Do you ever avoid certain family members?

I have a lot of family members but I don't have this problem with any of them. But I understand your situation. If I were in the same situation I would also screen my calls. It's not fair to call someone just when you need them. I don't think you are wrong for ignoring your niece's phone calls. I have had this experience before with a friend and I had to cut my friendship with them to have some peace.

I am fortunate that I don't have this problem. In any case, anyone that calls me gets the voicemail because being on dial up has its advantages. I would say that communication is the key to this. After saying NO a handful of times it should work. Also they may just be needing attention. You know that some people are just like that. Hope it works out for you somehow.

I dont avoid them necessarily I just ignore them when they ask for something

Now that I have your attention, I'm going to take care of doing what I was planning on doing next time we talked on the phone: encourage you to get involved in Youth Outreach International. Perhaps, you and the kids could do this as a school project! http://www.orgsites.com/ca/youthoutreachinternational/ Oh yes! I need to find out more details on how to plant those hearts--as in will they go into planters? Let's see...what else do I need? I think that's about it, so, next time I call, I'll just say, "Hi! How are you?"--after which I'll start bending your ear about how hot Russell is!!! Sound like a plan!?! LOL I don't know which of your nieces is doing this to you, but it sounds like a plan to me to teach her that her aunt isn't some kind of Auntie Warbucks but a person who wants to be called at least part of the time when there's no strings attached. You just shouldn't do this kind of thing to people--that is, not give them the time of day unless it's to get money. Here's an interesting story that reminds me a little bit of your dad and you. There was this young man who was about to graduate from high school, and he had been hinting around that he'd like to buy a used car that was in the range of $1500. His dad told him, "We'll see..." When he graduated, he got a box with a present from his dad in it--and he was hoping that he'd wrapped up $1500. Much to his disgust, he found a Bible with a note that reading it regularly would give him the answer that he wanted. He was so mad that he felt like throwing it across the floor, but he, instead, graciously thanked his dad and shoved it into one of his dresser drawers. He didn't even take it to college with him. Ever so often, he would call his dad from college and ask for money, and his dad would tell him to read his Bible--so he finally quit asking. He figured that, if he were going to get what he wanted, he'd just have to land a part-time job while going to school. This was how he finally earned enough to get a decent used car. He graduated, and the years passed. I don't know what kind of religion he eventually got into, if any, but the graduation gift that had disappointed him so many years ago had long been forgotten--that is, until the day that his dad (the last surviving one of his parents) passed away, and he went to get the house ready to sell and see what he wanted to keep and what he wanted to auction off. He stumbled across that Bible when he went through the dresser drawer and something made him look inside--where he found an envelope containing $1500! The moral of this story is: If your dad ever gives you a Bible . . . . . . Don't worry! I'm not going to say that you'd better read it, because that's up to you. However, I WILL say that it might be wise to thumb through it and see if there's an envelope in it! LOL Love, AJ :-) Your Crazy Godmother

I am avoiding my MOTHEr right now, because lately everything I do provokes a complaint from her about osmething, or she will tell e that someone else has complained about something, and she is sick and tired of hearing about it, or something... or whatever. I just need a freaking BREAK!!!!! It's not perminent, it's just how I feel right now.