Okay, so. My little sister is making me crazy, and I thought I'd throw this out there so I could get some different perspectives.
She has two daughters, 11 and 13. The father was verbally, emotionally and eventually physically abusive to her, and I helped her gain a divorce: that was 8 or 9 years ago. Since then, the dad, surprisingly, has regularly paid his child support and alimony, although he's not particularly any less of a dick. Now that amount isn't enough to support my sister and her kids: I think it adds up to like $1200/mo, maybe? But she refuses to work, for 'reasons' that always include so much deflection that I still don't know what they are.
She sent me an email the other day, talking about specific $ amount this that and the other and how she's going to lose her house due to missed payments and gah, I'm so fucking frustrated. I've already given her $700 since May, and at that time, offered $1k more if she'd GET A FUCKING JOB in the next 6 weeks, which she didn't, obviously. (And it's more than I can afford, since I don't have a job either, although Mr. Mojo makes enough to support us... but I worry about my nieces, who are going to grow up mentally crippled, you know?) And now she's got a sob story because current boyfriend (who cheats on her, yells at her, lost his OWN house to foreclosure, etc.) got more physical last week: not enough to leave marks, but enough, apparently, to hurt and scare her.
My problem is: I have no sympathy. None. I hate to think that my heart is a shriveled, dried up fruit, but, yeah. If she had a part time job at a GAS STATION she could make enough to have an extra $300 so she doesn't lose her house. Fuck, if it were my children at risk of being homeless, I'd be out there sucking cock, seriously. Or more likely, cleaning houses, which I've done for employment off and on, and is decent money when the alternative is the food bank, right? She's had nearly ten years to stand on her own feet, and she hasn't. I just.
Now. Mental illness is involved, obviously. And as someone who has fought depression for 20 years, I GET that outsiders can't comprehend you when you say you simply can't. But. CHILDREN ARE AT STAKE. Like, if your mental illness (and who knows what she has beyond depression, but it must be something, right, or she'd be working to support her children) prevents you from employment, then why aren't you pursuing disability income? I mean. ANYTHING. You've got fucking children. Your life isn't your own anymore. You made that choice. Asdfghjkll.
