goodbye in-laws

Four years ago in a coffee shop, that’s the last time I saw my husband’s brother and his wife. Calling them in-laws feels traitorous to the warm relationships I have with most of my in-laws. It was a rather mutual decision to not be in each other’s lives. They didn’t like me and that had escalated over the course of half a decade. Yep, it’s not a happy story.

We got married without them, we moved to a new city without them, and we welcomed our daughter into the world without them. At some point, we stopped talking to my father-in-law as well. My daughter doesn’t know these three individuals and I doubt she ever will. So what’s that like on a daily basis?

It’s weird. When folks ask about extended family, I talk about my in-laws as if the ones I speak to are the only ones that exist. For me, it gets easier each year, but for my husband, that means basically not referring to memories of these individuals lest someone ask – “Wait, you have two brothers?”

It’s hard. I struggle to balance my own desire to not have these individuals in my life with the fact my husband wishes the relationships were different. Every so often he considers reaching out to see if anything has changed. When he doesn’t pull the trigger, I feel relief + guilt. I’m the reason he doesn’t talk to his brother. That guilt and the feeling of being unlikable used to make me physically ill. Even now it’s still a part of me.

It’s confusing. My gosh, I have no idea how to even begin to tell my daughter about her grandfather and uncle. Should I? They are part of my husband’s story, of our story. In a way, they’re part of her story. We moved to Austin because we needed a fresh start. After moving here, I found a job with stellar benefits and maternity leave. Having a child and a career finally felt doable. So we did it.

I’m happy. In all honesty, I’m happy those three individuals aren’t in our lives. The relationships didn’t bring us joy and we didn’t bring them joy. I’m happy we removed them from our life before my daughter was born. Mostly, I’m happy that my daughter will grow up knowing love and seeing the love between the family we created.

It used to be a dark secret that we cut family out of our life but the more I open up about it the more I realize I’m not alone. So as weird, hard, and confusing as it all is, we’re happy we let go of those relationships. If anything I wished we’d done it earlier rather than cling to them as if our next breath required it.

Anyone else have a story of letting go of a relationship for your family?  

16 COMMENTS

  1. So I loved your new blog entry. Just the other day, I learned that my little brother and his wife thought I got pregnant “just to ruin their wedding” I’m crushed. I realized it was the reason I wasn’t invited to be in the wedding, and why they’ve both treated my little girl so distantly and coldly. I honestly don’t know what to do, I already REALLY didn’t like his wife but now I’m just straight up angry…

  2. Thank you for this Courtney!! I needed to read this today. We also moved from Dallas to Austin, and left behind my mother in law, step father in law, and a few others close to them. It was a toxic relationship, full of narcissism and abuse. My husband and I finally had enough and cut them out. I still get pangs of regret & moments where we wonder if we did the right thing, but we know deep down that we did! Her love had conditions and I was merely someone standing in the way of her son & grandson. I was constantly talked about behind my back, ridiculed & belittled. I am with you in that it feels like we can be the only ones who don’t speak to certain family members, but hearing stories like this give me more hope, peace & validation! Thank you for being vulnerable & sharing!

  3. Sometimes for everyones mental health it is best to let go. It is definitely healthy to open up and talk about these things and not just bottle it up and expect the worst. There are a lot of similar circumstances from individuals, you aren’t the only one.

  4. I just went through this after 8 years of turning the other cheek to abuse from my husband’s sister. It sucks and it’s sad but family should bring joy, not stress. We moved half way across the country to get away from her toxicity and we’re all (me, my husband, and even our 5yo) are feeling lighter without the constant pain. I don’t think we’ll ever go back!

  5. Thank you so much for this article. My husband and I have experienced this with his brother, brother’s wife and his mother. I was not liked from the beginning. I was always judged for ever single thing I did, yet they all believe the fabricated truth my brother in law lives. I came to a point that I was done, but let my husband make his own choices. Eventually he saw for himself and made his own choice. It is sad that my children will not get to know their cousins, but it is a sacrifice we have to make to keep them away from the toxicity. We are SO much happier and It is such a relief. Good to know there are others who experience similar circumstances.

  6. Thank you for sharing this. We so often feel like we’re the only ones, so it must be us, right?! It’s been years, and it is never easy to “pretend” things are okay or to open up to people with the truth (so much back story to share). What’s even harder is that we have found ourselves in the same, tight-knit community with some that we have cut out of our lives. Nonetheless, it comes up more often than not. Yes, the guilt! I know it is never easy on my husband, but he does it to protect my honor, to protect our relationship, and to protect our children. It is necessary, my head knows this to be true, but my heart is forever sad that it couldn’t be the way it was “supposed” to be.

  7. It’s been nearly eight years since I had any type of conversation with my sister. It’s sometimes easy and sometimes very difficult. Not a day goes by, however, that I don’t think of her. However, the turmoil, dishonestly and chaos she thrives on has never been missed. do realize that our children won’t know their cousins, and that is sad, but without that toxic person, I have peace and that is priceless.

  8. Our family has done the same thing with my aunt and uncle… it has been two years and our lives have been drama free. I understand the guilt, but then I remember why we made the choice. Narcissism is the word I would use to describe them and it is unhealthy to be around anyone like that. I did not want my children to grow up with that example. I had tried to get my aunt to go to counseling with me to talk about some things with someone who would help us understand each other better but she refused and did not see the need for it…. after that i had to choose, is this behavior something I can accept? The answer was no. When my aunt and uncle come to my mind I pray for them and I truly hope they have a change of heart and mind. I hold no anger or bitterness toward them, I just do not need to see/hear of them hurting people I love.

  9. My MIL hates me because she “lost a son” when hubby and I married. She caused so much trouble when we were dating but ever since we had kids, she’s been a little better. It seems all my girlfriends who have MIL issues specifically have husbands who are only children. Interesting. Their moms can’t accept another woman in their lives. My hubby has always had my back and has asked me to just fake it–my acceptance of her. I hate faking it and would actually prefer to remove her out of our lives altogether.

  10. I appreciate your vulnerability in this article, I know it’s not easy to put yourself out there like this. Reading this though, I felt sad when you expressed that your husband wishes things were different. This is his father and brother you’re talking about, very monumental relationships in a person’s life. You don’t have to be BFFs with them, but I think it’s worth it for your husband’s sake (and your daughter’s) to have some sort of relationship with them, to keep communication open, and to be the bigger person. Believe me, I know it’s easier said than done. I pray you will be able to forgive and work towards a relationship with them.

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