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sadtransgirl's avatar

My brother refuses to help out the family , what can I do?

Asked by sadtransgirl (7points) June 4th, 2010

I am sorry for the long winded background, but there are so many details, i just want to paint a full picture..i really need some objective opinons. Thank you in advance.

My family has been in big financial mess for quite a while although I have contributed to part of the problem, i believe my older brother is the main culprit and his behavior is very frustrating and infuriating for both my mom and I. I live with my mom and my older brother since my father left a few years ago. Both my brother and I are of adult ages, he is 35 and I am in my late twenties and my mom speaks very little English. We have been in Canada for over more than 10 years now.

For various reasons, I have never had much luck with finding a job, partly due to my own lack of motivation discipline, as well as my mental health issues, not to mention that I am a pre op transsexual who has began to undergo gender transition in my early twenties. I have a bachelor degree in psychology. I graduated three years ago and I have been working at a part time job at the same call centre I‘ve been working for a year and a half now, I give all my money to my mom. My mom is working at a below minimum wage job almost 6 to 7 days a week and we both do not make enough to pay off the monthly bills and interest accumulated from previous credit card debts. I have began to use my own credit cards to pay off the overdue bills, on top of the student loans I have inherited. I am still looking for full time work everyday without success. My brother went to college and graduated many years ago.

To make matter worse, my brother is working at a full time job but he contributed very little to nothing, for example, he gave 100 dollar this last month even though he makes close to 2000 a month. My mom had to tell my brother to pay his fair share constantly but he does not listen. He has never contributed substantially or even consistently even though he has been working full time.

It enraged me that he decided to quit his full time job during the heat of the recession in order to start a failing business ventures with other business partners, the business lasted for a month, and it took him a while to find a full time job again. He has always wanted to be his own boss, and he has kept a failing business for years even though it wasn’t making money and he has piled up on his share of credit card debts and student loans debt.

He created another financial burden for the family when he bought a dog for his girlfriend. They broke up. Now the dog becomes the responsibility for my mom and I and we treat the dog as our own and we love him to death. But raising a dog takes a lot of money and my brother doesn’t even care or pay attention to the dog, we can’t imagine giving him away, or not caring for him.

The simple solution seems to be for my mother to give my older brother an ultimatum about paying for his share to the household. We have talked with him about his irresponsible ways but he gets very angry whenever we asked him to help out the family, he always talk about how my mom and I need to find better jobs or that I should have never tried to be a transsexual and that it was the fault of my father for leaving or that he has other debts he needs to pay, including his own credit card debts and student loans.

Secondly, my brother has been coming home very late and leaving early in the morning and try to avoid knowing or talking to my mom and I even when my mother feels sick from work. He spent significant amount of him with his girlfriend and he seems to only come home for sleeping and taking the lunch my mom packed for him daily. My mom will not ask my brother to leave because she continues to be the kind of mother who wants to keep the family together, because she told me we are the only three persons who are related by blood in Canada and we can’t afford to lose each other.

I feel very angry at my brother and I severely disagreed with my mother. I do not want to have an older brother for superficial reason. I am accumulating my own credit card debts because my brother has refused to contribute unless when asked by my mom and even than, he would only give 100 or 200 dollars a month. I don’t want to go against my mother ‘s wish to keep the family intact, and I don’t want to use my credit card to bail my brother out even though he has a full time job. I don’t know what to do.

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9 Answers

gemiwing's avatar

Sounds like a giant mix of codependency. You can’t make your brother do anything- you can’t control him no matter what you think of his choices. What you can do it set limits and boundaries, that if crossed, you would cut ties or pull back emotionally.

I understand this is frustrating- and you’re right- it is. It’s hard to see people you love suffer.

If it’s your mother’s house then she’s the one who has to draw a line in the sand and say ‘no more using me’. It doesn’t sound like, from what you’ve written, that she is eager to do that. You can’t control that either. She either will stand up for herself, or she won’t.

