I'm going to be at a rainy cottage all weekend with 3 senior citizens: my dad, aunt, and uncle. I want my non-talkative dad and his sister to reminisce about their childhoods, but I suspect my aunt's talkative husband will dominate the conversation. If that happens, Dad and Aunt won't talk much. How can I encourage them to reminisce without hurting my uncle's feelings? [more inside]
posted by twistofrhyme on Sep 30, 2009 - 11 answers

My parents split about a year ago. My father has started dating under unusual circumstances, and it makes me somewhat angry. Am I overreacting? How can I find peace with the situation? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 4, 2009 - 32 answers

I've hurt my older sister's feelings by being thoughtless and neglecting to include her in the mother's day plan my younger sister and I made for our mom. I am currently crafting an apology letter, but I really want to make it up to her and I'm not sure best how. I would love some ideas. [more inside]
posted by pazazygeek on Jul 6, 2009 - 15 answers

My little brother is my roommate, is clinically depressed, lost his job, and can't/won't pay the bills. What do I do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 6, 2009 - 28 answers

I have to move clean out my mother's house in another state. She just moved into assisted living for Alzheimer's Disease last weekend. It will be an emotional week where I will need a lot of support. My brother has been in an on again off again relationship with a woman for the past five years. He was off for the past six months or so and moved in to help take care of Mom, but now they are back together and spending all their time together. SHe is annoying, crazy, doesn't work and last year punched an 87 year old family friend in the face. Anyway, my partner/girlfriend has said she will only go down and help me and my brother clean out the house if she has the right to never see my brother's girlfriend. Meaning I rent her a car and she leaves anytime this woman comes around. I think that this is going to cause a lot of drama, but I completely understand where she is coming from. I really need her there, but I am really afraid that WW3 will break out and I will be in more hot water. ANy ideas?
posted by washateria on May 31, 2009 - 18 answers

Parent Filter: What can I do about this parent/child role reversal that is poisoning my mind and my life and how can I let this parent know that even though I love them dearly I will not continue to let them manipulate me and dump all of their responsibilities on to my plate??? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 5, 2009 - 21 answers

What techniques can you use to avoid falling into the family dynamic trap? By that I mean, for the first few hours/days everything's fine with parents and siblings, my identity is intact, but soon after, somehow, we're all playing the same parts we always played (we've all flown the nest)... I find it annoying how I find it difficult to rise above this. ie. feeling intimidated by my older brother, oddly belittled by my younger brother ignored by parents. I'm sure I'm a rather oversensitive middle child but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only factor! This year I am determined to enjoy my Christmas without the family dynamics crap. We're all old enough for this not to be a problem, surely? Futile perhaps, but maybe with your rather general advice I may be able to make inroads!
posted by yowza on Dec 21, 2008 - 33 answers

I'm mourning my sister. The catch? She isn't dead. She just isn't herself anymore. How do I go about this in a healthy way? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 2, 2008 - 22 answers

How do I help my mother deal with my sibling's alcohol use? [more inside]
posted by non sum qualis eram on Oct 26, 2008 - 17 answers

Have you regretted cutting off your siblings? [more inside]
posted by rglass on Oct 12, 2008 - 39 answers

Can a person purchase a home from her own family trust? Problem: my friend's dad died a few months ago and left his estate plus the family home in a trust set up for his 3 adult kids. My friend and her sister want to buy the house from the family estate (their brother is against this and wants to sell it "as is" on the open market) but they are running into a problem as their lawyer and others say you can't buy a house from "yourself." Can this be true? We live in Illinois. Thank you.
posted by Tullyogallaghan on May 22, 2008 - 12 answers

Have any of you (as adults) purchased a communal house to share with your siblings? Any tidbits of information? Wise words of wisdom? [more inside]
posted by melodykramer on May 14, 2008 - 10 answers

My mother recently told me I'm her favorite child. How can I deal with the guilt? [more inside]
posted by GardnerDB on Jan 14, 2008 - 41 answers

Why would siblings who don't know they're siblings be attracted to each other? [more inside]
posted by AmbroseChapel on Jan 12, 2008 - 28 answers

Short version: do I just buy a phone and press it on my increasingly reclusive, phoneless, living-alone but working, 71-year-old father? Longer: [more inside]
posted by goofyfoot on Dec 7, 2007 - 14 answers

[family squabble filter]: My brother is convinced that a human could survive by consuming nothing but blood from other humans. I want to prove him wrong without actually testing his theory. [more inside]
posted by duckierose on Sep 10, 2007 - 21 answers

My uncle recently sent me some money through my sister. And just as she always has done, she's frittered it away and I'll never see a cent of it. I don't really care because I'm used to it, and I don't care for the money either. But how can I warn my uncle without giving off a "Give me more money" message? [more inside]
posted by Xere on Aug 20, 2007 - 12 answers

How can I deal with my resentment towards my two older sisters (preferably without confronting them)? (long) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 26, 2007 - 18 answers

Leaving Money to Drug Addicts Filter: My parents have re-written their will, which leaves all of their assets equally to myself and my step-brother. Considering that my step-brother is a drug addict (we also believe that he is a dealer, though he has yet to be arrested as such, so we don't know for sure), this becomes very complicated. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 6, 2007 - 35 answers

How can I help my underachieving older brother? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 10, 2006 - 25 answers

Are my sister and I the world's first "Brother Sister Blog Team" or has it been done before? Personally, I haven't been able to find any. [more inside]
posted by travosaurus on Mar 7, 2006 - 13 answers

How can I convince my parents to move to a retirement community? [more inside]
posted by jamie939 on Dec 17, 2005 - 17 answers

Advice for how to stop a 2.5 year old boy from annihilating his 1 year old sister. [more inside]
posted by brheavy on Dec 14, 2005 - 18 answers

I'm trying to find a book that I read when I was in grade school, sometime during the mid to late 80's. The basic plot involved a girl scaring her impressionable young step(?) brother by pretending to go into trances and make predictions. IIRC, she was somewhat of an outcast at school, but had recently been cast in the school play as a colonial witch (Tituba perhaps?). I think there may have also been some references in the book to the Sybills of ancient Greece (hence the trances). Is this ringing any bells? [more inside]
posted by kayjay on Nov 27, 2005 - 13 answers

Advice wanted on how to use a carrot (instead of a stick) to reduce a bunch of very frustrating behavioral issues with our 5 year old... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 1, 2005 - 11 answers

If you have siblings, do you think there's anything your parents did or didn't do that had a big effect on how you relate to your sib(s) today? My kids' futures hinge on your answer. [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Feb 17, 2005 - 34 answers

Was your toddler present at the birth of his or her sibling(s)? [more inside]
posted by tristeza on May 26, 2004 - 18 answers