I haven't posted much in a while but I am a lone caregiver. My parents are now in memory care. Pretty much all my family (3 siblings) and all my mom's siblings and cousins have pretty much turned their backs on me and my parents.
Well... I know I shouldn't look at facebook.. but I just cant keep myself from doing it ... Anyway my sister (who hasn't spoken to me or checked on my mom and dad in about a year... is starting to post on facebook.. praying for distant cousins about this and that.. saying happy birthday to distant relatives who she hasn't communicated with in years.. all the while let my birthday go by with nothing... and my mom's and my dad's.
I just can't control the anger from this.. and to stop thinking about how fake she is.. pretending to the rest of the "family" that she is this caring person.. and.. they are buying it..I guess its easy to be "loving" to people who don't really need it.
I shouldn't be looking at facebook, and I shouldn't let this bother me.. but it does.. sure wish these losers didn't still have such an affect on my life.
Just don't get how you can turn your back on your sister and parents (who you seemingly used to care for).. and have the gall to post about "pray for my brother because he lives near the hurricane ".. my brother who she hasn't seen in over 10 years.
This is just a vent.. I need a punching bag with her fake face on it!!! I hope someday she is alone and needs support and signs on to facebook and sees something equally as fake and disgusting!@!!~
You just need to decide whether you want to hurt yourself by following her or even checking her page.
Apparently, there are studies showing increased negative moods, depression, etc. in a lot of people linked to use of Facebook. If it's not serving you, why not get rid of it?
But I have gradually learned to exert some control over what I see. I no longer see ads for quack diabetes cures. I have unfriended just a couple of people because their bigotry is disgusting to me. I have a friend who shares beautiful photographs I love to see, but I skip all of her religious posts. I've never dropped anyone because of their political views, but I have dropped a few who express their views in very hateful terms. Who needs that?
The internet brings us an amazing assortment of material. It is up to us to pick out the pieces that are uplifting or informative or useful to us. No body can take in ALL the information that comes at us.
In your case, katiekay, I suggest you either simply stop visiting FB altogether, or you at least block the people whose posts make you unhappy. Who needs to invite unhappiness into our homes? Enough comes in without our permission!
As SnoppyLove says, "If it's not serving you, why not get rid of it?"
You could friend me on FB, and we could share lovely sunrise pictures. But opt out of disturbing connections.
Like SnoopyLove - for the most part I just don’t get the appeal. My hubby goes on a couple of times a day - keeps in touch with old army buddies and family on the other side of the country. If it weren’t for FB we wouldn’t have a clue as to what his daughter is up to.
I opened a FB account so I could see pics of my step grandkids. I have all of 14 “friends” and go on about twice a month. I post even less - maybe six times a year. As well, I’ve made my page ultra private so that anybody other than my “friends” only see the header along with my name. Even then I never use a pic of myself or my home in my profile pic or the background pic.
My two brothers and their wives are constantly posting about their fabulous lives, fancy houses and luxurious vacays. After any given weekend there are multiple pics of their fab weekends. One weekend I decided to follow suit and posted pics of my weekend... The parking lot at the grocery store, the menu board at Starbucks drive-thru, the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the living room, etc. Cracked me up but I’m pretty sure they didn’t see the humor in it and my point likely went over their heads.
I have also blocked a cousin who posted dozens of times a day - usually hard-core right wing rhetoric that chapped my hide. As Jeannegibbs says - who needs it?
And - there is a way to block people without them knowing they’ve been blocked - in case you’re worried about making people ticked off.
Unfollowing someone leaves them as a friend but removes them from your news feed; I use this when someone posts a lot and/or posts a lot of stuff I don't really want to see. Since they are still a friend, they can see my posts, I can see their comments on mutual friends' posts, and I can occasionally pull up their wall and look over their posts just in case there is something I would be interesting in seeing.
Or, for YOUR peace of mind and heart, block her and put her out of your life like she has you and your parents.
I did post the below video yesterday (not sure we can post youtube video's .. we will see.) of course there were no likes or comments on it (as expected)... hopefully she knew it was directed at her tho.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzaFp1QsW8Q
”Its always nice to see your posts so I know you’re still doing well, since I haven’t heard from you in so long. Just a reminder Moms birthday is _____, and Dads is ______. I’m sure they’d love to hear from you too.”
