OT: A Shameless Bid for Sympathy (long)

I'm listening and just wanting to HUG you silly! I hope they grow up and realize just how much they owe you, and I'm not talking about money either! I would bet that it's now become an embarassment to them, and you probably know, embarassment usually turns to anger because they can't stand thinking less of themselves. It sounds like they are trying their best to ignore it all. I'm glad your DH is continuing to get (in a nice polite way) them to pay their due. Maybe he can convince them that it's going to benefit them more in the long run to be known as people who pay family first and be willing to sacrifice a little for the first part of their lives together.

Good luck and vent any time!!

Elena in Tx

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply)

There were times in my 20s I was down and out, broke. I was training horses and run into a bad luck spell. I ate hot bran mashes along with my horses. Some years later another bad spell, I survived a summer eating a tin of yogurt for lunch, a bag of popcorn for dinner. It never crossed my mind to go to my family because in my mother's words "once you're out of our house, you're on your own". I learned to make do.

Not long ago I loaned money to a friend for her house escrow and was paid back two weeks later. But I don't make it a habit to loan money, nor to borrow....

Have a peace-filled/piece-filled day, Ginger in CA

There were times in my 20s I was down and out, broke. I was training horses and run into a bad luck spell. I ate hot bran mashes along with my horses. Some years later another bad spell, I survived a summer eating a tin of yogurt for lunch, a bag of popcorn for dinner. It never crossed my mind to go to my family because in my mother's words "once you're out of our house, you're on your own". I learned to make do.

Not long ago I loaned money to a friend for her house escrow and was paid back two weeks later. But I don't make it a habit to loan money, nor to borrow....

Have a peace-filled/piece-filled day, Ginger in CA

We had an unsecured loan for a month from the bank to give us the deposit for this house we live in now. At the end of the month the bank forgot to take back the loan - it was supposed to do this without us doing anything. When we told them they hadn't taken it back at the right time, they apologized, cancelled the set-up fee, and cancelled the interest! We got a £1600 loan for a month for free! It helped at an expensive time, even though we'd budgeted for the interest.

Mind you, another time they lost the standing order for the mortgage and didn't pay it for 6 months! Took me two months over Christmas to sort that mess out! I ended up threatening to stand outside the bank and hand out leaflets telling everyone who went in or out exactly what they had done!

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!

Sairey (who is always amazed (and yes, dismayed) at the way some pe> I am so terribly *dismayed* (DH is angry), that I must vent here. >

Sairey, I really would have thought you were past being amazed by anything!

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply) We'll all get back to normal if we put our nation first, But the trouble with "normal" is, it always gets worse. ~Bruce Cockburn

Why not just suggest that they go to the bank and borrow the money to pay back what they owe you? That is the most sensible thing to do, what they should have done in the first place, instead of asking a family member. They've already defaulted once with you, I wouldn't give them a second chance.

relationship.

You should know that we are glad to be the ears to pour your fully justified woes into, and the shoulders to shed tears of anger and regret for the loss of a good family relationship. Sometimes -- no, frequently venting your anger and disappointment to a safe audience lets you calmly formulate your position to family members so that a close relationship can be salvaged. Good luck, and come back for more sympathy anytime you need it.

reasonable--they

incredibly.....