Would you consider your family normal?

[MOB Karen]

Let us know how you feel about your family. :)

[mariaandmanish]

All I have to ask, Karen, is what's normal? LOL

My family is definitely not normal. We have some SERIOUS familial issues. But, the important part is that my family is supportive all the time. So, that makes them okay to me!

[AngelinLove]

My family is one scene after another of a bad soap opera!!! Anything and everything that you could possibly find wrong with someone...you would find somewhere in my family. Everyone always says that I am the normal and sane one...so that should tell ya something right there...lol!!! I think that in this day and age...dysfunctional families are normala nd the Waltons are just history...lol!!!!

[nikkiana]

I guess it's fairly normal in the grand scheme of things... What family is normal these days?

My parents never officially married. My father was married, had a daughter and divorced prior to being with my mother. His ex-wife had a second child, a son by another man, but that guy took off and my father adopted her son. I was born when my half-siblings were 15 and 18 years old.... and most of my cousins were around the same age when I was born....

Growing up and comparing myself to friends, I always felt kinda weird.... My half-siblings have pretty much be adults my entire life.... and that's weird to explain to other little kids.... Most people get half-siblings and step-siblings confused (half-siblings are when you share one biological parent, step-siblings happen when people with children get married). I remember getting so sick of explaining the half-sibling thing as a kid that I either A. would deny my siblings existed or B. act like they were full siblings.

[LaceyinPgh]

Dysfunctional would be a kind adjective to use in describing them. Mean, self centered, jealous, lonely, unhappy, miserable shreds of human shells unable to think or feel of anything but their ownselves is a more apt title. They look for ways to cause trouble with each other. They are only happy if they are miserable and can drag anyone else into their pits of dispair. My dad dropped me off my freshman year of college and his departing advice was run and don't look back. I love BOTH of my parents but their extended family (with a couple of exceptions) mean less to me than perfect strangers I pass on the street. In fact I care more for the strangers because they haven't caused years of pain, suffering, and misery for mom, dad, and I.

[LizabethDavis]

Dysfunctional would be a kind adjective to use in describing them. Mean, self centered, jealous, lonely, unhappy, miserable shreds of human shells unable to think or feel of anything but their ownselves is a more apt title. They look for ways to cause trouble with each other. They are only happy if they are miserable and can drag anyone else into their pits of dispair. My dad dropped me off my freshman year of college and his departing advice was run and don't look back. I love BOTH of my parents but their extended family (with a couple of exceptions) mean less to me than perfect strangers I pass on the street. In fact I care more for the strangers because they haven't caused years of pain, suffering, and misery for mom, dad, and I.

This describes some of my family...My family is weird....They are either EXTREMELY dysfunctional or EXTREMELY too perfect..I try to balance between them all, but somehow it doesn't work...

[ladymelissa]

Would you consider your family normal?

By no strech of the imagination could we ever be considered normal. Luckily, my sister and I have always bonded together to deal with everyone else's drama.

[asm198]

I knew we were different than most families, but not dysfunctional. That little nugget of knowledge came out after I went off to college. But my parents did the best they could, considering the circumstances. It has made me a bit 'harder' of a person than I would have been, I think.

[MOB Karen]

The relationship I have with Amber is pretty solid. The relationship I have with my mother is dysfunctional to say the least. But we are still on speaking terms, and I do love her very much. We just carry around a lot of baggage from the past. :(

[WhiskeyGirl]

Dysfunctional would be a kind adjective to use in describing them. Mean, self centered, jealous, lonely, unhappy, miserable shreds of human shells unable to think or feel of anything but their ownselves is a more apt title. They look for ways to cause trouble with each other. They are only happy if they are miserable and can drag anyone else into their pits of dispair. My dad dropped me off my freshman year of college and his departing advice was run and don't look back. I love BOTH of my parents but their extended family (with a couple of exceptions) mean less to me than perfect strangers I pass on the street. In fact I care more for the strangers because they haven't caused years of pain, suffering, and misery for mom, dad, and I.

