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Letting Go Of Toxic Family Members
“It’s okay to cut toxic family members out of your life. Blood aint thicker than peace of mind”
In every family, there are certain members who exude toxic energy. Close friends often share experiences of having that one family member they feel the need to steer clear of. Today, I have made the decision to distance myself from certain family members in order to safeguard my peace. Recently, I began reconnecting with a family cousin. I thought that since my mother raised us together under one roof after her mother became incapacitated, we were more like sisters than cousins. Growing up in a household with siblings, cousins, or others throughout one’s childhood, there ought to be a bond that unites you.
Over the years, what became unbearable was how minor disagreements could escalate into overwhelming drama. Disputes over parenting styles, who was omitted from certain gatherings, and the classic “he said, she said drama” scenarios were more than enough for me to throw in the towel. I was raised in a bustling household with five kids, including two cousins and my biological siblings. My aunt, who battled mental illness, surrendered her children to the system and never returned to reclaim them. With tears in her eyes, my mother repeated the phrase that left a bitter taste in her mouth, that her sister had said about her own children: “They took them; let them keep…
