DEAR ABBY: I think my parents are enabling my sister to take advantage of them. She has suffered from depression most of her life. She has two children, ages 8 and 5.
Before COVID, she dealt with her depression and was a stay-at-home mom for six years. Back in March, she asked my parents to take in her 8-year-old for schooling the rest of the year. For the last several months, one or both of her children have been here at our house. Mind you, she and her husband live five hours away, so it's not like they are nearby. Now there's discussion about my parents keeping them into next year.
Mom retired only last year and has barely been able to enjoy her retirement alone with my stepdad. When my brother and I bring up the topic of them enabling my sister by letting her pawn her kids off and blame her depression, their response is, "Well, it's better than her going off the deep end." I also feel bad that those kids are not with their parents in their own house, instead of being schlepped around. Am I wrong to think she's being allowed to get away with being a bad parent? -- CONCERNED IN COLORADO
DEAR CONCERNED: The COVID-19 epidemic and subsequent quarantine have triggered anxiety and serious depression in people who were previously emotionally resilient. That it could cause a recurrence in someone with chronic depression is no surprise. Your mother and stepfather are doing what they feel is best for their grandchildren, your sister and themselves. Accept it and quit second-guessing them. They have more than enough to deal with without you adding more stress at this point.