Stupid family politics

My brother-in-law, Frankie, pissed me off royally last night.  Laurie was telling the kids to do the dishes, as their mother and I had both told them to do, and Frankie comes out of his room and tells Laurie that it’s the kids’ house, and they can do what they want.  Then, he proceeds to tell the children that they can do whatever they want, because they live here, and they don’t have to listen to Laurie when she tells them to do something.

Ok, this is wrong for several reasons.

Now, before I go on, I must say that I don’t care for the tone of voice my wife uses, most of the time.  I could have understood and maybe even agreed with Frankie if he’d just told Laurie not to use that tone with his kids.  

What I won’t and don’t agree with is telling my niece and nephew to disrespect their aunt.  HELL NO!  If Laurie had ever told Elisabeth to ignore Mary Helen, I’d have raised hell about it.  Likewise, I feel it is within my proper range of reaction to raise hell about my own wife being disrespected, no matter whose home it is!  If he will remember correctly, we did not ask to come here.  We were REQUESTED!  My sister ASKED us to come down.  Ok, she asked me, but what the hell do they expect me to do?  Leave my wife at home for a month?

MH has even proposed the idea of sending Laurie home separately and letting me stay here for as long as needed.  Uh uh.  No go!  While I will feel like I’m deserting Nanny in her time of need if she’s still alive on the 6th, we’re going back home that day, unless Nanny’s in a coma.

Do you have any idea what it’s like to be criticized for EVERY move you do OR DON’T make?!!!!  My sister doesn’t see a need for anyone to have self esteem, and my brother-in-law only cares if everything goes his way all the goddamned time!  I don’t know HOW Mary Helen turned out so cold, when we always had Mama there to balance out the rest of the world.  Mama believed in us and let us know it…or at least, she let ME know it!  It seems that my sister doesn’t have much respect for our mother, simply because Mama has a different set of beliefs, mainly regarding marriage.  As if MH is ANY better!!!!  She DARES to criticize our mother for "letting" Wayne edge me out of Mama’s life…for "letting" Wayne be abusive.  Okay, remind me, sister dear….who "lets" her husband drink, when he’s not supposed to for legal OR medical reasons?  Who "lets" her husband treat her family like shit and won’t do anything about it?  If you say you DO do something about it, then you’re a liar, by your own standards!  You would fully EXPECT Mama or me to get rid of our spouses if they acted the way Frankie does, but because it’s YOUR marriage we’re talking about, anything goes. 

I’m so sick and goddamned tired of people complaining about my wife.  It’s one thing for someone who truly loves and respects her to do it.  I feel like the only person in this house who REALLY loves Laurie (besides me) is Juli.  Alex has a chip on his shoulder and acts just like his Daddy, when it comes to Laurie.  Of course, Laurie’s not without fault, but this is not pick-on-my-wife time, because that has been done enough!

Wish me luck.  Hope that somehow, we get through this time.  I don’t know how long Nanny is going to stay with us.  We’ve got a theory going on that she’s trying to hang on for her 89th Birthday, which is December 4, 2010.  Two more days.  Then….

Anyway.  I wanna go home.