What should I do about my mother? I don't get along with her or like her, nor can I afford to have her live with me. Yet she has nowhere to go. I'm in Canada. What are my options?
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posted by j1sh
on Apr 8, 2013 -
38 answers
My sister (late 30s) has recently given birth to a baby who is probably affected by Down syndrome. There will most likely not be a father in the picture. She also has an 8 y.o. daughter from a different, also absent father. They live at my mother’s house in a small town. My sister has a story of emotional instability and I often fear for my niece and nephew. My sister was molested by my father when she was in her late teens. She is extremely dependent on (and at the same time hostile to) my mother. My mother (divorced), in turn, is struggling to help her and the little children, while having to deal with lack of money and her own (physical) health issues.
I (male) am the middle child, 8 years younger than my sister. I´ve lived in a big city for the last 6 years. I´m economically independent (yet also struggling) and starting a career in academia. I feel that if I don´t go back to my home town and help my family, things will deteriorate further. On the other hand, my chances of professional growth would be reduced by moving back there. Do you think a sacrifice of this sort is the right thing to do?
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posted by Basque13
on Mar 19, 2013 -
31 answers
My 80 year old mother- in- law of 30 years talks non-stop about things I am not interested in----- but the people-pleaser in me keeps listening to her politely and I end up feeling exhausted.
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posted by seekingsimplicity
on Mar 5, 2013 -
23 answers
My mother and I are not talking. I am thinking about skipping Thanksgiving. How do I do this without causing even more turmoil?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 25, 2012 -
32 answers
Mom is depressed. She has always been depressed. Is there anything I can do to help? If not, how do I cope?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 11, 2012 -
9 answers
My mother, who has borderline personality disorder, has thrown a tremendous wrench into my relationship. I am so overwhelmed by this right now. Help?
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posted by anonymous
on May 17, 2012 -
47 answers
I'm worried that my little sisters may be in an abusive situation, but don't know what's really going on or where I should go from here.
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posted by whalebreath
on Apr 26, 2012 -
18 answers
I've lost objectivity. It seems clear that my mother's 'boyfriend' is a giant loser, but she wants him to be accepted by us and included in family events. What do we do?
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posted by kitcat
on Oct 3, 2011 -
30 answers
My mother doesn't take of her health at all, she ignores everyone's health advice when she has problems, and it's making me feel guilty and frustrated for not trying hard enough and not being able to support her.
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 13, 2011 -
13 answers
I am going to be away from my baby for five days. Help me know that he will be OK without me.
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posted by bq
on Feb 9, 2011 -
18 answers
How do I talk to my mother about her depression, especially when I'm trying to create better boundaries but simultaneously plan for my family's future?
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posted by Madamina
on Oct 25, 2010 -
9 answers
superly sockpuppet birds and the bees filter: i was date-raped and now i am negotiating some intense babydaddy issues in court. he has a new girlfriend and a new baby. my child is 6 and understandably pondering how this is all possible. babydaddy was not significantly present for about 5 years. i am a very much single mother and i and my parents are all that my child has known in a truly significant way...how to approach the question of origin truthfully but sensitively?
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posted by bright and shiny
on Aug 31, 2010 -
36 answers
I'm in my late twenties, and my unhappily married parents are getting a rather acrimonious divorce. Both parents want my support, but I've sort of been mostly focusing on my father, as he is depressed, lonely (my mother has a new partner) and has to sell the family home by himself. This has caused my (formerly very close) relationship with my mother to disintegrate to the point where we are no longer on speaking terms, which has placed a lot of unwanted stress on me (I've just come out of an eight year relationship). How do I patch things up with my mother without everything getting emotional? (Long explanation inside)
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posted by Piroska
on Jun 18, 2010 -
19 answers
So I'm thinking about family therapy. I'm a 25 year old female with a strained relationship with her mother. Has group therapy helped you sort out issues with your family?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 27, 2010 -
9 answers
My mentally ill mother hired a private investigator to track me down... among other things. Please help!
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 8, 2010 -
33 answers
What's the best way to stand up to my mother about Christmas and to handle her jealousy about our better relationship with my partner's parents? She's determined to make the holiday season into a zero sum game with my partner's mother
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posted by Flitcraft
on Nov 22, 2009 -
42 answers
My parents are divorced; my father has custody of my younger brother, but is leaving the country for a few years for work. He wants me to live with and take care of my 16 year old brother until he graduates from HS. I love my brother, but I have some objections and I’m not sure how to handle this. (long explanation inside!)
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 15, 2009 -
60 answers
How can I forgive my mother for losing some of my most treasured items? This may sound like a stupid/trivial problem but it's really eating away at me inside.
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posted by starpoint
on Oct 13, 2009 -
56 answers
My mom sent me an email today acknowledging for the very first time (that I am aware of) that she experiences symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I would like to write the best response that I can to her, with some links or information about possible next steps. I don't want to screw this up, please help me help her!
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 30, 2009 -
8 answers
Due to years of my mother’s mental illness, dependency on prescription medication, and wildly varying levels lying leading to all sort of trust issues, I am a 30-year old woman with a very complicated relationship with my aging mom. I feel more than a little guilt and sadness about this, and authentically would like to improve our relationship. There are, of course complications.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 3, 2009 -
9 answers
How do I deal with my parents on limited resources without sending all of us into a fit? (likely to be TL;DR)
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posted by divabat
on Feb 20, 2009 -
13 answers
I received a check for $3,000 from my mother who I have not spoken to for nearly seven years. Should I cash the check?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 29, 2008 -
45 answers
My mother thinks I should stay home. I'm having an internal conflict about what I want to do. Whenever I tell myself I want to return to Copenhagen, I immediately doubt it and think I should return home. If I say I want to go home, I feel like I will regret not returning to Copenhagen forever.
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posted by starpoint
on Nov 25, 2008 -
35 answers
My parents are getting a divorce. How do I support them? How do I relate to them without it being terribly weird on me? How do I stop worrying about them so much?
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posted by salvia
on Jun 30, 2008 -
6 answers
Looking for positive experiences where single parent and young child(en) were separated by great distances. Specifically, I am curious to know how it was made to work.
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posted by panoptican
on Jan 3, 2008 -
9 answers
Christmas family hell come early - how can I best deal with my mother's counterproductive Xmas related nagging? ( I'll post more inside)
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posted by Flitcraft
on Nov 1, 2004 -
26 answers
