Family should reunite in small stages
Reunification requires a degree of emotional bravery from both of you, and you deserve credit for your willingness to go there.
Your journey through the minefield of addiction would be made easier if you (and other family members) attended Al-anon or other "friends and family" support meetings (Al-anon.org). I cannot overstate the importance of connecting with others in this way.
Dear Amy: Recently several siblings and their offspring (and I) all cleaned out my dad's basement and garage -- with his permission. Some of us helped during the day, and others showed up after work to help.
It took us three days to clean everything out.
Dad told those of us who helped to take what we wanted.
One sibling and their offspring didn't show up to help (they had to work).
A couple of days after we had finished, the sibling who didn't help at all came over to look at the items that were left and started complaining that everything they wanted was gone.
I explained that Dad said that those who helped got first pick.
Now the sibling is mad because their family didn't get the items they wanted.
How should we have handled this? Since that person didn't do any of the work most of us think that sibling should have gotten the last pick of items.
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