Life Advice

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Health

He wants to fix dysfunctional family

By Amy Dickinson, Tribune Content Agency on

Dear Amy: My wife's family is dysfunctional (aren't we all?).

Her brother is deeply estranged from his mother, yet continues to live in his parents' home into his 20s.

They are a wealthy family, and my brother-in-law is accustomed to a certain lifestyle.

They fight often, and my wife and I are the only members of the family he speaks to (besides his father).

My brother-in-law does not have a job and continues to receive money, groceries and other necessities from these parents he claims to "hate."

He has not spoken to or acknowledged his other brother in more than five years, for no real reason.

 

We rarely see him in person, but when we do, he often says hateful, awful things about my in-laws, and will lash out/shut down/cut us off if we point out the fact that he may be part of the problem.

My in-laws complain often about the situation, but my father-in-law refuses to cut him off.

Is it better that we stay on friendly terms with the brother, or is it our responsibility to call him out on his behavior, even if we know it will end the relationship?

Should we give his parents information about his life and habits (spending, partying, etc.), or should we completely stay out of it?

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