The cruel woman’s sister urges mother to cut ties with her.
My elderly father died recently. Although he had a variety of ailments, including heart disease, his death was unexpected. He spent many years of his life trying to save my drug-addicted, criminal sister from herself. Despite occasional periods of sobriety, she has invariably returned to her evil ways.
Three days before Dad passed, he was again trying to bail her out of a situation involving people she knew who stole her car. While Dad was driving her, she lost her temper (again) and struck him multiple times as my mother (on the phone) begged her to stop. Dad died a few days later, perhaps not from the assault, but his body just said, “Enough!”
My sister is now sinking her teeth into my mother like she did my dad, and I don’t know what to do. I want Mom to cut her out of her life before this happens again, but Mom says, “She’s still my daughter.” Please advise. — BETTER SIBLING IN NEW JERSEY
DEAR BETTER SIBLING: Your sister IS still your mother’s daughter as she was her father’s. Point out to Mom that in spite of all the years your father spent bailing your sister out, her behavior never improved.
