Family is supposed to be the one unbreakable bond in a person’s life, but in some cases, it might actually be the source of the most drama. In fact, certain problems between relatives could be so deep-seated that they’re carried on by the next generation.
This is what a woman observed because of the intense “bad blood” between her family and her cousins, all due to a 50-year-old secret. After decades of wondering why both sides hated each other, when she finally learned the truth, she couldn’t believe it was all over a crush.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes family feuds might occur due to a silly reason, and it’s up to folks to figure out how to eventually resolve the issue
Image credits: magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that there had been tension and drama between cousin Jeff’s family and her own, which was never explained to any of the younger generation
Image credits: shurkin_son / Magnific (not the actual photo)
When the woman turned 43, she asked her grandma about the conflict and learned that cousin Jeff had cut everyone off because he had an unrequited crush on the poster’s mom
Image credits: ArthurHidden / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Even though Jeff had liked the poster’s mom in high school, nearly 50 years ago, he still harbored resentment that she had chosen someone else over him
Image credits: SkelDry / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The woman’s mom even told her that though she was divorced and her ex was a serial cheater, she wouldn’t have picked Jeff to get into a relationship with
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The poster felt angry about Jeff’s entitlement to her mom and got banned from Thanksgiving for calling him a moron over it
The woman explained that for the last couple of decades, her family and her cousin Jeff’s household refused to speak to each other. There was so much tension and drama among them that the poster couldn’t make sense of it, because none of the older folks were willing to tell her what had happened.
When it comes to difficult family relationships like this, professionals explain that long-held resentment can fester, making it hard for folks to repair broken bonds. People might also conjure up ideas in their head about their estranged loved ones, which may even stop them from reconnecting in the future.
This is exactly why the woman finally pleaded with her grandma to reveal why all of the cousins disliked each other so much. She was shocked to learn that the feud was actually because cousin Jeff had a crush on her mother in high school and got mad when it wasn’t reciprocated.
According to therapists, when a person develops feelings for someone else, they might find it hard to accept the fact that the object of their affection doesn’t like them back. This lack of reciprocation can cause a great deal of pain and distress for the individual, making it difficult to move on.
Image credits: magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The woman was quite shocked that the 50 years of family drama that had torn the relatives apart was all due to Jeff’s crush. So she questioned her mom about it and learned that the cousin hadn’t even been friends with her in high school, but that he had just gotten mad that his crush married his family member.
The older woman also explained that she had chosen her husband for his personality, and even after their divorce, she would never have chosen Jeff as a partner. This means the entire family conflict was simply because the man felt entitled to the poster’s mom’s affection and threw a tantrum when she didn’t like him back.
It is important for victims of unrequited love to understand that they shouldn’t allow their feelings of pain and distress to fester. Experts explain that such folks should do their best to move on and pursue a person who is genuinely interested in them, rather than holding out hope for someone who might have rejected their feelings.
This situation caused the poster a lot of anger, and she couldn’t believe that cousin Jeff could tear their whole family apart just because of his entitlement. That’s why she called him a moron, but since her grandmother and other relatives sided with him, they banned her from Thanksgiving.
Do you think the poster’s reaction was justified? We’d love to know your thoughts on the matter and if you know of any shocking family secrets like this.
Folks were shocked by Jeff’s terrible behavior and also shared their own tales of drama and conflict among relatives
