(no subject)

[conuly]

Dear Carolyn: I’m happy with my life — late 40s, successful in my profession, solid marriage, two wonderful sons — until my younger sister steps into the room. She’s a surgeon married to another doctor; they have boatloads of money, run marathons for charity and have the world’s most polite teen. She’s the kind of person who took up painting as a hobby, then a year later won a major competition, got an agent and booked a gallery show. She acts modest but seems clueless about how every family event turns into a Q&A and she’s the special guest.

It’s tiresome, not to mention unfair. So a couple of years ago, I started finding plausible excuses to cut her off. If someone asked about her art, I’d break in to tell my kids to clear the table, and the conversation would move on. No one noticed until a month ago, when she loudly pointed out that I’d interrupted her twice and demanded I stop. I froze; she left.

She hasn’t apologized for embarrassing me in front of the family and ruining her teenage nephew’s birthday party, and now we’re not speaking. The thought of sucking it up and apologizing when she’s the one who made a scene — over two interruptions! — is not appealing. What can I do here?

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