Sometimes, you can unexpectedly turn into the most responsible person in the room, and it’s not necessarily because you feel ready, but it happens after your parents completely drop the ball.
That’s what he walked into on Thanksgiving night. He wasn’t expecting to have to deal with anything except packing up leftovers, and suddenly, he had to step up to protect his younger siblings in a situation no teenager should have to navigate.
For Thanksgiving this year, this 19-year-old guy spent the day with his mom and his stepdad. At 7 p.m. that evening, his stepmom asked him to come to the house she shares with his dad, since the police were there for some kind of an emergency.
He rushed over right away, as he was concerned about his 14-year-old stepsister and eight-year-old half-brother. When he got to the house, he was shocked to see his dad and stepmom both in handcuffs. They were under arrest.
“The police asked my dad and stepmom if I had permission to take the kids. My dad said I could only take them if I didn’t take them to my mom’s,” he explained.
“I said that’s where I was going, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go. The police said if I didn’t take them, they would go to CPS. My dad asked them to wait for his brother to show up.”
“The cop said they weren’t going to wait any longer, because they already waited for me. My dad and stepmom gave permission. My dad also asked me to bail him out and gave specific instructions as to which bail bondsman to use. I said I would.”
Speaking of his uncle, he’s a terrible person, so he didn’t want his siblings to go to him. He packed up his siblings and brought them to his mom’s house.
His stepsister then told him that, apparently, his stepmom had hit his dad, and his dad retaliated by smacking her. From there, his stepmom called the police, and they both got arrested, even though his stepmom asked the officers not to arrest his dad.
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At some point today, his stepmom and dad’s bonds will be set, and they’ve spent the entire weekend in jail. He has never had to bail them out in the past, and he’s not sure if he should.
“I am mad at them for interrupting my Thanksgiving and traumatizing my siblings. I am considering leaving them in jail until they figure out something else,” he added.
“I considered asking my mom and stepdad for advice, but if they think I’m in the wrong, they’ll just bail them out themselves. I really am upset with them, but is leaving them in jail too much of a punishment?”
“Would I be [a jerk] if I do? Also, my stepsister and half-brother are stuck with me at my mom and stepdad’s house until my dad and/or stepmom can get them. So that’s also a factor.”
He did drive his stepsister and half-brother to school today before heading to his college classes, and his mom really doesn’t want to be responsible for them since he was the one given permission to take them in temporarily.
Well, it’s sad he’s been tasked with cleaning this mess up. Perhaps he can call his uncle to bail his dad out, and he can at least be spared from having to deal with that.
It sounds like calling CPS on his dad and stepmom would benefit his stepsister and half-brother, because their home life doesn’t sound stable for them at all.
What advice do you have for him?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
