So today, I tackled something that’s hard for a lot of us in family relationships:
I spoke up to a relative about how I feel about them.
I guess I should explain.
As some of you may know, I’m getting married soon. Planning and creating my guest list has been very hard for me emotionally because neither of my parents will be in attendance. So I expressed this on my Facebook page, where I have most of my family, and a relative commented saying that they would be there.
I had a choice to make.
Either ignore the comment, begrudgingly agree to send an invitation, or just be honest about why I didn’t want them there.
I chose the honest route because I need for my family to understand boundaries as well as be accountable for whatever role they may have played in my childhood trauma.
As a result, THANKFULLY, it opened up a MATURE CONVERSATION between the relative and me! I am thankful and I am here to tell you that with some healing work and commitment to do better, you can accomplish this too!
It feels AMAZING to be able to speak my truth and have it received well. However, I also understand that not all people will be able to be reconciled with, like my very own parents.
Have YOU ever been put in a similar situation?