Once we learn to let go of things we have no control over, what’s left are things we can control and it become much easier to do so without all the other clutter in the way.

Silhouette's avatar

The only thing you can control in this situation is how much you invest in it. Pay your fair share and do not take up the slack for your brother. Your mom is going to have to hit rock bottom before she makes him pay his way or makes him leave. All you are doing by trying to ease moms burden is wiping out any fall back money you may be able to save if you don’t spend it feathering your brothers nest. I can’t believe a 35 year old man still has his mommy packing him a lunchbox everyday. Your mom needs to wean junior but the truth is she likes it or she wouldn’t put up with it. Remember that old adage Felt need motivates? Well it’s true.

Buttonstc's avatar

I agree completely with what has already been said. And if you have a degree in Psychology, you know this as well. You cannot change another fully grown adult.

The only one you can change is yourself. Your Mother is the one who needs to put her foot down with him since it’s her home.

Your choices are pretty simple.

1. Continue doing as you have been and get more resentful and further in debt.

2. Establish FOR YOURSELF what you feel is a fair share to pay and refuse to take up the slack for him. In WRITING let both him and your Mother know what you’ve decided and why. Put it in writing so that you will STICK TO IT. Present your decision to them calmly and refuse to argue about it.

3. If either option above becomes unbearable, move out and get your own place. This way your Mom will either deal with him directly or she won’t. It’s not your job and this will get you out of the middle of this obviously dysfunctional situation.

Those are your basic options. There is no magic wand you can wave over your brother to make him see the light.

People do what works for them. Obviously this situation is working for him. And, on an emotional level at least, it’s working for your mother also The fact that you are taking up the financial slack from your brother only serves to prolong this situation, primarily to your detriment.

You need to cease being an enabler. I’m not saying that will be easy for you. But if you really want to see a change, you need to stop doing your part (even tho sincere and well-intentioned) to prolong the situation as it is now.

Realistically, that’s all you can do. After that it’s up to them.

The only other alternative is to continue what you’re doing now and resign yourself to not let it bother you.

That doesn’t seem too realistic, does it?

marinelife's avatar

You cannot make another person do something they do not want to do.

It sounds like your mother and your brother have a co-dependency issue. you other is enabling your brother’s behavior. You need to understand that the dynamics of the situation are unlikely to change.

Unless your mother wants to change her behavior: demand money for rent, food , and the care of the dog, your brother has no motivation to change. He has it good right now.

Consider going to Al-anon to learn how to control your reactions to the bad situation.

malldesdoonie's avatar

I agree with @marinelife your brother does have it good. If I were you I’d insist that we gave him an ultimatum he obviously cant afford to walk out you guys, put some pressure on him and show that your serious I’m sure he’ll crack b/c where is he going to go?

Pandora's avatar

Personally I would’ve put all his stuff out. Change the key and put up a sign saying room for rent. Oh, and just in case buy a lock for your bedroom door so mom doesn’t let him sneak in and he try to pay you back. Put a lock on his bedroom door as well for the new paying boarder.

kheredia's avatar

He’s 35 years old, has a college degree, works a full time job.. but he doesn’t want to pay rent? As long as your mother continues to justify his behavior, he’s never going to change. If I was his mother, he would have been out of the house a long time ago. Has he ever even lived away from home? Maybe he needs to live on his own for a while in order to appreciate his family more. I’m sorry you’re stuck in such a difficult situation but this is really your mom’s call. She is the one who has to understand that she is doing more harm than good by allowing his behavior.

kheredia's avatar

Oh, and perhaps you should tell your mother that him moving out doesn’t mean that she’ll never see him again. I haven’t lived with my parents for years but I’m still as close to them as I was when I lived with them. Living on my own made me more responsible and independent. I think your brother would learn a few things if he moved out.

sadtransgirl's avatar

Thank you everyone. I have alot to think about.

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