Gossip : confront or ignore ?

[FOURBOYSUNDER6]

Slanderous gossip has recently caused great hurt to my family and threatened my family unit.... Do I confront or ignore?????? I want to confront it but do not want to give gossipers something else to gossip about but if I ignore it then I will feel like people are getting away with it!!!!! Thoughts please as my head is spinning ......

[Moca1]

Unfortunately people will always gossip - I think your instinct to ignore it is the correct response but can appreciate how hard it is to take that approach. Are there any opportunities to state the true position (ie to a neutral 3rd party) with the hope that this will get back to the gossipers ? The only consolation is that they will soon get bored with your story when the next, new and more interesting gossip comes along. Keep your head high, you, your friends and family and the people who love you (and to be honest these are the only ones who's opinion should matter) know the truth.

[FOURBOYSUNDER6]

Thank you ! So helpful to get opinion from someone who is not involved ! Close family and friends are so emotionally involved and all have different views .... Emotionally drained from this episode ! Thought being in late thirties was definitely a closed chapter to teenage like gossip so I am shocked by all of this I did initially try to unravel this rumour to get to the original source but the people who are quick to pass it around are very quick to panic and say they don't want to get involved as "nothing to do with them" and they "don't want to betray friend 's trust" etc etc ......I don't think I could realistically unravel it faced with these cowardly reactions so think might be best to ignore and move on before it consumes me and sends me Into post natal depression !!!! I did not think being a victim of gossip by i founded tittle tattle would cause so much distress !