A little passive aggressive? Maybe, but who cares.
Sometimes I wish I was an only child.. I might as well be.. and I wouldn't have to know that my parents have children who don't care at all about them .
If there are things that you feel have been eating at you and you want to express to her then by all means do so. Compose a letter, hold it for a day, and if it feels right send it. Let it be heartfelt and not angry but let her know how her ignoring behavior is hurtful. Then unfollow her on Facebook unless you like getting your blood pressure up. I’ve had to unfollow a cousin who thinks we are interested in her every thought and is an "overposter" and a couple of friends who post extreme right wing crap that is absurd. Then I enjoy seeing about my friends. I agree Facebook has its good and bad points. I am in a couple of groups, one for my harp, for birdwatching, and for butterflies and those are great!
My sister and I along with my brother had a decent relationship before my parents needed so much help. I believe the main reason they are turning their backs on me is because they cannot handle giving up any of their lives or time to help me or my parents.. my sister cannot handle the dementia aspect of it ... at all. All my siblings began backing away when it became obvious my dad had dementia.. and then my mom.
The one incident that made her completely turn away was when I really really needed help. My dad was in the hospital with pneumonia, my mom was at my house with bronchitis, I had a cold and a big project due at work that week. This was the one time I explicitly asked for help... my brother said it "wasn't a good time for him".. go hire someone.. this was a living nightmare for me. My sister just flat out didn't answer my calls or texts.. so relationship with them has been very strained. .. especially from that point. (almost 2 years ago)
My mom's sisters.. I believe are the same.. they don't want to face the fact that she has dementia. My mom has a sister that lives here in town that has never gone to see her in the memory care she is in.
My parents birthdays (and mine) come and go .. with no acknowledgement.. so when I see her lavishly wishing cousins who she hasn't seen in years happy birthday... it is very hard... as well as calls to pray for this or pray for that.
I have email addresses for most of the friends and family I wish to communicate with and share things with them in an email. It takes more time to send the same message over and over to different people, but then strangers don't get to see what I am saying or the photos I am sharing.
And I can customize the email to the person I am sending it to. I don't have to send something every day either, just when I have something new to share.
It would be hard to tell on Facebook what is true and what is blather when it is being posted for many to see. Some people really have to keep building themselves up or promoting a cause or line of thinking. I find my approach eliminates a lot of that so I don't have to deal with it emotionally.
You carry so much anger within, that it can make you sick.
First know, that it is normal to harbor anger about relatives who claim to care but do nothing concrete to help, other than send prayers and good wishes. Keep your expectations low. This way, if anyone does do something helpful, it will be a pleasant surprise and you will not be disappointed with low expectations.
I sometimes feel the need to vent too, because I am chief caretaker for my mother and trying to keep her in her own home.
My sister is out of town and does very little outside of phone calling once a week. We see her maybe for 3 days every 2 years!
It is so easy to burn out. Take some ME time each day to do something positive...like reading a good book, soaking in a tub, etc.
Think about it though...are you doing what you hope someone would do for you if you needed it? Are you doing, ,what is in your heart.... the right thing? If yes, then you are acting out of love and I hope you give yourself some credit.
Stay away from Social Media too...in a study they found it can cause depression in some people.
Remember that this stage of your life will not last forever. Do the best you can, take time out for yourself, low expectations of others and remember that this too, will not last. Good luck
The problem is she will need your kindness and compassion some day and you will probably give it to her because that is the kind of person you are. God designed you the way you are and I would celebrate that because you and I both know it is a WAY better life choice than the world she has chosen.
Take pride in knowing you are doing the right thing.
Unfollow your sister for now. What you don't see won't hurt u or get u mad.
One thing both my brothers did was thank me for what I did for Mom. But...they hardly saw her or called. My one brother, who lives 8 hrs away, told my husband he couldn't see my Mom that way. I understand but I dealt with it every day. I would love to get into peoples heads and see how they think. Why out of 3 children or more, one is expected to do it all while the rest go on their merry way. But when the parent dies, they are right there for the money that maybe left.
If you are Executor of parents wills, make sure you take your 6%. You are entitled to it.
