How can I smooth things out with my brothers or shall I just leave them to it?

I’m 48 and my brother’s are in their early 50’s. Around 11 years ago, I needed to buy a house, I was struggling to find rental accommodation at the right price for me and my family.

Meanwhile, my poor mum was having a terrible time trying to keep up with her house and the bills, she also had loads of debts, left by my dad. We didn’t know how much it was until after he passed away, 5 years prior. My mum was unable to give up full time work cos of these debts and she was getting on herself (age 70), the house was in disrepair, I hated seeing her like this and feeling hopeless at what to do next, I went to my older brothers to ask for help, I suggested buying mum’s house, they said as I was looking why didn’t I buy it and get her into council accommodation, she could then use the equity to pay off her debts, have a little left over and give up work. It wasn’t a bad idea but there was a lot of work to do but I chose to do it so I could help mum out also. I bought the house and did a mini refurbishment, had to get extra funds to fix the property. I helped mum sort out her council accommodation and move her in. It was a tough time as I was looking after my own family too.

In 2021, I found out my partner was cheating on me, we ended up separating and selling the house. Had some equity which helped pay off my debts and some legal costs etc. Fast forward to 2023, my brothers came to me and ask me for money as they’ve racked up some debt. I really wish I could’ve helped them but I didn’t have anything left, they haven’t spoken to me since, they said that they were expecting money from mum and it was down to me to pay it. They said that they didn’t worry about getting into debt as they knew it would be paid off. My mum isn’t happy with them but why I am made to feel so bad, how do I correct things? They won’t talk to me now. What are your suggestions to repair our relationship?

TL;DR; : Brothers wanted money from me as I got money when I sold my house but paid off my own debts & legal costs. I have a family to support. Shall I leave them to come round? I’ve apologised for not having any to give them but since I’ve said I don’t have it they’re not talking to me.

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Weekend reads: From intriguing tracks of relationships to social relevance of sports | Lifestyle News | English Manorama - Onmanorama

Weekend reads: From intriguing tracks of relationships to social relevance of sports | Lifestyle News | English Manorama  Onmanorama

* This article was originally published here

In-Laws vs My Parents

So, the issue is practically the title. As far as relationship timeline, I mean a lifetime with my parents and known my in laws and partner for 4 years. My (23F) parents (52M, 51F) have previously felt threatened by my in laws (70M, 65F), and I can think of a couple reasons: 1. because my in laws have more money (they had one kid, and work well into 60s, while my parents had 4 kids and have struggled a lot) 2. because my in laws have encouraged us to move out of my hometown where my parents live (something I have always wanted to do) 3. because of their own experience between my two sets of grandparents constantly turning sleepovers and family functions into competitions for which side is the most loved. My parents and in laws have never met in person due to COVID at the beginning of our relationship, living in separate states, and honestly because my partner and I don't really feel the need to have them meet just yet. (Plus timing has never worked out for visits and the possible personality conflicts.) I am happy to elaborate more if needed on pretty much anything. Current issue: My in laws are planning a trip to Europe with my partner and myself. It's about week, couple of countries, and we're excited. it is about two months out and I haven't told my parents yet because I'm afraid how they will react. They never have had (nor do they now) the money to do trips like this even though they have talked about doing one down the road. Specifically, my dad, I am worried would feel bad about not being able to financially provide this opportunity himself, but my mom could see this as my in-laws trying to bribe us to "side" with them. My dad has always felt bad for not providing more when we were kids and it was never his fault (he is the most hardworking person I know) and my mom's parents were the ones who tried to compete with my dads parents for grandkid affection (if I was with my dads parents one day, had to be at their house for two or it wasn't fair-that kind of thing and they forced my mom to cooperate.) I can totally elaborate more on details, but for now how would you approach this conversation?

Should I treat it more casually and just text or call, or go sit them down in person and tell them? Not sure which would cause less of a fuss and I just want no drama.

TL/DR: complicated relationships between parents and in-laws, not sure how to handle new issue.

