Arg!!

Why can't family be easy to deal with? Mine used to be, at least for awhile. I know we were a super dysfunctional family when I was growing up & that it affected all of us kids, but my mom really did try & she was a good mom. The past 4 years has been really hard in our family. That was when my sister-in-law's oldest daughter came here to live. Their marriage has spiraled out of control ever since then & with that, so has their drinking. She started acting out, got into trouble with the school and then the police and my brother didn't know how to react or what to do about it.

We got into a huge argument with him & his wife (we as in Troy & I) one Christmas Eve, and it took me weeks to recover from it. I'm not sure that I am totally yet. It's still hurtful. In the past few weeks, they kicked that daughter out of the house (she's 18). She tells one story, my brother tells another & my mom is already worked up over it & not wanting her to come for Thanksgiving. I got caught in the middle of it all & am trying to dig my way out before next week. I really, really wish they'd get some alcohol rehab & get healthy, before they completely ruin the other daughter's life. I don't see that happening, so I just keep trying to cope with it all. I think I need to get my mom someday & go to an Alanon meeting, just so we can learn how to deal with the situation, you know?