Remember, you are drained emotionally and physically, and that can be a big part of why your reactions to your sisters Facebook comments are annoying you so much. I won’t tell you to block your siblings, that would be vengeful in my book, but you don’t need to read them if you don’t want to. And, you DO NOT need to visit your parents everyday!! That’s the high standard you’ve set for yourself and you are not giving yourself time to relax and breath. You need it and it’s a good, smart thing to do! If you do allow yourself time off you will be amazed at the relief it will give you. On the days I didn’t visit my mother she actually interacted more with others. She was safe, taken care of and not alone. Don’t build walls with resentment and hurt between family that will be hard to take down and will take years to mend. Your parents would not want that I’m sure. Your parents will not be here for much longer, but the rest of your family will be and you may end up being very lonely.
Can you talk to your siblings and just give a cheery “Just wanted to call and see how you’re doing and fill you in on how mom and dad are at the moment.” That may definitely help crack open a new door of communication and it’s taking the high road to take.
Don’t try to get even, it’s not what your siblings are doing and saying as much as it is how you react. Give yourself a break!! This site is the perfect place to vent and we’ve all needed it over and over again.
Enjoy a meal out with friends just to have fun and laugh together. Don’t talk about your parents or family problems, just have fun.
May God give you peace and guidance for each new day.
When it comes to FB and distant relatives, let it be. If she is sharing untruths to friends or family members, reach out to them directly. Say how you wish she would be more involved, or at least I contact!
First you need to reach out to her in kindnesd, at a level beyond what you feel she deserves. Do it repeatedly.
On FB, post about your Mom. Focus on her good days. Ask for prayers/support on her bad days. You don't have to be specific. Just say if there has been a new development, a concerning change..
Post some photos of your good days. Get Mom's permission!
As Michelle O'Bama said, " When they go low, we go high."
Maya Angelou said, "When people show you who they really are, Believe Them."
Your sister may be trying to fool herself. Or be trying to build new bridges, because she has burned so many.
My family fell apart when my father died. The sister with POA is a control freaks. She actually believed she had the legal authority to say who could be in the state of AZ ( Dad was a snowbird), & who had to return to the Midwest, and when! I had to pay $1,000 to an attorney to get copies of Trust documents after he died. She had the copies made and printed when we were all in AZ.
When I would not leave when she had to return to work, she locked me out of the house and had my stuff packed and put on the back patio. Leaving me homeless, out of state, because she was concerned about my being unemployed at the time. Yeah...that makes sense.
She lied to and manipulated family & friends. Five years later I got critically ill. It happened days before a family reunion. Oh, my sister's were so very concerned I front of family, but the only get well card I got from them were 2 group cards.
No visits, no offers of help, not even another card. Once a year she would call. She would ask about me and the kids. Then she would write her holiday letter as if everything was great and we talked all the time. This continued for years. Slowly I let family and friends know the truth. I tried to reach out to her, and my other sister, who was even more distant. When years of doing so made no change, word apparently got back to her that no one was buying her lies. I stopped getting the annual calls.
Years later, when that daughter got married, she pressured her not to invite me and told her not to put anything about the wedding on FB, so I wouldn't find out. The Bride & Groom paid for the wedding, but she feared her mother's rath would spoil it, if she didn't do as told.
Then she went to the table my son's we're at and said, so many could hear, " I am so sorry your mother couldn't make it." My sons had the class to say absolutely nothing in response.
Now, my brother, invited us all to visit their forever home they are building out west. His invitation said, "Let's get the gang back together!" He made it very clear he wanted an event focused on ending this rediculous behavior!
They would pay for our airfare. One sister lives 20 minutes from the airport. I was willing to drive 3-4 hours to fly out of the major city airport, rather than have them pay the extra cost of my flying from here.
The sister I asked didn't respond. The other, wrote back, speaking for everyone, she was sure! Telling me I was not welcome & to get a hotel and cheap parking. (I now use a wheelchair or walker most of the time).
I didn't expect a Yes from either of them, even though we were all on the same flight. I just needed to be able to say I asked and was refused before asking other friends.
I live off SS. I am doing this to save my brother 1/2 the cost on airfare. They don't care. They are looking for any way to exclude me.
Then building delays caused them to reschedule the event till next spring.
So that sister wrote suggesting that they set up individual visits, to make it easier for my brother. She definitely wanted to nix the "Getting the Gang (siblings) back together" idea!
Our father died in 2002.
Best wishes to you