u/Personal_Banana8473

Back story: I am the oldest sibling and have 2 kids of my own. My sister, her husband of 10+ years and 3 kids live in another state. The 2 oldest kids of her crew are from her previous marriage and they went on to have one of their own.

She called me about 2 months ago crying that her oldest son and husband have been bumping heads pretty bad and resulting in physical violence and my nephew running away. My nephew was starting to head down a bad road of drugs and police run ins and she needed him to come stay with me for the summer. Of course the big sister in me says “put that boy on a bus, nobody makes my sister cry”. He’s been here a month now and is respectable and got a job immediately. I’ve not had the first sign of “evil” ( as his step dad would call him) He’s thriving and happy. Two weeks after my nephew was placed in my home my even younger sister calls and said she got a call that original said sister needed my niece (the other child from the first marriage) to come stay with her for the summer.

To summarize, my sister has been given an ultimatum by her husband and she clearly made her choice. My youngest sister and I are more than willing to provide healthy and loving homes to our niece and nephew long term but don’t know how to properly go about the process or assistance available.

Points to add: We reside in Tennessee. Drugs are confirmed part of their daily routine. The kids have been taken away from them before. We are also personally conflicted because we have all been so close our whole lives and this may seem like a betrayal vs a reality check for her so tips on how to navigate the conversation are also appreciated. Tia.

Back story: I am the oldest sibling and have 2 kids of my own. My sister, her husband of 10+ years and 3 kids live in another state. The 2 oldest kids of her crew are from her previous marriage and they went on to have one of their own.

She called me about 2 months ago crying that her oldest son and husband have been bumping heads pretty bad and resulting in physical violence and my nephew running away. My nephew was starting to head down a bad road of drugs and police run ins and she needed him to come stay with me for the summer. Of course the big sister in me says “put that boy on a bus, nobody makes my sister cry”. He’s been here a month now and is respectable and got a job immediately. I’ve not had the first sign of “evil” ( as his step dad would call him) He’s thriving and happy. Two weeks after my nephew was placed in my home my even younger sister calls and said she got a call that original said sister needed my niece (the other child from the first marriage) to come stay with her for the summer.

To summarize, my sister has been given an ultimatum by her husband and she clearly made her choice. My youngest sister and I are more than willing to provide healthy and loving homes to our niece and nephew long term but don’t know how to properly go about the process or assistance available.

Points to add: We reside in Tennessee. Drugs are confirmed part of their daily routine. The kids have been taken away from them before. We are also personally conflicted because we have all been so close our whole lives and this may seem like a betrayal vs a reality check for her so tips on how to navigate the conversation are also appreciated. Tia.