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* This article was originally published here

Went on the best first dates of my life, and then she ended it and now I don't know what to do

Never posted something like this before, but really struggling with processing this. I had given up on finding someone I could be happy being myself with, until I connected with someone on a dating app. Right off the bat, the banter was good. Within a few days of connecting, we met up for dinner, and talked for hours, until the restaurant closed and we moved to the bar next door and continued talking and hanging out until the bar closed too and we got kicked out.

I think from that night, I was instantly in love. It has been years since I felt this happy with someone, from just talking. I could be myself, didn't have to put up an image, and I felt she was being herself too, just sharing her story as I shared mine. A few days after this date, I asked her to go on a day trip with me. She had mentioned that her birthday had recently passed and she hadn't celebrated it at all. So I planned a trip to a farm a few hours away, and found some small town bakeries, got a 3 and 0 sparkle and a birthday candle. Picked her up from her place, and we went on the trip. Again, the conversations were amazing, the farm was so much fun, we walked around the small town, holding hands and laughed and talked for hours. Drove around by the water, made fun of each others playlists, found trails to check out. Finally stopped at a store, and I got her fav icecream, and put a candle in it to celebrate her belated birthday. She was surprised, and had the most adorable smile on her face. We shared the ice cream, and then continued driving. I wanted to find a clear spot to see stars, but the weather didn't cooperate...so eventually i just stopped on the side of the road, and asked her to step out with me for a minute. She was def confused, but I took out the sparkles and again wished her a happy belated birthday.

On the 4 hour drive back that night, we held hands the entire way. It felt genuine, she'd put her other hand on top of mine, change positions, but we kept holding hands the entire way back. I dropped her back at her place, tried to go for a kiss, but she faced away, so I kissed her cheek and said goodnight.

This was a sunday, next morning I didn't hear anything from her, I messaged her but didn't hear back until the night that she had a busy work day and is going to bed now. Next two days, the conversations were like this, dry and absent. Then the dreaded message came "I had a great time, but for personal reasons I can't continue this, hope you find the girl you're looking for, take care"

I've had so many dates that led nowhere, long term relationships that ended...and maybe I have forgotten how much those breakups hurt, but this seems extra hurtful. I didn't know how to respond, so did the usual "I'm sorry you feel this way, best of luck to you as well and I hope you find what you're looking for", and deleted her number and unfollowed her from social media. But then quickly went and saved her number again. It's been 3 weeks now, and I can't stop thinking about her. I sent her another message a week later, saying that I felt a connection after such a long time, and wished that there was something I could do to have her open up to me and see if we could resolve the personal reason she had to not continue. But no response, she kept following me on social, didn't block my number, but no response.

I know time will heal, but just wanted to get this off my chest. I've never fallen for someone this quick, and then be given such a vague reason for things ending. I think if she had told me I was not funny enough, or too ugly or something of that sorts, it'd been easier to process...but not knowing what made her end is driving me crazy. I've lost my appetite, and just feel hopeless that i'll feel this way about someone again or if I even should.

​

TLDR: Had given up finding someone I could be myself with, found someone, and went on a rollercoaster and crashed

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* This article was originally published here

I (22F) found old provocative pictures in my bfs (25M) phone

I (22F) found old provocative pictures on my bfs (25M) phone

I found them by snooping on his phone but for context he told me I’m allowed to do it if I want. His phone broke and he’s using an old one so the pictures are from 4-3 years ago and it’s uploaded from Dropbox and has other random pictures in it, the pictures aren’t nudes but a past partner in bikinis or other stuff like that. I’m upset bc it’s in a folder that’s cover is a woman in a bikini so why didn’t he think of deleting them since it’s so showy, also what upsets me is my partner is an extremely jealous guy so if I put him in a similar situation he’d be very upset so I wish he’d think of me in his own terms too. I was upset with him for a whole day and I’m not sure how to feel now or what to do. I’m not completely innocent bc I have random nudes in my photos too bc I have so many pictures and they’re just randomly around there but for him it’s a specific folder he could’ve deleted. :/ I don’t know if I will be able to get over this.

