Losing a loved one is terrible, and it changes our lives for the rest of our lives. It might be tough to soothe the individual and encourage them to move on with their lives at times. Some people prefer to be alone for a time, while others prefer to be among loved ones for comfort. In this story a sister had no ill intention for her heartbroken brother but the family was upset by her decision. Read the story and do you think they had taken the right decision?
Source: Reddit
My F29 brother’s wife passed away recently from cancer about 8 weeks ago. He isolated himself from everyone for 2 weeks. Mom and dad were so worried about him and so they started inviting him to family events at their house. He agrees to come but then at some point, someone mentions his wife even just her name and he begins to sob. I’m not exaggerating… As a result, dinner gets awkward, and whatever event is being hosted gets interrupted.
This happened 3 times already. Last weekend was my turn to host dinner. My husband and I were worried the same thing would happen again. My husband said it’d be almost impossible that no one will mention my brother’s wife at some point. So he suggested I let my brother sit this one out. In other words, just let him stay home and get the space he needs. I considered the idea, then called my brother and apologized to him for cancelling his invite. He wasn’t happy about it which was surprising to me because I thought he was basically forced to attend those events.
My parents found out and went off on me calling my behavior disgraceful and saying that I was unsupportive and unfeeling to what my brother’s going through to exclude him like that. I explained why I thought this was the best option but they claimed that I took away the comfort and support that my brother gets from the people around him. They said that I was selfish and have no regard for my brother’s loss but I 100% do. My husband said that my parents obviously don’t care about guests being uncomfortable watching my brother sob at every event and causing it to be cut short like that.
They’re still pretty much mad at me and demanding I apologize to my brother because I hurt his feelings. Am I Wrong?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
