I stopped speaking to my brother about a year ago. It is very hard in a lot of ways, as we were very close, but I realize I can't be involved anymore. This came after a lifetime of drug abuse and terrible situations, one very scary incident in which he almost killed my whole family by ODing while driving us, and a full day of him holding my family hostage in a remote area of a very foreign country while berating me so harshly that I could no longer bear it. He does not live nearby. I should probably call, but I can't. Maybe someday.

Grandmother. It has been about 14 years. I was 19 at the time and she decided to pick sides in a family dispute and was not the kind grandmother one would expect. She made a choice and I followed through with her decision. I will choose what type of people enter my life.

Anonymous wrote:Sister, about 6 years ago. She's negative and mean for sport. When she's on paxcil she's funny but she doesn't take it consistently because she doesn't like the way it makes her feel. Fair enough. I don't like the way he constant blaming and overall negativity makes me feel so I'm done. That is Gone with a D.

Aren't you a peach.

We grew up in a really big, close (truly) family. Sister is spoiled and crazy, too hard to deal with without professional training. I don't bother.

IL's are many, but only claim to be close when they want something. Limited contact.

I do not speak to an uncle and certain cousins because they conned my grandparents out of a lot of money. Tried to maintain a relationship for my fathers sake, but once he wrote them off, so did I.

Mom. Narcissistic. Toxic.

Conversely, anyone try to keep in touch when everyone else is cutting each other off? I'm kind of in that boat - wasn't involved in the fight that caused the rift - don't think the fight needed to happen in the first place and trying to keep in touch with all sides of the family, but both sides think I'm siding with the other because I'm still on speaking terms with everyone.

One of my brothers is a full-time employee/member of the "Church" of Scientology. Has been for over 25 years. After initially trying to recruit our family into it, he has pretty much cut us out of his life, with 2 visits to family events since he joined them. He does keep in touch with our father, I guess for money, but I don't have any contact with him, as does the rest of our family.

I witnessed a huge fight in my mother's family as a kid and pretty much swore off the whole lot of them. I like them individually, mostly, but there are still hurt feelings 20+ years later among those involved. Also, I never fit in anyway, so I make an appearance now and then, but I mostly keep my distance. Father's family hardly knows that I exist.

I don't really talk to the inlaws...mil, sil, bil. They are selfish and self centered and one of them is a certified nut case. They are up north so that does make not communicating a bit easier. I dread visiting bc mils house is not baby proofed and bils toddler has behavior issues and is always hitting and picking fights with our dc or tearing up and breaking things and whining. When bils toddler whines toddler is rewarded with things to stop the whining instead of being disciplined. There are other things too but thats the gist of it.

Anonymous wrote:When and why did you stop speaking?

Intentionally cutting ties: two cousins (they're siblings) on my Mum's side. After my grandmother's death, there was a rough time concerning the inheritance. These two cousins chose not only to meddle in something that was none of their business (the problems were between my Mum and her sister, and they ironed it out in a few weeks and reverted to a very good relationship), they also chose to call me and my Mum horrible names such as thieves and corrupted people, they alleged that we had bribed the professional that had evaluated my late grandmother's real estate, that kind of thing. I do not forgive people who speak to my Mum that way.

I don't really talk to anyone on my father's side of the family. Nothing mayor happened there - their values and attitude toward life are very different than mine. They prefer not to visit us and, after decades of unreturned visits and very rarely returned phonecalls, it was a natural evolution of things that we should drift apart. We basically have nothing in common and nothing to say to each other.

I don't speak to most of my mom's side of the family. I don't feel a connection and they're shitty to my mom.

Sister, about 6 years ago. She's negative and mean for sport. When she's on paxcil she's funny but she doesn't take it consistently because she doesn't like the way it makes her feel. Fair enough. I don't like the way he constant blaming and overall negativity makes me feel so I'm done. That is Gone with a D.

Relatives like who? Cousins? Siblings?

When and why did you stop speaking?