Fun With Relatives - kind of long

[Tuckervill]

I don't think relatives deserve a free pass. But, a person who is 87 could go at any time (we all could, but it's more likely for the elderly, you know?). Out of a sense of self-preservation, I act in ways I know I won't regret. If my loved one died and I had a guilty conscience because of the way I treated them, it would be so hard to get over that. I don't want to have regrets.

That's not to say I don't set boundaries. I just want to be able to live with myself in the end.

Karen

[Norse]

In this case, the multiples are three. My sister has a bumper sticker that says: "Go wild. Raise triplets." - with a jungle motif.

I don't think relatives deserve a free pass. But, a person who is 87 could go at any time (we all could, but it's more likely for the elderly, you know?). Out of a sense of self-preservation, I act in ways I know I won't regret. If my loved one died and I had a guilty conscience because of the way I treated them, it would be so hard to get over that. I don't want to have regrets.

That's not to say I don't set boundaries. I just want to be able to live with myself in the end.

Karen

I know what you're saying. As my draft letter went through it's many changes - the earliest version being the most venting - DP reviewed them and said early on: "How would you feel if grandma died shortly after receiving this?" Dealing with difficult relatives, or even difficult clients, customers... is all a balancing act.