What do you do?
It's all but natural for siblings, especially sisters to have fights. More so when they're only a few years apart and they're still young. We all go through sibling rivalry during our childhood.
Time and all the fights we've had over the years however make us closer to each other. I have three younger sisters and I was always having fights with the sister that came after me. Naturally. Now that we're both working already and are more mature than we were say 10 - 15 years ago, we get along better. We talk about work, relationships, fashion and even our parents
My relationship with my sister proved to me that siblings relate with each other much better as they age. I'm sure in another 10 years I'll be as close to my 2 other younger sisters.
Or so I thought. Last week, I got to talk to my aunt whom I haven't seen in some gatherings she usually is in. I invited her over on our last Christmas Party, New Year's Eve and my birthday too, but she seemed to always have a reason not to attend.
Talking to her, I learned she and my mom had a little spat before Christmas. Apparently my mom played her "big sister" card and asked... no, ORDERED my aunt not to do something. All her life, my mom's used to sort of "bossing" people around. After she was done with her siblings (all 5 of them), she had us 4 daughters.
When I had my own family, she mellowed down on me but went on with my 3 other sisters. Even then, she still always had something to say to her siblings until everyone got married and had their own kids, but when I got to college, I noticed she stopped with her siblings as well.
The little spat she had with my aunt was something I was really surprised with, but not completely. The whole thing was something I know my mom would do. I was just saddened and even annoyed at how petty the fight was about, and how my mom's paranoia caused this rift between her and her sister whom she usually calls to talk about anything and everything.
My aunt cried to me saying she really wanted to go to my birthday (This is an Aunt that was pretty close to me), but she just couldn't because my mom wouldn't talk to her, hasn't called her or even sent her a text message. She was crying because she exerts extra effort to make up with her sister but my mom doesn't respond to her when she calls aside from the "u-huh...".
It's sad because just like what my hubby pointed out, when people at their age have these petty fights, they tend to forget about it because they have other things to think of, they have their own families and own lives. They're both in their 50's and although neither are as busy anymore, they still haven't talked about their spat. Looks like my mom's pride (and Menopause) is getting in the way.
The burden lies on me. I don't want them to grow apart. I've seen just how close they are. I've seen how sometimes social gatherings are easier to bear when they're going together. My grandmother used to tell me just how they were when they were young but how do I go about it?
I can already hear my mother... "Why are you listening to your Aunt anyway, not me??"
*sigh*... sometimes I do believe it's harder to raise a parent
Your mom sounds like a lot of typical people I know though. My brothers and I have a great relationship but maybe that's because they're boys??
Working Title
Cirrus Cloud
Parent Adventures
She is very typical if not too conventional. My sisters and I talk and sometimes think if this is just hormonal (she's almost at the menopause stage).