Ask MetaFilter

I don't want to be around my parents, but my guilt keeps me in contact with them. How can I get to a place where I don't feel bad about not interacting with them unless it's on my terms? [more inside]
posted by stedman15 on Sep 24, 2014 - 18 answers

I'm currently 34, but I'm dealing with things that happened when I was 16-23. I'm worried that I'm overreacting, misplacing blame, or being unfair. Was my mother abusive or just a bad mother? Maybe neither? I know this is unwieldy, but I'm flailing about somewhat trying to find my footing. I feel guilty for reacting to things that happened so long ago. [more inside]
posted by fredmounts on Aug 9, 2013 - 33 answers

I am at a point where I really would like to cut my mother off my life. Am I a scumbag? [more inside]
posted by ADent on Mar 22, 2013 - 61 answers

My sister (late 30s) has recently given birth to a baby who is probably affected by Down syndrome. There will most likely not be a father in the picture. She also has an 8 y.o. daughter from a different, also absent father. They live at my mother’s house in a small town. My sister has a story of emotional instability and I often fear for my niece and nephew. My sister was molested by my father when she was in her late teens. She is extremely dependent on (and at the same time hostile to) my mother. My mother (divorced), in turn, is struggling to help her and the little children, while having to deal with lack of money and her own (physical) health issues. I (male) am the middle child, 8 years younger than my sister. I´ve lived in a big city for the last 6 years. I´m economically independent (yet also struggling) and starting a career in academia. I feel that if I don´t go back to my home town and help my family, things will deteriorate further. On the other hand, my chances of professional growth would be reduced by moving back there. Do you think a sacrifice of this sort is the right thing to do? [more inside]
posted by Basque13 on Mar 19, 2013 - 29 answers

I'm worried that my little sisters may be in an abusive situation, but don't know what's really going on or where I should go from here. [more inside]
posted by whalebreath on Apr 26, 2012 - 18 answers

I have a great deal of contempt for my mother, which fills me with guilt. She has had serious psychiatric problems for her entire life. Although I know that she loves us, she is quite mentally ill, and I don't know how to cope with it. I need help learning how. (This is long, I apologize.) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 28, 2011 - 50 answers