circumstances change your perspective about things.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457918)
• Switzerland
11 Sep 22
@sissy15 People are often ungrateful. I am tired to help people and then to be forgotten. I am no more young I just want to stop helping people.
@josie_ (9763)
• Philippines
10 Sep 22
The saying "you can choose your friends but not your family" probably best describes your family relationship. Financial matters are a major cause of many family disagreements. I don't want to speculate but how close were you with your siblings growing up? Relationships forged at an early age usually weather the difficult times that come with adulthood.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
11 Sep 22
I feel that way a lot. I have better friends than I do family. Sometimes I feel like strangers can be nicer than some of my family members. I don't think financial disagreements are really an issue with me. I don't have money so no one bothers me which I feel is fine by me. Yes, my niece prefers to surround herself by people who are doing better in life but that's not really what irritates me as much is how she treats those who helped her along the way. My brother was sort of the sticking point with me. I'm not sure how much he cares he wasn't invited because I doubt he would have gone either but it still bugs me how she acts towards him after all he did to help her. There's a pretty big age gap between me and most of my siblings they were more like second sets of parents than siblings. My one brother and I fought a lot and we aren't super close but we aren't not close either. I was closer to my sisters than my brothers. My two oldest brothers are the two I'm probably least close to. One just never comes around and the other is always in trouble. My third brother is only a few years older than me and we weren't super close growing up but had our moments. My relationships with them are kind of complicated. We don't have a super close relationship but we are also there for each other when needed. We are closer than some but nowhere near as closer than others. My oldest brother I've never been remotely close to. I was however close to his kids when I was younger but I'm not now. It is his daughter who got married.
1 person likes this
@peachpurple (13884)
• Malaysia
10 Sep 22
Some people take things for granted. You dont expect them to thank you nor appreciate for your help. Especially family members!
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
11 Sep 22
They do, that's life. I'm just at this point where I stopped caring too much. It doesn't bother me when I'm not invited to things but it ticks me off how they snubbed my brother.