Raising my niece
Hi all. Just venting. Raising my niece for the 2nd time around. Sad for her and for my own family. My husband and I took her in bc my sister in law was struggling with drug addiction and no one else could take her. She was 2 at the time. My SIL finally got clean and stayed sober for a year and my niece went back with her mom at the age of 7. She still came over on weekends bc she was living with us and my boys love and missed her. Fast forward to now and my sil did not relapse but it always felt like she just didn’t want to be a mother and how many times do we want to just tap out but we don’t get a choice do we. The night before back to school she just dropped her off at my house and chaos ensued. It’s been a rough month of us getting settled. It’s hard. She missed my nieces 10th birthday. My niece is struggling to keep up with her hygiene and I got her the American girl puberty book and a basket full of girlie stuff but still fighting about showering and washing her hair. Picking on my youngest son (4). Idk my SIL randomly tells me her car isn’t registered and I asked if that’s why she wasn’t coming to her daughters party and she just said ya I want to start a fight with her bc no one holds her accountable. But then I’m like what’s the point. Just angry. Everyone in my house is stressed and not sure we could do this long term. But I hate for my niece to feel unwanted by us and her mother. So trying to show up since her mother doesn’t.