My Naunt rang my Nmother one Christmas, and was slightly tipsy so got carried away with what she said, but nothing major. Some of mum's siblings like to moan among themselves about her, and this time they had agreed together that mum has something wrong with her throat, and needed to get it checked with a GP (their mum died of throat cancer). Anyway, aunt rang and told her that they were all concerned for her, and asked her to see a doctor. Mum said she would, but then my aunt said, 'think about your grandchildren.'
At this, mum went into hysterics, collapsed sobbing on the floor, dad had to take over the phone while she staggered to a chair. She said, 'I think of nothing but the grandchildren' etc etc etc.
She didn't speak to my aunt for about five years afterwards, and then only at a party for another sister. Eight years later and they have never really made up.
Mum is nicely fixed in martyr role here, while aunt is nicely in her own role of martyr to the rest of the siblings, pretending she is very different from my mum, but actually, she is exactly the same. And so is her daughter.
