My Uncle Eric texted me recently and said "hello haven't heard from you in a while. Please try and keep in touch with the family." When I read that text I was just asking myself "why? Why would I?" Why would I subject myself to the mental and verbal abuse I've put up with? Why would I talk to some of these people when I feel pretty horrible afterwards? On the surface I know the text seems harmless. It gave me all kinds of anxiety and anger reading that. I wanted to lash out but I felt like lashing would only make him seem more like a martyr. I would seem more like a devil in people's eyes. I feel like he would say "oh I was just trying to be nice and send him a text telling him to keep in touch." Bro you went over two years without talking to me. Then all of a sudden you just text me and want me to talk to you? I think part of the reason he's doing this is he's starved for information. I talk to certain family members. Also, my cousin just graduated. Both cousins are in their 20s now and if they haven't moved out already they're going to. It means he has less to do/think about. Most of the time when I talk to or reach out to people in my family they do one of two things. They either ignore my text or I get a very short response. Then I am expected to keep engaging and trying to talk to them. It feels like talking to a brick wall. I've even stopped talking to some of my aunts because I realize the information just goes to my uncles. I texted my Aunt Katie a picture of a cat at a hardware store. She said "oh what a cute cat! Is this one at where you work?" Umm no I just go there. Sorry but it just feels like when someone says something like that they're fishing around. I just don't completely trust my family. My Uncle Danny and Uncle Eric are complete narcissists. They used to be flying monkeys for my grandmother doing her will. My grandmother was an incredibly abusive woman. My uncles are not physically abusive but they will dismantle you with words if you aren't strong enough. They (especially my Uncle Danny) will scan you up and down for any weak point they can find and attack it. My Uncle Danny would sometimes brag about being trained in psychological warfare in the army. Both of them have anger issues too. Just simply asking my Uncle Danny to repeat or rephrase a question makes him angry. If I talk "too much" around my Uncle Eric he gets mad. I have anxiety or sometimes I get excited about something. I realize he can pick up on that but it doesn't mean he has to act so angry towards me.

I don't really know what to make of this "keep in touch with the family" text. I would ask him what he means and I would tell him I talk to people in my family. It's just with all the years of built up emotion I don't know if I can just be level headed when I talk to him. I don't know who he expects me to talk to. I don't know how often he wants me to reach out to them. You know to be considered keeping in touch with the family.