This also pretty well describes my family as well. My brother and his wife no longer have contact with us because we have nicer things than they do and they are jealous of us. We are moving over 14 hours away from them in November and haven't called, emailed or written to say they know or even care. MY sil was my MOH at the wedding and she started hardcore sh1t right before! My brother would never be this way if it weren;t for his wife, it's sad to say that my brother and I no longer are on speaking terms because of her!

My mom and dad are another story. It seems I can't tell my mother anything without her running off and telling her mother or sisters and then rumours float around the town my grandmother and inlaws live in and then sh*t hits the fan because my BIL finds out things through the grape vine that he shouldn't have known. I could kill my mother for the amount of times I"ve asked her not to tell someone somethign and she does it. And I have finally learned NOT TO SAY A GD thing!!! My father is great! I love him so much. When I was a teenager my dad and I hated each other. I don't know what it was but when I was a teenager I thought it would be wonderful if he just died. We argued and fought so much!! Then something happened, my ex broke up with me and I was a wreck. I was so sick, mentally and physically and my daddy was there to pick up my pieces and grab the super glue to put them back together and make me better! Dad and I have had a great relationship since then. I couldn't imagine my life without him!!!

As far as my mom's family goes....they are jealous, hurtful, decietful, gossiping, annoying, heavy drinkers. I do not get along with them at all. They want the best for a person until that person gets it and then...bam! They hate you!! I am highly annoyed with my mom's family and their stupidity. My grandmother gave my two cousins $450,000 and the rest of us got zip zero zilch!!!

My dad's family is too far away for me to know them anymore. We invited them to our wedding but apparently they all had something better to do that day because none of them made the effort to show up!! The only people on my dad's side that Matthew and I love are my grandparents! They are the best grandparents a person could have! They are awesome. Unfortunately they are about a four hour plane trip away. We are planning to visit just them some time soon! (My dad also has nothing to do with his brothers and sister but he talks regularly to his parents.)

Anyhow, I guess that's long eh? Yup disfunction runs in my family...guess that's why I've pretty well disowned them!

[mariaandmanish]

You know, I think that most families are dysfunctional these days. I really know of very few complete families that are normal. My mother's family is pretty normal, except for one aunt who got herself disowned after 1. she started an affair with her first cousin, while living with my dying grandfather... and 2. destroying the home that my grandfather let her continue to live in after he passed. There's a lot more to it than that, but no need to elaborate. That was enough!

The rest of the family is great... loving and supportive (even though almost none of them want to come to my wedding since they have to drive 4 hours, or take an hour flight). My father's family is not close to each other at all. No real dysfunction, they all just keep to themselves. Sad really, but what can you do?

[Kacie_bride]

My immediate family is pretty normal. I have some odd balls in my extended family, but not to bad.

[asm198]

Yes, part of my dysfunctional family situation was my extended family. Apparently drama happened decades before I was born, that caused my dad's side to completely disown him. I have been told of many nasty things that have happened and an eventual assult between my dad and his brother(the brother tried to break into our house), which sealed the deal of us being 'disowned'. Apparently, the rest of the family only knew of one child that my dad had. That would be my older brother, who is 12 years older than me. I obviously came along much later, and much after they had ceased contact.

Fast forward 19 years. I am going into the second semester of my sophomore year of college, when my dad dies suddenly. We have a visitation and funeral. At the visitation, a man comes up to me in the receiving line, and asks who I am. I say I am my father's daughter. He says my father has no daughter, only a son, and that I must be the "bastard", illegitimate child of my mother. Being ever polite, I tried to assure this stranger that I was his daughter. He started yelling at me, and well, I ended up taking a swing at this 60+ year old man, who turned out to be my long lost uncle.

I ended up being escorted out by a couple of my male cousins, so I didn't beat the guy to a pulp, while a couple of others told him he'd better leave quickly and not come back or else.

I found out later that this guy still holds a grudge against my father's family. And since I am the last heir of my dad's line, he intends to try some stuff once my mother passes on. A grudge that started before I was even a glimmer in my parent's eye, is now my issue to deal with. Thank goodness his children think he's nuts. However, I am prepared with a very, very good lawyer, just in case.

