It’s certainly tragic when a child loses a parent, but when the parent that’s still alive eventually moves on and remarries, that can be even harder to handle.

That’s exactly what happened in today’s story, and the mom desperately wants her family to help her regain a close relationship with her son.

Let’s see how the story unfolds…

AITA for telling my sister I don’t know what else she expects anyone else to do about my nephew/her son?

My sister lost her first husband 6 years ago. My nephew Cale (16m) was 10 at the time.

Obviously Cale was sad when his dad died and he didn’t bounce back easily by any means. But he was also open about his sadness and missing his dad.

He was still close to my sister and their relationship didn’t suffer. If anything he was possibly a touch more clingy than typical for him but I know it’s not uncommon when a child loses a parent.

Then OP’s sister started dating someone, and Cale didn’t take it well.

When he was 12, Cale realized my sister had started dating someone.

She had not introduced the new man to Cale, she had not mentioned him, but he found it out.

He actually brought it up before she told anyone. And from there he pulled away from my sister and from all of us.

Ever since he has been distant, does not share his feelings with any of us and his relationship with my sister is incredibly strained.

My sister was aware of this and saw it.

But she decided to introduce her now husband to Cale and eventually Cale met her husband’s children also without any intervention from a therapist or anything.

Cale was distant with them too, and I’m not sure he could tell you much about them today if asked. A lot of this was done over Zoom calls and also “distanced hangouts”.

My sister and her husband moved in together once restrictions were lifted and they got married two years ago.

Cale still refuses to even talk about why he won’t give his step-father and step-siblings a chance.

Cale’s distance has not changed.

I have spoken to him, so have my mom and two brothers, but he doesn’t open up to us and he shrugs if asked why he doesn’t give them a chance or if he’s encouraged to try and see if he could like my sister’s husband and stepchildren.

I know he still has friends. I’m not sure if he’s more open with his friends or not honestly. Or if he’s more open with his paternal side of the family.

OP’s sister is desperate for Cale to communicate with her.

My sister had another son with her husband 9 months ago, and I believe that was the event that brought on this desperation for someone to do something. She has asked our parents, brothers and me repeatedly to do something.

She knows we have spoken to Cale before. It has become a loop now of her trying to make us do something after she fails to get Cale to speak to her.

She said spending time just the two of them is so silent unless she talks non stop.

We have all told her we understand that’s upsetting and frustrating for her.

OP confronted her sister and told her she doesn’t know what else to do.

Friday night we had a siblings night and she brought the topic up to me and our brothers again.

I told her I don’t know what else she expects us to do when we have done all we can as extended family but maybe a therapist could help.

She told me I know exactly what she expects us to do and why is it such a problem now.

My brothers told her I was right, but she said there are better ways to say you don’t want to try anymore, which wasn’t what I was saying but she took it that way.

AITA?

It would be nice if OP’s sister told her family exactly what she thinks they could be doing but aren’t doing to help. It seems that OP had a good idea to try therapy, but her sister doesn’t want to consider it for some reason.

Let’s see how Reddit responded…

This reader thinks OP’s sister should consider therapy.

Here’s another vote for therapy.

Another reader doesn’t know what OP’s sister actually wants her family to do to help.

This reader thinks OP’s sister is to blame.

This reader thinks Cale will abandon his family for good as soon as he can.

This family desperately needs to find a good therapist before it’s too late for any sort of reconciliation.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.