Dear Gabby: My Sister’s Nephew is Out of Control and I Can’t Take it Any More
Dear Gabby,
My sister’s nephew is out of control. When he is over at my house he does not listen to my sister or myself when we try to give him direction. He never helps with any of the chores. All he does is lie in bed and play Zooba.
I have spoken with my sister about her nephew and she just deflects with statements like “he is your son, so you should really take ownership of his problems.” I really need to find a way to get my sister to own up to her failures as an Aunt.
I was thinking a good idea would be to send my son over to her house for the afternoon and then move without a forwarding address. That way she will have to face the issues she has with her nephew and she won’t be able to just send him over to my house to deal with his behavior.
I enjoy seeing her nephew periodically, but she expects me to do all the work of raising that child. I really think removing myself from the situation is the only way to get my sister to truly take ownership of this situation.
Sincerely,
Stuck in Florida
Dear Stuck in Florida,
It seems that you have come up with a clever solution to getting your sister to stop shirking her responsibility as an Aunt. It is unbelievable that she expects you to take care of her nephew and by disappearing into the night you manage to passively aggressively transfer the raising of your son to her. I doubt your son will have any issues after being abandoned by his mother.
Regards,
Gabby
