Family is often a person’s first support system and their safe space against the difficulties of the world. Unfortunately, some cunning people take advantage of this care given by their loved ones and expect to always be waited on hand and foot.
This is exactly what one pregnant woman did to her elder sister by living at her home and refusing to be even a little bit self-sufficient. Eventually, the older sibling had enough and decided to kick her pregnant sister out, which forced her to stay at a homeless shelter.
More info: Reddit
It can be difficult to set boundaries with freeloading relatives, but it’s important to do so, or else they’ll never stop taking advantage
Image credits: DC Studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that she always worked hard for everything in her life, but her younger sister was the opposite and expected everyone else to house and take care of her
Image credits: krakenimages.com / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When the younger sister, Britt, found out she was pregnant, she asked her older sibling if she could stay with her since none of their family wanted to help her anymore
Image credits: nataliaderiabina / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster agreed to let Britt stay with them temporarily, but after a week, she couldn’t take it anymore and pushed her sibling to find alternate housing
Image credits: KeyEvagria
The woman made Britt move into a shady homeless shelter, and she later felt guilty about it, but knew she couldn’t afford to support her anymore
It seems like the poster always had to be the responsible sibling because her sister, Britt, relied on handouts from everyone else. That’s why the OP worked hard to set up her life with her husband, but she also made sure to help her sibling out whenever she got the chance, as she didn’t want her to struggle.
According to psychologists, asking for support or leaning on people in times of need isn’t necessarily bad, but it can become a problem if it's taken too far. When folks stop being self-sufficient and expect someone else to take care of all of their problems, it can foster too much dependency and stop them from growing as a person.
This is exactly what Britt seemed to be doing, which is why, when she found out that she was pregnant, nobody in her family wanted to let her move in. They had all been taken advantage of by her before and refused to support her anymore; that’s how she ended up asking the poster for a place to stay.
It might seem mean for the pregnant lady’s relatives to turn their backs on her in such a time of need, but as experts point out, it might be tough to stick to boundaries with entitled folks, but it’s important to do so. This is because people who constantly take from others don’t tend to stop unless someone stands up to them or refuses to help out again.
Image credits: hernanface1234 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After the OP let her sister move into her house, she noticed that Britt wasn’t following the rules, kept sleeping all day, and refused to check out any other places to stay. She even confronted her sister, but the younger woman kept being vague about what she was up to and didn’t seem to care at all.
Eventually, the poster decided to be firm with her sibling, and she forced her to make calls to different shelters. Unfortunately, Britt was being very picky about where she’d like to move, and most of the spots had a waitlist. That’s when the OP had enough and took her sister to a shady homeless shelter and told her to stay there.
Although it must have been painful for the poster to set such a strong boundary with her sibling, professionals explain that this is exactly what needs to be done. When it comes to entitled people, they might not change their patterns unless they’re confronted or stopped from taking advantage.
Obviously, the woman felt quite guilty for putting her pregnant sibling in such an uncomfortable position, but she knew that she was at the end of her rope. Unfortunately, her family members began calling her heartless for setting such a boundary, but truth be told, they probably would have done the same thing if they were in her position.
What do you think about the OP’s decision, and what would you have done if you were in her shoes? Do share your honest thoughts in the comments below.
People sided with the older sister and felt that Britt had misused her family’s generosity too much
