Dealing with N's in the family is AGGRAVATING!!!!!!!
I just received an e-mail message a short while ago, typed all in caps, stating "URGENT FAMILY BUSINESS!" I got this gut-level feeling in my stomach that my last aunt, (NM's sister), has died. My phone call to this cousin confirmed what my gut was telling me. (She died early Monday morning...day before yesterday.) This cousin kept asking me how did I find out as no one else talks to me. (Maybe he just didn't get it that the ONLY time anyone condescends to talk to me is when someone has died so logic follows that it had to be the NM's last surviving sibling who had to have been either in her 80's or, possibly, early 90's.)
Had the opportunity to practice setting boundaries that will NOT be crossed. Cousin kept asking me why NGCB has cut off all communication. Responded that Cousin will have to ask HIM as I can only speculate and I will NOT discuss my speculations. (My reason, which I would not disclose, is that this particular Cousin is a male version of the NM.) Cousin tried to badger me into discussing my speculations and he got told, point blank, that I refuse to discuss ANYTHING that is NONE OF HIS BUSINESS and the discussion is OVER....PERIOD! He backed down. His N-attitude was still there. After a few more minutes, I told him I had to go and ended the conversation on my terms.
I felt good after I hung up.
I think I'm making some progress.
