How would you feel if you allowed your struggling sister and her five kids to move in with you, only to find out that your sister is pregnant again and not doing anything to improve her situation?
This 32-year-old woman lives in a 3-bedroom house. She’s single, she has a job as a tax officer, and her family has forever regarded her as the most responsible person among them.
She has a 30-year-old sister, Palmer, who has five kids and is pregnant with baby number six. Palmer had her kids with three different men, and they’re not involved at all.
Two years ago, she allowed Palmer and her kids to move in with her, as she was hoping to help her sister get back on her feet. Her sister works at Target, and she informed her that she could afford her own house if she saved up her money.
“I wasn’t charging her rent. I paid the mortgage, bills, groceries, and most household expenses. My reasoning was that she could save her income and build a better future for herself and her kids,” she explained.
“I also helped with childcare constantly. I would watch the kids while she worked, take care of them when she needed breaks, and help with school stuff. The problem is that I feel like the arrangement became permanent.”
“Palmer would regularly go out with friends, go to clubs, and spend her free time away from the house. Meanwhile, I was coming home from work exhausted and helping take care of five children who weren’t mine. I tried talking to her about it several times, but she always said she was overwhelmed and needed a break.”
Several weeks ago, Palmer revealed that she was pregnant yet again. While everyone rushed to congratulate her, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
She asked Palmer how she was going to deal with another baby, as she was already having a hard time taking care of her other kids. That made Palmer burst into tears.
Palmer snapped that she was being judgmental and didn’t get how difficult things were for her. Next, Palmer called their mom and tattled on her, and their mom reminded her to be nice.
She replied to her mom that nobody was thinking about her running a house full of five kids alone. She’s burnt out and living in chaos.
The kids are noisy, they leave messes everywhere, they don’t give her privacy, and they fight over who gets to use the one bathroom in the house.
She finally told Palmer she has to find somewhere else to live, which made her cry while accusing her of abandoning the kids and her.
“My family found out and started calling me horrible names. They said I was selfish, cruel, and that they were ashamed of me. I told them that if they felt so strongly about Palmer staying somewhere, they were welcome to open their homes to her and the children,” she continued.
“Nobody volunteered. Now my family barely speaks to me. Some people say I should have waited until after the baby was born, while others say I had every right to set boundaries in my own home.”
“I love my sister and my nieces and nephews, but I feel like I became responsible for a situation I didn’t create. [Am I the jerk] for kicking my sister out?”
Wow, I wonder why none of her family members want to take Palmer and the kids in! She needs to get Palmer and the kids out ASAP, and before Palmer gives birth, or her sister will never leave.
Shame on her family for trying to guilt her into playing house with her sister. If they’re so worried, they can certainly step in and help Palmer out.
Palmer is a freeloader, and this has to stop because helping Palmer comes at her expense.
What do you think?
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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
