My aunty blocked me for the pettiest reason... But now I'm the one feeling guilty

“To be honest, I found it pretty hilarious that instead of being an adult about the situation, my boomer aunty decided to commit the digital cardinal sin.”

Ahh, family drama. 

Everyone’s got it, but it seems mine has a triple Academy Award-worthy effort in Hollywood theatrics.

Cue the sibling rivalry stage left.

Shine the spotlight on the cousin's jealousy.

The latest saga? 

Am I responsible for personally inviting my aunty to my daughter’s first birthday party after she blocked me on Facebook?

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Doomed from birth

This feud was born long before I was.

My mum and her brother’s wife were pregnant at the same, due in July and September, respectively.

The aunty was pretty dirty on my mum, being the only girl in a big family of boys, for getting extra love from my Grandma.  

Her son was born, and then I came along, and it seemed I was cursed with her disapproval from the start.

When my sister got toys for Christmas, I got socks. She’d roll her eyes and walk away whenever I spoke about a recent achievement.

And when I got married, she sat with her back turned during my first dance and speech- I’m not kidding.

You’ve been unfriended

Tensions were at an all-time high, and after 30 years of my existence and a slight disagreement I had with her son, which would have resolved itself on its own, she decided I was dead to her.

She’d walk into family gatherings, not say hello, and look the other way when I spoke. 

Out of respect for my mum and uncle, I continued to be civil and say hello, but it was pretty clear we were done.

Then the unspeakable happened; she blocked me on Facebook.

Let’s face it: if you’re blocked on Facebook, it's pretty much a big F U by the blocker.

Is it petty? 

Absolutely.

Am I mad about it?

To be honest, I found it pretty hilarious that instead of being an adult about the situation, my boomer aunty decided to commit the digital cardinal sin.

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Let’s face it: if you’re blocked on Facebook, it's pretty much a big F U by the blocker. Source: iStock

To invite or to not invite?

With my daughter’s first birthday next month, I made a Facebook event to invite family and friends to celebrate the special day.

I invited my uncle, but while you’ll catch him sharing not-suitable-for-work comments on anything and everything, he’s not well-versed in Facebook events.

So, should I text the blocking boomer aunty and personally invite her or do as she did and ignore her.

My decision?

The latter.

If she consciously blocked me on Facebook, and that happens to be how I’m inviting people to the party, that’s her fault, right?

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Why do I feel guilty?

Not to get all philosophical, but I can’t help but repeat the “an eye of an eye leaves the whole world blind” quote over and over in my head.

This is swiftly followed by a big “stuff her!” and the cycle continues.

I can’t help but feel I have a responsibility to be the bigger person, even though I’m 30 years her junior.

Am I disrespecting her, or have I finally decided to stand up for myself and not take her crap anymore?

I guess my biggest priority is surrounding my daughter with people who not only love her, but love her parents, too.

I’m not some spiritual woo-woo person, but maybe withholding an invite to negative energy isn’t such a bad thing in the end.

Originally published as My aunty blocked me for the pettiest reason... But now I'm the one feeling guilty