Life Advice

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Adult is calling and texting young teen

By Amy Dickinson, Tribune Content Agency on

Dear Taken Advantage Of: It seems that your primary beef is with your sister. You should not be complaining about your niece to her mother -- when you do so, you are forcing the parent to be defensive, and unifying the two of them in opposition to you. Her choices as a parent are really not your business.

Caregiving is an exhausting and depleting experience. I hope you will turn your anger into action, and look for ways for you to get the respite you deserve. Check with your local office on aging for respite services, and encourage (don't demand) your niece to spend time with her grandfather.

Dear Amy: "Big Sister Brenda" was struggling to explain to her much younger half-sister why she called her stepfather "Jack" while the sister called him "Dad."

Thank you for advising that this family should simply be open and transparent about the mother's previous divorce. I feel sorry for children who are needlessly kept in the dark about this sort of thing.

-- Happy Stepdaughter

 

Dear Happy: The longer parents wait to explain family relationships, the more weighty these things seem.

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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)


 

 

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