This is another “GAC’s family sucks” post, so if you’re not interested, keep on scrolling…
*sigh* My brother. 40 years old. Living with my parents. Also living with my parents: his 26 year old girlfriend.
He works a factory/installation type job, bringing in $350/week according to my dad. Which my parents haven’t seen a dime of. He buys 40s, cigarettes and horrible dvds, but doesn’t cough up money for rent or food. He’s not saving any of this money, either. Where is it going? My guess is up his nose. My parents just bought him a new cell phone, even though they recently had to pay a $700 cell phone bill for him. He doesn’t have a car, or driver’s license (recently revoked for god knows what), so my dad has to wake up at 6 am to drive him to work every day.
His girlfriend doesn’t work. She doesn’t talk, either. My grandmother tries to make small-talk with her, and she will pointedly look away and ignore my grandmother. My grandmother is on some serious pills for schizophrenia and anxiety (I wonder sometimes how she keeps from drooling) and is easily upset by girlfriend. So upset that she went to stay with my aunt. Girlfriend has said all of 10 words to me, which I practically had to pry out of her. She has two children, around the ages of my own, but she doesn’t have custody of them.
One time her kids came to visit her at my parents house, and $120 went missing from my mom’s room. They aren’t allowed over there again.
In the same breath, my mom will bitch about how girlfriend and brother eat all her food and drink all their liquor and then make excuses, saying “Well, she does clean around the house a lot.” When I go shopping with my mom (which is rare), we have to invite girlfriend so as not to hurt her feelings. Girlfriend always comes, never buys anything, never talks to us and never thanks us for taking her out.
My parents are suckers. I think that’s what it basically boils down to. My parents think it would be a mortal sin to not help out their kids when they’re in trouble. The problem is, my siblings never learn. They’re always in trouble. My brother is/has been an alcoholic, may or may not be on drugs (mom recently mentioned that she’s missing some of her perscription narcotics), is in and out of jail and/or prison, is a know-it-all despite not knowing anything, and is one of the most unappreciative people I’ve ever known.
If he were your child, would you pamper him? I’ve asked myself that. Should my children turn out like my brother or sister, would I humor them? Would I loan them hundreds of dollars, knowing deep down I’d never see it again? Would I put them up in my house even though they’ve stolen my things in the past and sold them, like my brother sold my mom’s car while she was on vacation?
I don’t think I would. I know AT wouldn’t. But at what point do you give up on your kids?
Me: Sure, an apple sounds good.
Pigpen: Mom, can I have cheese?
Pigpen: (Heaves big sigh) But I said please!
Tomorrow night one of the best comedies on television, the Venture Brothers, premiers the first episode of its second season. Yes, its a cartoon. Yes, its on