Responsbility for Adult Siblings? How do you handle it?

Momofadult
Wed, 02 Dec 2015 20:30:04 +0000

Cupcake, my only sister is unmarried and lives well over a thousand miles from my widowed mother. Sis has commented that if my mother becomes ill, Sis “will have to give up her house and move to Mom’s location.”

I’m not sure where that thought came from. My mother has been independent all her life and never wanted to be a burden to anyone, least of all suggesting that one of her daughters needs to give up her life to move and provide care. I would probably be read by Sis as being the “selfish daughter”, but I would not be willingly to bankrupt myself or my family or totally disrupt my life (and Hubby’s) by becoming a permanent live-in care giver. I know my mom would support that position. Are you certain that your parents have the expectations you are placing on yourself? Perhaps a good conversation to have now is the level of their resources. My mother has shared her insurance and financial situation with us to facilitate any what-if’s down the road.