I Come From a Broken Family

I come from a family of dysfunction.

My parents divorced when I was 3, and my mother had a steady string of boyfriends and 2 subsequent marriages to men who weren't that great. Dad is an alcoholic. One of my brothers is estranged from all of us, I haven't seen or heard from him in over 5 years.

The sad part is that the older I get, I really want to be closer to my family. But how do I do that when they are ALL so very toxic and will bite me like a snake at every turn?

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Mamapolo2016 · F

I experienced this as stepmother to a family of four squabbling, squalling teenagers who got older but did not mature. Fistfights at weddings, fistfights over a car repair project lubricated with beer. Insane. I actually bought outdoor tables with an eye to how hard they would be to collapse when the fights began.

We made some progress. Then we got divorced and I withdrew from the chaos.

What you have to do is establish basic civility rules and tolerate no transgressions. Voices rise in anger, party's over. Zero tolerance for the toxic behavior. If things are already terrible, it can hardly get worse and may get better.

DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F

@Mamapolo2016 Sounds exactly like my family. :(

Mamapolo2016 · F

@DearAmbellina2113 Ain't we got fun.

DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F

@Mamapolo2016 You said it. :/