Mazdax605 wrote:
Now to the part that has me steamed even more.
This is a problem. Your sister in law is in a terrible and possibly very dangerous situation. So is your nephew. You should be significantly MORE concerned about your brother and his substance abuse and violent behavior than the fact that she was ungrateful about what present you gave her.
You are gonna need some thicker skin. Your family, your sister,your sister in law, and your nephew ALL need you to rise up and be the bigger man.
Mazdax605 wrote:
Am I out of line to be hurt by this? What should I do about it? Should I confront her about it or just let it stew like I do with lots of other things that happen in the family? Should I get involved with the previous story about the way my brother treated my sister? Or should I just pretend nothing happened,and live my life?
I understand WHY you are hurt. It's not that you are wrong to feel hurt, but your feelings are not helpful. Get them out of the way so you can help your brother your sister, and your SIL. As long as you are worried about your pride and your own hurt feelings, you are completely out of focus and useless to helping the family crisis. They need you. Man up. Swallow your pride.
Your brother is a ticking timebomb. So much so that someone could get hurt. How can you think of pretending nothing happened?
You may or may not be the person to talk to him, but you can certainly be the person who is orchestrating for change and getting the help your family needs, even if it is behind the scenes.
You are thinking clearly and recognizing the problems appropriately. That's a good thing. Maybe no one else in your family has the vision you do. Time for some tough love. Show your love by doing the hard things necessary.
Get involved. Get help. Quickly.