Dear Queenie,
My parents have started going out partying all the time and leave me to babysit my younger sisters. When I tried to talk to them about it they just say they are tired of raising kids (they are going on 50 and have 3 kids older than me and 2 younger) and it’s about time they could go out and have some fun.
Queenie, how can I get them to realize they aren’t done raising children yet? What will happen to the younger ones when I go away to university?—Worried middle kid
Dear Middle kid,
Try to get some older person your parents respect – a relative, one of your teachers, your family doctor, a school counsellor, your pastor if yours is a church-going family – to talk to them and remind them of their responsibilities.
If they can afford it, your parents should hire someone to look after the younger children, and they should do it soon so the person can get acquainted with the children and the whole family before it is time for you to go away.