TL;DR: I found a folder with some bikini pictures of a past partner in my bfs old phone that he didn’t delete and it made me upset

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How to tell my mum [70sF] that she's driving my sister [30sF] away?

I found out recently that my mum is sad that she does not have a strong connection with her daughter (my sister) and wants to be closer to her. The problem is that she often says things that are hurtful, especially about people's weight.

My sister is somewhat overweight and it is a sensitive subject for her; she blames my parents for causing her food issues in her teens, something she has been in therapy for. My mum has always been quite slim, and has her own issues with food that we trace back to our grandfather who was always teasing his wife about her weight. Mum is not that bad, she doesn't say things directly to my sister about her weight, but she will comment on other people being "fat" and "gross"; is quite obsessed with nutrition and will steer a conversation towards the subject; will make comments during meal times like "oh I could not possibly manage a dessert after all that" after a small main course.

My sister is not the kind of person who will directly confront her about it, but instead she keeps my mum at arm's length and never spends one-on-one time with her. In a group setting things are manageable but can get quite tense if the conversation turns to food, as it often does.

I think our mum is somewhere on the autism spectrum and doesn't quite realise how offensive she is being. I think my sister agrees but still can't bring herself to be direct about it.

Mum is only getting older and I worry that she will spend her final years without the sense of closeness that she wants from her daughter, and likewise my sister will miss out on being able to treasure her last years with her mum.

We're going on a group trip this weekend and I have some time alone with my mum beforehand, and I want to broach the subject but I have no idea how to do that without offending her or otherwise putting her on the defensive. In some ways it's not my place to interfere with their relationship but I also feel like I am the only person who can see what's happening and am in a position to try to make things better.

TL;DR What is the best way to put my mum in a receptive mood to take my advice ("stop offending your daughter with fatphobia/nutrition advice") in the way that it is intended?

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Relationship Struggles: Seeking advice (22F)

Hello everyone, I'm a 22-year-old female who recently had a major disagreement with my 23-year-old boyfriend. It all stemmed from a Snapchat message from three years ago, and I could really use some advice.

Here's the backstory: We've been officially together for three years, but we were talking for a year before that. One night at a party, a question was asked during a drinking game that caused a huge fight between us. Despite my attempts to downplay it, my boyfriend had a hard time trusting me afterward. Another incident occurred when I reached out to a lecturer for help with a software issue. Even though I made it clear I was in a committed relationship, my boyfriend accused me of flirting.

To regain his trust, I went to extreme lengths, like blocking men on social media when they want to request to follow me ,to constantly reassuring him. But despite my efforts, trust remains an issue.

In the most recent argument, about three weeks ago, my boyfriend stumbled upon an old Snapchat message from three years ago probably just before our relationship or the beginning, might even be from the short period me and my boyfriend had a very small minor break up . Despite my explanation that I didn't even recall having the person on Snapchat, let alone a message, he struggled to believe me. This followed a situation a week prior where a this same man,who is somewhat of a local celebrity, liked some of my old Instagram pictures, prompting me to express discomfort to my boyfriend. Despite my efforts to be transparent, the trust issues persist, leaving us both at an impasse. He called all 3 of these fight infidelity based on my part.

I feel stuck. My emotions are being disregarded when i try speak to him , all he cares about is how i hurt him, and I'm tired of constantly trying to prove myself ,when i know i didn't do anything wrong. My boyfriend says he knows intellectually that I haven't been unfaithful, but emotionally, he struggles to believe it. He's asked for space, but I'm not sure if I should continue trying to fix things alone (per his request, that because i broke it i should fix it ) or consider taking a break. Because I'm angry and hurting too

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

TL;DR

Hey everyone,

I'm a 22-year-old female seeking advice about trust issues with my 23-year-old boyfriend. It all started with an old Snapchat message and has escalated from there. Despite my efforts to reassure him and be transparent, trust remains a problem.

I feel stuck and unheard when trying to communicate my feelings. My boyfriend struggles to believe I've been faithful, even though he acknowledges it intellectually. He's asked for space, leaving me unsure whether to keep trying to fix things alone or consider taking a break.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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* This article was originally published here