Chip Chick
While it’s always important to help your close friends and family when they’re in need, it’s okay to set boundaries and acknowledge that there’s a limit to how much you can assist them.
One woman and her husband recently had to tell her sister she couldn’t take her kids and move in with them after her messy divorce.
She’s 34 and has three children with her husband, Mike. She also has a 29-year-old sister named Sheena, who has two children and recently went through a messy and traumatic divorce.
She and Sheena were always close, so when she found out she was divorcing her ex-husband because he was unfaithful, she knew she needed to help her in any way she could.
The divorce left Sheena emotionally battered and in a difficult financial position, and she needed a new place to live with her kids, who are both under 10.
On top of everything, Sheena’s ex has been going on a tirade, spreading rumors about her to friends and family and trying to make her look like a bad person.
“She struggled to find a stable job and place to live after the separation, so naturally, she turned to me for help,” she explained.
“She asked if she and the kids could move in with [Mike and I] until she got back on her feet. While I wanted to help her, our situation is complicated.”
With her family of five, she already feels crowded in her home and knows that adding three people into the mix would be too overwhelming.
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