I personally experienced the emotional trauma of family rejection due to my relationship with a younger man. Because I had survived a previous marriage filled with physical abuse, I thought they would be happy for me. But I soon learned of their lack of acceptance and how that would affect both of us on different levels.
My family believed I was experiencing a mid-life crisis and making a big mistake I would later regret. They also believed my husband was just in for the thrill and would soon tire of me and then leave. It was hard when all of them refused to attend my wedding or send a card or gift as their stamp of disapproval. It was equally hard for my husband as they never gave him a chance. While things have smoothed out since, to this day, my sister refuses to speak to me and has never spoken to my husband or met him.
Part of the conflict for them was how we met. Meeting on the Internet leaves some very upset because they have misconceptions gathered from the news media, and from others who have had bad experiences online or from others who have never gone online themselves but have strong opinions on the subject. Add to that our age difference and you have one mighty explosive situation in families that practice bias.
For us we had no options. What others felt wasn't important. It was our life together that counted. But for some this is not the case. They struggle with trying to get their family members to accept them. But in the process their relationship suffers and if the problems are not resolved, the relationship ends.
The issue of non-acceptance is a hard one to deal with for some, especially if the family is close knit. I have found that there is more to it than what lays on the surface. The root cause is fear. Something that is unusual is not readily accepted but with time to observe, in most cases it works itself out in a positive way. But for those who don't find this to be the case, they must go on with their lives together and never look back.
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