LIFE

My older sister just ran away to London about a month ago. She was never really nice to me or anything but when she left it hurt me a lot. It probably hurt my mom about 10 times more. I have to basically force my mom to eat. My dad doesn't really care and he isn't helping my mom much at all. So I feel like everything has basically fallen on me to take care of. It was really hard having to be in school, and it's even harder being home alone during the summer. My sister still hasn't talked to my family except to say
that she's safe. How can I handle this? And how can I handle my mom? Help please!
 
-Anonymous

Wow! She ran away… to a completely different continent!? That’s pretty major. I can definitely understand that your parents are upset about it (though they may show it in different ways) and that may put a lot of pressure on you. But don’t take it upon yourself to clean up your sister’s messes. You shouldn’t have to worry about taking care of your mom – just try to help her cope. Cheer her up whenever you can, but don’t become her mom. It’s understandable that she’s upset, but she still has to take responsibility for herself and her remaining family. Just do your best to be there for her and give her moral support because I’m sure she’s extremely worried about your sister.
 
And try not to take it personally, either. Your sister didn’t leave because of you. She most likely left because of her own personal problems and desire to be independent. Just hope that she does ok for herself and learn from her mistakes – learn how to handle a situation like hers in a better way that doesn’t hurt so many people.
 
<3 Jessie M.

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by GL | 2/1/2016