WayAhead

@Meowmy I turned 55 in January and I am still learning that the world really isn't all sunshine and roses no matter how hard I've tried to believe that. 

I love my mum but she has always favoured my brother over me. She denies it of course but even my (once) favourite aunt noticed it.

TW: abuse

Then when I was around 5 my parents split and we moved from Canberra back to the west where mums' family were.

Growing up as a child of divorce in the 70's was uncommon and a lot of my school friends weren't allowed to play with me because of the divorce. Even in high school one of my friends' mums hated me. She liked mum the divorcee, didn't like me though because of the divorce.

TW: abuse

It's only been in the last 10 years that I have been able to have a relationship with my dad and in that time I've had family and friends replace his distaste of me. My once favourite aunt has publicly commented about how I need to lose weight, how she can't understand why I am "such a lazy slob" and how I should be more grateful as a daughter. One time I was standing near a friend of hers and my cousins' wife (the gym bunny) and my aunt didn't bother to introduce me to her friend. Instead she turned to cousins' wife and introduced her to her friend as "my beautiful daughter in law". The friend smiled and looked at me and my aunt said "oh, she's XXX's daughter, my niece". I tried to smile and then left the room to sit in my car and cry.

Whenever I try to talk to mum about it I got the bog standard "I'm sure she doesn't mean it that way."

Now I avoid all family functions as much as possible. Last year I chose to stay home alone rather than spend Christmas with the family.

And then there is ex best friend. A whole nother story I won't bore you with!