I don’t think my family really knows me these days. Certainly my extended family doesn’t. My brother doesn’t know me at all, but I don’t really know him either. He still seems like an immature little kid to me, but he’s 16 now, so maybe there’s more to him than I think. I doubt he’s going to open up to me, though.
My parents used to know me pretty well when I lived at home, but even then they had misconceptions. I’d say they knew me as well as I knew myself back then, though. I didn’t have a lot of friends in middle/high school, so I talked to my parents a lot. Now I talk to them about once every two weeks, which makes my mom sad because she wants us to have a close relationship. I would like to be close(ish) to my parents, but I want our relationship to be more adult than the “parents vs. wayward child they are trying to call back home” thing we’ve got going on right now. I think we have the potential to be close, but they have to show that they respect (or at least accept) my choices before I’ll be comfortable being my true self around them.
I kind of wish my extended family knew me better, but I see them once or twice a year, so I’m not surprised that they don’t. I know I’m supposedly important to them (I was the first grandchild on my dad’s side) but I think it’s the idea of me that’s important, and I’m not sure how they’d react if I were totally open with them.
Nope. They really don’t seem to be interested in my life since I decided to not have children. My brother and I get along, but he is wrapped up with his own family, ad my sister and I don’t talk much since I cannot stand her SO.
I’m OK with it all though, I have my own ‘family’ and own life.
I’m sixty-four years old and the two women in my family of origin have no idea who I am or what my capabilities are. That’s not so much because of me but because they are totally self-absorbed to the point of having personality disorders. I see them once a year.
My step-family here is torn apart by mental illness. There is a very distorted view of who I am, but I’m hoping it is only temporary and returns to normal. It’s been this way for almost two years.
My granddaughter who is almost twenty-one knows me pretty well, I think. And my husband knows me better than anyone.
This is almost exactly my situation. Without kids to talk about, there doesn’t seem to be much interest and I was shocked at how my my relationship with my brother changed when he got married.
My family doesn’t know me at all although my dad tries and we have good conversations every couple of months. But to be honest, a lot of that is me. I can’t say I’ve tried to know them and I don’t let anyone know me particularly. I’d probably resent it if anyone tried.