Dear Prudence,
My father was married a few times before he met my mother, and they had my brother and me. My father is older and is extremely difficult to be around. My brother and I are both under 18, so we still live with both of our parents. My oldest half-sister ended her relationship with my father because he didn’t approve of her having children out of wedlock. But we’re still in contact with my other half-sister, who’s in her late 20s. She has always been controlling and judgmental, to the point where I’m always uncomfortable around her.
At the beginning of quarantine, my mother and I wanted to cancel Christmas and Thanksgiving, because we were worried about the health risks for my dad. My half-sister and her husband thought COVID was a hoax, and since they normally celebrated those holidays with us, they took it personally. She convinced my father that we were “controlling” him and made him separate himself from us. It was clear that she was manipulating our family to cause friction and resentment. I called her to explain my reasoning and to apologize to keep the peace. Even though I called to clear up confusion, she found ways to attack me and to list all of the ways she felt we were affecting her.
My father invited her and her husband and kids over, and she refused to talk to me, ignoring me the whole time. They did not even say goodbye, which was very different from past times. I have not contacted her since, and she has not contacted me. She only speaks with my dad, and I am actually enjoying her absence from my life. I don’t think her presence is healthy. Am I wrong to feel this way? Should I attempt further to patch things up?
—Don’t Miss My Sister