My (21F) brother (13M) is always babied by my mother. She does not want him to do anything on his own. My mum got into an accident a few years ago and is now suffering from a fractured spine that healed wrongly. So, she can’t really do everything for him. She still tries, but most of the time she is in pain so she makes me do it, I refuse and then we all fight. Thats how it had always been in my house. I do adore my brother, but he also piss me off.
In my country, 13 is the age where you leave primary school and go to secondary school, which I would say is a crucial part in life. My mum talked to me and asked me to take care ph him. She said she can’t take care of him properly since she is not as well as before. I agreed, but also said that I would put my own rules.
1) Everything related to school such as homework and uniforms are all his responsibility.
2) If he doesn’t like my cooking, he can fry an egg or make a sandwich or just suck it up, I am not going to cook an extra meal for him.
The reason why I made such rules is because I am currently in my semester break, I know if I don’t set boundaries now, my brother will expect me to do his stuffs even when my semester starts, and I will definitely not have time for this. So, I started teaching him to be responsible. If he messed up, I am here to fix it.
Anyways, my mum disagrees with me. She says its cruel that I am making him wash clothes and cook his own food when he returns home tired after school. My brother also has extra classes from 8 P.M. to 11 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he technically does not have time to relax. I do understand but again, I can’t do them once my semester starts, I would be leaving the house at 6 A.M. and come home at 10P.M, and I would like to do my assignments.
Also, he could always just eat what was cooked or wash his uniforms earlier so that he doesn’t have anything to do on days he has class. The thing is, he doesn’t even seem to mind my rules and I would say we bond quite well as I teach him how to do this and that.
My mum says that she used to do all these for me when I was his age, and that me making him do it is just simply cruel. He has to wear a heavy bag, in suffocating uniforms and walk under the sun, and then come home and do his homework and also do extra studies. I told her I understand that, but I simply can’t do it for him. Plus, while she did it for me, I was taking care of my brother, feeding him and bathing him when he was 5. Its not like my mother was doing everything while I was being a couch potato.
My mum is currently giving me the cold shoulder, and started cooking for him and washing his uniform, which kinda goes over my rules. I feel like all those things I did to make him independent is coming back to zero again.
No the boy needs to learn. His future partner will thank you