However close a family may be, tensions can run high and arguments can happen, but it often comes from a good place.
One woman, 21, has recently found herself in hot water with her older sister, 32, and the rest of her family for expressing her opinions on the amount of children her sibling has. User homewrong44 took to Reddit to ask for advice after she accidentally upset her sister, who has six children in total, with the youngest born about five months ago. Recently, the sister said that she was three months pregnant with twins.
"While everyone was congratulating her, I said out loud 'oh my god, again?? Can't your stupid husband leave you alone??'" wrote the original poster. "I didn't mean to say it out loud, but it slipped out and my sister looked at me angrily and literally dragged me into another room."
The poster added that both her sister and her mother told her she had overstepped the mark. "I'm aware that the 'stupid husband' comment was inappropriate," she wrote, "but their kids are pretty destructive and they don't respect other adults like they're supposed to... I won't apologize for showing concern."
Newsweek reached out to the original poster for comment and spoke to Dr. Chloe Carmichael, clinical psychologist and author.
'Terribly Clumsy'
Carmichael told Newsweek: "She is correct that a heartfelt expression of concern wouldn't typically require an apology, but she's kidding herself if she is framing her words as such. Her outburst was insulting and implied that her sister's growing family was the undesirable result of an overactive libido.
"She acknowledges that she 'didn't mean to say it out loud but it slipped out,' which suggests that she's actually aware it was inappropriate– so her stubborn refusal to apologize suggests that her 'mistake' may have been passive-aggressive," Carmichael said. "We sometimes resort to passive aggression when we don't know how to express ourselves directly.
"If this is the case, she might consider saying, 'I'm really sorry for my outburst. It was a terribly clumsy way of trying to say I just want to be sure you're healthy and empowered. I realize you don't need my permission or approval to have as big a family as you want. Please know I'm here for you, and I truly apologize for the way I expressed myself,'" Carmichael added.
In an update, the original poster wrote that she did eventually apologize to her sister, "but I told her that I'm still worried about her having so many kids back to back and that just concerned in general about her health and well-being," she added.
"She actually forgave me," she wrote, and the sister said the latest pregnancy wasn't planned and that her husband would be having a vasectomy.
Users on Reddit criticized the original poster [OP], with one writing, "you gotta mind your own business. I get having the thought, I prob would too. But to say it out loud, AND not apologise? That's wild."
Some users, however, supported the original poster, with another commenting: "OP's sister is clearly a selfish narcissist and her husband is too."
Newsweek's "What Should I Do?" offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Leonie Helm is a Newsweek Life Reporter and is based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on all things ... Read more