Parents Demand I Continue to Give 500$ for Rent While My Sister Refuses to Pay Anything

It has been proven that about 32% of young adults still opt to live at home with their parents after graduation. This might be very handy for some since you have a forever-home, food, and a somewhat carefree life. However, for some, living with their parents might cause problems. This is exactly what today’s story brings: problems within the family.

We can’t get this story off our minds here at Bright Side, so we wanted to give as truthful a response as possible.

We’d like to thank Emma for working up the courage to tell her story. It’s all quite a lot to process, however we did our best to give a few solutions.

• Be the bigger person: We know it can be hard to remain calm and be the bigger person in a situation in which we feel wronged, however, this can prove to be very helpful. Try and calm down, and try to understand each person in the family, and then make yourself understood as well, with calm and composed speech. Our next points depend on this.

• Compromise on both parts: Going off of the previous point, you and your sister could come to a mutual understanding regarding money. Since she’s having a hard time paying off the car she bought, you could help her with money as long as she pays you back. This way, the bond between you 2 will strengthen, because you’re helping one another.
  In the same way, you could have a talk with her about helping her pay rent (half-and-half), until she has enough money to pick up paying rent on her own. But for all of this to happen, you need to create a strong sibling relationship.

• Try and have a 1-on-1 conversation with your sister: This might come as a no-brainer solution, however, a lot of the times people feel unheard, and the only thing they want to do is have someone hear them out. Moreover, it seems that since she is your younger sibling, and studies show that the younger sibling tends to grow slower (both physically and mentally), maybe try and walk her through the problem, sister to sister. For this, we came up with a few steps.

• Step 1: It seems everyone is stressed about the current situation, so the first thing you can do is hear your sister out. You might find out that you have something in common, or you may even discover something new about her feelings.

• Step 2: Offer your side of the story, your feelings, solutions, and your position in the argument. Do this with a calm attitude, this will take you far!

• Step 3: Try and reach a mutual conclusion. Compromise is important, as mentioned above. 2 brains are always better than one, so there might be a solution you’re not seeing right now, and you might just be helping each other.

• Your parents are trying their best, don’t forget that: Keep in mind that your parents have 2 kids to care for, and sometimes it gets hard. Parents often blame themselves for family problems, even when it comes to sibling arguments. It might seem that they are being ignorant about your feelings, or even favoring your sibling over you, however, deep down they are just as confused as you might be. Try and understand that they are people too, and understanding is crucial for humans in tough situations.

• You could move out: Since the amount you are paying right now is quite large, you could try and find a home of your own. Maybe with a roommate, as well! This way you can leave the situation at home without any problems.

We truly hope the situation will better itself, and no matter what happens, you should keep in mind that your parents love you very much, though at times it may seem a bit rough. At the end of the day, they want what’s best for you.

Have you ever been in or heard of a situation like the one presented above? How did you overcome it? What piece of advice would you give this person?