Love can’t be forced and that’s true for any and every sort of relationship.
This girl tried really hard but couldn’t love her boyfriend’s niece like her own.
Check out the full story.
My fiancée (30M) has a 3-year-old niece. Her mother (my fiancée’s sister(27F)) is moody, entitled, and rude to everyone, including her own parents.
This girl seems like a mess!
She doesn’t work, doesn’t properly care for her daughter, and never cleans up her mess or her kid’s mess. Because of this (and more), I just pretend to like her, treat her with respect, and try to avoid her as much as possible.
I stay out of my boyfriend’s family issues, but even his own parents find her problematic and tolerate her tantrums only to avoid her taking the kid away.
She has been doing a lot for the kid…
Often, I end up feeding, caring for, or teaching basic things to this little girl because her mom is too lazy to do so. I resent this, but I still do it willingly.
The girl seems to like me because I give her attention, care for her, and play with her—something her own mom doesn’t do.
I find her affection toward me sweet, but I can’t forget that I’m not her mother and that her mom should be the one stepping up.
She doesn’t want to go out of her way like that…
To add, it’s always been difficult for me to “love” people outside of my family. The only person I’ve learned to love as family is my fiancée.
Today, I was upset because my fiancée’s sister went on a trip and left her daughter behind. Since I happened to be around, I was left in charge of her for two days in a row.
I tried not to let it bother me and cared for the girl because she’s innocent, but she was sick with a cold and cough.
That’s INSANE!
Her mom hadn’t even taught her to cover her mouth when sneezing, so the girl sneezed very close to my face multiple times. Of course, I taught her to cover her mouth, but I still ended up catching her cold.
I’m now feeling awful physically and emotionally. I was mad that I had to care for this woman’s child (unappreciated, of course), and now I’m sick because I did something that wasn’t even my responsibility.
Today, while feeling miserable, my fiancée said, “That’s just how it is; you have to love her because she’s also your niece.” That made me angry.
The boyfriend never made it harder…
He seems to take the idea of “real love” lightly, and I told him that while the child is innocent and I do like her and care for her, I don’t love her like she’s my family.
She’s his niece, not mine.
I also mentioned that I got sick because I cared for her when her mom was off enjoying her trip.
She has a point!
I firmly believe that we’re not obligated to love our partner’s nieces or nephews like they’re our own family… I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t love my own sister’s son just because he is my niece.
But my fiancée got upset and walked out after I said this. Now I feel awful for sharing my thoughts with him.
Geez! That sounds like a messy family!
Why didn’t this girl talk it through with her boyfriend’s family?
Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about this story.
This user is confused about this family’s living situation…
That’s right! This user knows that walking out is the best option.
This user knows that this girl is being forced to take up a responsibility.
Exactly! This user has a great point!
This user states clear facts!
Why would she let herself get exploited like that?
Her boyfriend’s family sounds really unreasonable!
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.
