Rant Inside [Short, but ranty]

[Lady Squee]

After a week of Jero staying with me since his deadbeat dad didn't pay for groceries, water or power, Greg finally got money... turned on the power and water, bought a little food, and has now been gone for two days.

Last time he did this, he was gone for a week and was almost killed thanks to a drug/sex run gone bad.

This is bloody ridiculous. I know the man is grown, but really? He still has a 13 year old kid at home and a 21 year old who is trying to get out but is forced to give his extra money to support his brother.

Just, oh my god. I'd so fed up. /rant

[aza]

The simple answer is to just remove the small one from the equation.

[Lady Squee]

Azarthes said
The simple answer is to just remove the small one from the equation.

The smallest in this case would be Jero.
The younger brother is a good 150lbs+ bigger.

So.
How would you recommend?

[aza]

Are you smaller than both?

If you say no I don't have a back up comment here.

[Drakel]

Lady Squee said
After a week of Jero staying with me since his deadbeat dad didn't pay for groceries, water or power, Greg finally got money... turned on the power and water, bought a little food, and has now been gone for two days.

Last time he did this, he was gone for a week and was almost killed thanks to a drug/sex run gone bad.

This is bloody ridiculous. I know the man is grown, but really? He still has a 13 year old kid at home and a 21 year old who is trying to get out but is forced to give his extra money to support his brother.

Just, oh my god. I'd so fed up. /rant

I see...

This is actually a tough issue... :/

[idlehands]

That's rough, it's either child services or try to get custody of his own brother. :/

[Griever]

Give me 1 reason why Jero needs to support his brother.

My parents make ridiculous bank and I don't see a penny of it. My parents have a very European-Conservative view of life - "Oh, you're 18? You're old enough to pay for your own food, utilities, cellphone, medical insurance and everything else in your life,"

I was fortunate that I had a decent amount in savings, so I managed to live off my savings for quite a while before finding steady employment and graduating college, while going part-time and still attempting to have a social life. So yes, in a way, my parents were right, but it's downright ignorant to assume that every 18+ year old will be able to financially stabilize themselves.

[Aragorn]

I would say child services, but I hear the system can be shitty. Then again, this situation itself is shitty.

[idlehands]

Griever said Give me 1 reason why Jero needs to support his brother.

My parents make ridiculous bank and I don't see a penny of it. My parents have a very European-Conservative view of life - "Oh, you're 18? You're old enough to pay for your own food, utilities, cellphone, medical insurance and everything else in your life,"

I was fortunate that I had a decent amount in savings, so I managed to live off my savings for quite a while before finding steady employment and graduating college, while going part-time and still attempting to have a social life. So yes, in a way, my parents were right, but it's downright ignorant to assume that every 18+ year old will be able to financially stabilize themselves.

It seems by her post that the brother is just thirteen years old. If he doesn't support him and the father isn't doing his job, then the kid will end up in foster care or on the streets.

[Lady Squee]

Yeah, he's only 13. Jero took an entire year off of work and school to homeschool the kid because he took a knife to school and got caught. Greg does nothing for him but yell and degrade him.

Unfortunately, child services is a system that I don't trust. I have heard too many horror stories and I'm not willing to put the kid through that. What pisses me off the most, I think, is that Jero has family (like an older, married brother) who could care less about the whole thing.

Once Jero and I can get a hold of our own lives, we've talked about taking Ethan in. But that's if we can get everything together in time to do that.

[idlehands]

That's an admirable goal, and get him to participate in it. He's too young to work but there are always yards to rake and lawns to cut, washing cars, w/e to help with expenses. Put the money in an account for him so that his father can't get a hold of it and that way he'll feel like he's helping himself instead of just waiting to get rescued. I don't know the whole situation and maybe I'm wrong but it might make a difference, help his brother feel like he's in more control of his own life.