Is it me, or are my family members hypocritical self centered jerks?

Question

Recently I had a conversation with my brother who told me he is counting the days until his son turns eightteen so he can stop child support. My nephew will still be in school when this happens. My brother spends no time w/ his son had to be forced to pay & he wouldn't even acknowledge his son until he was well over three years old, that's when I met my nephew. My mother always complained about the fact that my father wasn't around and how he had to be forced to provide for us as well, yet she wont encourage my brother to be a better father and makes excuses for him. She makes out like he's actually doing a good job with his son when he's done practically nothing at all. His son doesn't even know where his father lives. Why do men act as if only the woman should bear the cost of a child and that as fathers, they should be able to get off? My nephew is a great kid, and his mother has done a great job with him. I ended the conversation with my brother in disgust. What do you think?

My brother works and lives in the same city as his son. He was married to a woman who had three other children before he married her and he helped take care of those children while living with them and his wife. He could do more for his son, he just chooses not to. He's very arrogant about it too, and he always speaks negatively about our father. I told him that I didn't want to hear anything else he has to say about our father who I chose to have a relationship with, against my mothers wishes. My brothers refused to have anything to do with our father.

Answer 1

You can't control your brother's behavior, as much as you would like to. I hope that you are trying to be a good aunt (or uncle?) to this nephew. He needs to have contact with your family and feel that there is some interest in him. An aunt or uncle can be a wonderful asset to someone growing up. I hope that you are spending time with him, sharing your interests with him, and making him feel that he is special to you on big occasions such as birthdays and Christmas.

Answer 2

A wise man once said you can choose your freinds you cannot choose your family.
I have three sisters all three suffer from depressiion
Two won't talk to each other, THE LAST TIME WE WERE ALL IN THE SAME CITY TOGETHER WAS IN 1965.
As far as your brother, I don't understand I started off on my own when I was 16 had my own place by the time I was 17, drafted when I was 18.

Answer 3

All of us are hypocritical, self-centered jerks. But we just do it at different levels.

Your bro sounds like the kind of low-class scum that should be avoided. Just because he's your bro doesn't mean he's entitled to brother status. Avoid low-class people to have a happier life.

Answer 4

It seems you are correct in your assessment of them