Jeez, a greiving teenager has to attempt to take out her uncle at her dad's funeral. What a messed up family.

[darkangel090260]

dysfunctional dose not even get close to my family.. I will leave it at that because one i dont have the time to type out the holl lot of them. And 10 -1 you all would not fill like reading a never ending post about my nutty family

[katieandalex]

I'd say for the most part, we have issues. But I think every family has their issues here and there. I use dysfunctional pretty freely....but I think it takes a lot to be seriously dysfunctional. But I do believe that every family does have their issues....its just normal.

[KristyGirl]

I'd say compared to most people I know, we're normal. We have a few wackos in the extended family, but for the most part my immediate is average as can be.

[cowboysbride]

We are all dysfuncitonal in our own ways...but when it comes down to it we would fight tooth and toenail if anyone ever tried to hurt anyone in the circle! We are dysfunctional for sure but if we weren't we'd be boring as hell!

[CindySue]

We are all dysfuncitonal in our own ways...but when it comes down to it we would fight tooth and toenail if anyone ever tried to hurt anyone in the circle! We are dysfunctional for sure but if we weren't we'd be boring as hell!
Thats like my family...half the time we aint speaking to eachother, but we have eachothers back in a heartbeat.

[Amber818]

We have issues like everyone else but we speak. My mom is my rock so as long as I have her I am good!

[darkangel090260]

This is From Ross

" you could writte for a year just about you mother"

ooh and he has the nerve to call me co-dependent

[rainbowtreat]

Isay my family is dysfuncitonal in a different way. You see I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters but we all either have a different dad or a different mom. My mom had 3 kids and we all have a different dad. My real dad had 3 kids and we all have a differetn mom.

My moms side of the family was what I would say a normal family growing up. We had our aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents around all the time. Now that we have all gotten older no one is around and no one cares. Of the 4 kids my gram had ( my mom her sister and her 2 brothers ) the only ones who seem to care about any thing or any one any more is my mom. And I am not just saying that cause she is my mom. You put me my sister and my mom together and we will face anything and let nothing harm the other. I guess you could throw my 16 yr old brother in that mix to.

My dads side of the family is a whole different story. My dad is the only boy of 6 kids. Every one of them is close with all their neices and nephews. regardless the lat time I saw any of them if anything is happening , a wedidng a new baby, some oen is sick or dieing some one in that family will let me know. You are always invited to what ever gathering there is and who ever makes it makes it. There is always a differetn group as not every one can make it all the time.

I have some what of an extended family as well. My sisters dad. I thought he was my dad for a while as w kid. But since he got involved with some one ( he is no longer with ) and had a son I am only his daughter when I am back in town. I had to threaten him to make sure his son ( no my brother but my so called brother ) was in the wedding so he had better be there.

Speaking of dysfuncitonal, my sister and I share a brother ( i dont call them half brothers and sisters, they are just my brother and sister ,, i grew up with them there is no difference to me ) and then my sister has a brother from her dad, well her brother and our brother are best freinds , they have the same sister but are not related in any way. This is what I mean by dysfuncitonal. I have alot of extened family.

So saying my sisters brothers sisters baby actualy works for me lol. And I know what it means lol.

[Jenn060306]

When i first read the title of this post i thought. LOL NO! But then really we're not horribly dysfunctional. We're weird. And we're had weird things happen to us. But we are very close knit. Both Mark and i are really close with our parents and his sibblings. We have alot of the same friends as his sisters. IT's really nice.

[WebLady]

I voted "We have issues, but we are mostly on speaking terms" Which pretty much explains my feelings without sharing the issues ;) My main issue is that most of my family (mostly my mother) don't see things the same way and it causes problems. That and my mother has a habit od doing or saying things without thinking and because of that she hurts and/or upsets me (and most of the family) on pretty much a regular basis ... and no one stands up to her because they don't want to start a fight ... my dad always says "You know how she is" :bbrolleyes: Oh, let me stop now I said I wouldn't share too much ;) I do love her, she just gets on my nerves, but she has her moments of goodness and for those I am thankfull :)