Anyone else hate family gatherings?

[WallflowerGirl83]

It's very hard for me to talk to my family, especially at family gatherings. Anytime I'm there I usually sit on the couch alone and wait until someone sits down next to me and starts a conversation with me. Everyone on my mother's side gossips a lot and it's very hard to trust any of them. Always feel left out in gatherings and that's why I wish to never go to them. But in the end of course I have to go, but when I do go, I usually stay very quiet the whole time.

 

[Mr.YellowCat]

Hate them. Simply hate them.

 

[EveWasFramed]

Not me. I don't see my family (in a "gathering" situation) often enough. We usually have fun when we get together.

 

[edamame721]

I like family gatherings as long as there's at least one person I can talk to (and wants to talk to me). Otherwise, I try to keep busy by helping with the cooking or something. That makes awkward silence easier. I have stepped out to take a breather before though.

 

[Gutted]

There are no family gatherings that I know of, lol. Maybe I'm not invited if there is one Once upon a time I wanted to have a family gathering. I don't know most of my 15 aunts and uncles. Don't know how many cousins I have either. I found some of them on Facebook. But they weren't interested. So I left it at that.

 

[Locke]

I've never been to one with my family, unless a funeral counts. I've been to other people's family gatherings, and I had fun for the most part. I just felt like an outsider.

 

[daughter of the moon]

They're alright, if only the relatives didn't feel the need to discuss politics every single time :-(

 

[ladyforsaken]

^Or discuss about my love life and deciding I should be the next one to get married or matchmade. Lol.

 

[MTrip]

When I was a kid, I disliked family gatherings very much. It was mainly because my mother's family was adoptive & their stance toward my mother wasn't the best; as her offspring, I didn't count as much as their other kids. Most of my father's family is dead & gone. But I do have a "family" of sorts now, & the first Christmas gathering I went to a couple years ago was great. I'm going again this year.

 

[consmap]

I don't hate my family, but I find it hard to relate with them. Most of my family were born from our country of origin, but I was born in North America. I feel like I get treated like a "white-washed" person. This gets worse with family members that I don't know very well.
In May we're heading back to the homeland for 4 weeks for a family reunion... I'm not sure if I should be excited or not. I feel guilty because everyone in my family is absolutely ecstatic to go back; it's not that big of a deal for me and I honestly don't feel like going this year because I'd like to take summer classes to catch up with University. Urg, I feel terrible prioritizing school over family.

 

[lonelyfairy]

Yes, yes and yes! >_< I don't hate them but I really don't like them.. But it's because of my past. I was always the quiet one in the family gatherings and it made me feel very uncomfortable, all the questions they asked etc. Now I don't go to those. Never.

 

[Jovi88]

Yes, I hate it so much. But fortunately, my relatives mostly lives in other town. I really hate when there is family wedding, which i must attend.

 

[constant stranger]

I really don't like family gatherings either. The aunts, uncles and cousins all grew up in the same region and have years and years of memories to talk about.

I grew up a third culture kid, an ex-pat, born and raised overseas, a USA citizen like my parents but didn't come here 'till I was 17. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything but I've always been the 'outsider' who spoke with an odd accent.

It could have been different if they'd cared to know anything about Hong Kong. But they didn't. And I'm tired of getting the cold welcome from them too.....I've long since stopped going to their "cousins reunions".

 

[blackdot]

I used to love family get togethers but these days it sucks. I'm always the one that feels like I don't belong since I am not married nor previously married. Plus I don't have kids. Heck, even the kids at family get togethers are now having kids.

 

[paseo]

Hi i'm new here... I used to like family gatherings when my mom's still around but after she was gone i hate them because it's like i go to those gatherings 'by myself' everyone else go there with their family members (mom, dad, often siblings) and always mingle as a group add to that the fact that i'm an introvert. I almost always feel miserable whenever i'm in a social situation where it looks like i need to be the first to initiate a small talk and because of that most of the time i feel like a loser there.. So i always feel lonely and horrible after family gatherings these days.. I don't know the extended family of my guardian so it's like i'm invisible amongst the crowd and i always feel like i don't belong..

 

[Bubblebeam]

Hate them too. The only family I'm close to is my immediate one, and since we lived together for so long we're naturally comfortable together, but external family gatherings I can't stand. I hate that it's expected by some people. I'm finally of the age now where I can say no or just say my true feelings which is that I prefer one-on-ones with family that I get along with or nothing at all. Luckily for me though I have moved abroad so I don't even have to do that.

 

[Sun35]

Yes, I totally dislike family gatherings

 

[male45]

So today I barely survived a christmas party with my extended family. Nothing makes me feel more alienated than being around relatives I can't even have normal interaction with. They're good people and all, but we've never been close and have nothing in common. Most of my cousins I couldn't even acknowledge being there because we never got to know eachother on a friendly level or even had a one-on-one conversation. When a few of them initiate interaction I feel bad that I hadn't. My aunts and uncles no doubt think I'm strange, shy or a combination of both. For some reason I'm more outgoing around total strangers than I am around these people. I just can't relate to them and don't even know what's going on in their lives to spark an interesting conversation. I feel like all I can do is talk about myself, and that gets old really fast when nothing exciting is going on in my life. Before these get-togethers I feel like an independant, self-sufficient loner... during and after I feel like a timid little kid again like nothing has changed. I just feel so drained and depressed...

Yes i too hate it and prefer to stay away....i dont know why

 

[IncolaVacui]

I hate most of my family, while most of my family is either completely enthralled by me or completely repulsed by me. So yes, I hate family gatherings. Thankfully, we haven't had one in over 16 years due to some stupid reasons which I'd rather not publicly disclose but it's due to differences in worldview, basically.