thatslife wrote on 25 Jan 2017 19:28:
just read your long deep post that wasn't supposed to be one. deep stuff there. your a really strong person, man. your life is inspiring. keep on posting
Thanks, TL! Or should I say Sinatra. (get it?)
So as some of the pois
on subsided from my father's and my toxic c
onfr
ontati
ons, and knowing my uncle from the UK is here for a little bit, but c
onstantly with my father, I sucked it up and asked if they want to come for supper. So started an organisati
on tennis match. They said we should meet at a restaurant
on day X. I said day X w
on't work and we have a policy not to take our little
ones to a restaurant. It's just too crazy (BH our place is small. We can eat in the lounge and overview the entire house and garden!). So I suggested day Y and at us.
So he said day Y is fine, but it must be at a restaurant. So
on day Y early in the morning I said my wife's car with the baby seats is going in for a service (reluctant to put the seats in my car because the seatbelts aren't as proper) and why can't we just get the pizzas or whatever and have it at us? I asked why he was hesitant coming to our house.
He replied that it's because he'd been
kicked out of our place twice. Now pers
onally I feel it's an unfair attack. I
only asked him to leave because it was understood that he'd come for a bit and my mother would come. Now, this reas
on doesn't apply because it's in the middle of the week. But obviously, we're 100% wr
ong, he's 100% a victim and we mercilessly kicked him out.
Then he pulled a tricky move and added, "And just to enlighten you, also the normal manner of human beings, is when you invite some
one to your house, you are resp
onsible for providing the food."
Now that was a foul offence. What does he think I d
on't know how to have guests? Though, I admit, I was being pulled into the whirlpool of resentment, saying, "Oh, well, he should pay for everything. He doesn't have any
one to support!"
So maybe I felt that in myself. And I tried a winning tactic. I replied, "Forget it. I'll just ask my uncle to come. What's his number in South Africa? Does he have his own car?"
And then, just like a queen sacrifice in chess, something I never expected.
"Hello. This is your uncle. I d
on't have a number here or a car. Also, I'm a bit disappointed that it took over a week for you to say something"
Uh-oh. My uncle's in my father's camp. They're ganging up
on me.
This is getting more and more toxic. So first, I "promptly admitted" my shortfall and apologised to him. I said it was just daddy issues that explained the n
on-communicati
on. Knowing I'd have to get to my uncle through my father.
Then I realised there was no hope. Like having lost your queen in chess for no good reas
on. No way to win it. I got a l
ong whatsapp that started with some quip
on my behaviour and subsequently deleted the chat and blocked my father from my whatsapp. Then yesterday and several times today my dad kept ph
oning me. I never picked up. Eventually, I emailed him:
Hi dadIt's not a matter of who's right or wr
ong anymore. I may even be wr
ong. But I d
on't know how to deal with the issues in a way that w
on't make the situati
on worse than it is right now. So I'm absorbing the losses and submitting to radio silence for a while.If it's a work issue, please email me but strictly in a manner of business. I can't take any more berating.
And it remains toxic. I just am sad that I can't see my uncle, due to this technicality. My dad has two other siblings and all three are weird in their own way. However, when I take my dad out the picture, I really get al
ong with the other two in a much happier, calmer way. And I realised, why do I always need to see my uncle with my dad? They're not c
onnected by an umbilical cord!! So that's what I tried here. And it backfired.
Well, at the very least I hope the post was amusing, had good dialogue and pace. I ask for advice and suggesti
ons. Did I do the right thing? Was I harsh? Remember, I also have my family's interests/sanity at heart. I d
on't want to subject my wife/daughter to my father's wrath of guilt and pain.
Id ask my Rav for his advice, although I think you're handling it right and level headed