Up front notice: I do see that you needed a vent and a means to get through all of the events of the weekend. I promise to get back to that point.
And I know you said your desire to see these people outweighed your reservations about entering into a situation that you suspected would make you miserable... yet you did so anyway. So knowing that you consciously made that choice, did you really expect the weekend to align with your expectations? From what you've posted about your H and his family, that's like expecting a cat to bark???
If anything, now you know that if you want your S16 to spend time with people, it should be on your watch and under your own set of expectations.
Please don't get me saying this as a sign that I don't have sympathy for you dealing with their sh!t show. I do. Even the happiest of families have unspoken rules that don't suit everyone in the group. And this group's sure sound less than ideal, if not borderline cruel and mocking. I don't think I'd want my kids around this type of dynamic at all.
You're a good egg, AD. Next time, pay attention to that inner voice that tells you to continue the path you've chosen and paved? 'Cause you sound like a reasonable person.
I hope your week just gets better, starting now.
Betsey
"There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
