r/ToxicFamilyMembers

▲ 57 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+2 crossposts

Sister (14) accused me (21) of something heinous.

So I unfortunately share a room with my little sister for about 9 years now, she's always tattled everything I've done to her parents and loves getting me in trouble. Her parents aren't any better because they never did love me like my other 2 sisters and above that they're both abusive to me.

I thought she was done with this behavior but tonight after my shift, father picked me up with mother and they had a discussion with me. Apparently my sister said I was using a vibrator when she came back from the bathroom, she heard a rattling sound.

That was my busted up fan that fell and had its front cover bit come off so it was still on when it fell down which was making the rattling sound. I would never use anything sexual with my sister in the room so I was disgusted they would accuse me of doing that.

They say I'm an adult and I should know better but they believe every word she's ever said about me over asking me?

I'm disgusted with them now genuinely and her for saying that about me. They've been the root of all my mental health issues due to their abuse, it's heartbreaking because I thought they changed.

So I no longer feel safe in this house at all, what should I do about this? I'm close to getting my driver's license but I don't think I can wait to move out until then because I feel scared to even sleep in this house anymore.

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u/Super_Drummer5640 — 7 hours ago
▲ 29 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

I put my father in jail

I’m 24F, and about six months ago, I put my own father in jail.
I know how that sounds.
For years, everyone in my family told me that Dad was “just difficult.” He had a temper, drank too much, and could be extremely controlling, but whenever I complained, my relatives would say, “He’s still your father.”
My mom passed away when I was 17, and after that, Dad got worse.
He started checking my phone, controlling where I went, and constantly accusing me of lying. When I moved out at 21, he began showing up at my apartment without asking.
I eventually stopped speaking to him.
Then, one night, my younger brother called me.
He was crying.
He told me Dad had attacked him during an argument.
I drove over and found my brother with a bruised face. Dad was still inside, yelling that my brother was “ungrateful.”
I called the police.
Dad was arrested.
And that’s when my entire family turned against me.
My aunt called me a monster.
My grandmother said I had “destroyed the family.”
Even my brother begged me not to press charges because he was scared of what Dad would do when he got out.
But I couldn’t take it back.
There was an investigation, and eventually the evidence showed that this wasn’t the first time Dad had hurt my brother.
He was sentenced to prison.
The strangest part?
After everything was over, I didn’t feel relieved.
I felt guilty.
I kept thinking, Maybe I really did destroy my family.
A few weeks ago, I visited my brother.
He looked at me and said, “You saved me.”
I started crying.
He told me that if I hadn’t called the police that night, he probably would have kept pretending everything was fine.
Then he hugged me.
For the first time in months, I didn’t feel like a terrible daughter.
I still love my dad.
That’s the part nobody understands.
I can love him and still believe he deserved the consequences of what he did.
I didn’t put my father in jail because I hated him.
I did it because I was finally tired of watching everyone I loved get hurt just to protect him.

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u/want-to-be-rich- — 6 hours ago
▲ 1 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

My father (45M) is hurting my mother (40F) by trying to bring another woman (?F) into our household as his second wife.

Hi Reddit, I don't really know how to use this platform but I do know that people get a good amount of advice here and I just needed somewhere to put this all out on. I'm sorry if this may seem disjointed.
I am a 21 year old woman who is going to uni and am living with my parents for the summer(will be moving back to dorms in two days) And yesterday morning I overheard a 'conversation' between my mother and father where my mother was crying trying to convince him of something and him being quiet. Immediately red flags began blaring in my head and so many emotions and panic and stress just began flooding me. I'm always hyperware of every little thing or gestures that goes on between my parents I've learned, and my nervous system starts going haywire anytime I sense something wrong. This tangle of emotions is something i'm still learning to heal from.
For context my family is muslim and we moved to US from India when I was 7 and my younger sisters(now 13 and 17) were under 4. my mother was in her early 20s and my father is an Imam. (Prayer Leader) To date they have been married for 20 years. I've always thought he would uphold his values and morals as a good muslim man but all of that changed about 5 to 6 years ago when I was still in high school and my mother seems to be crying more often and my father seems to be colder than usual to her. My mother is not a confrontational woman. She was arranged married to my father at 18 and has always been content with her life as a housewife supporting her husband the way she was raised. We come from a particularly rural part of india where things are very traditional. I found out that he was angry at my mother because way back when my youngest sister was born, the doctors had to tie her tubes because the c section was so dangerous, he wanted a son because he was resenting coming home sometimes to all girls.
Apparently there was a woman in his recital classes that he taught who apparently had been getting familiar with him and had asked him to make her his second wife. She has a six year old daughter.
i find the concept of having multiple wives disgusting and repulsive so you can guess how I reacted when i found out. I raised hell, I screamed, I cried, I threatened to never speak or interact with him again if he did this to my family. My mother was also crying and trying to keep us all together and he finally seemed to come to his senses. After that I heard the woman married another man, apparently everyone in her family knew about it. Only last year in december 2025 when I was moving away for college in my junior year for the first time did I learn that she was back and he was being distant to my mother again. Once again I reacted angrily and screamed at him and lost my mind. I don't have a very good emotional stability when it comes to these things, I panic and my heart rate goes crazy and some days I get so stressed I lose chunks of hair. I was prepared to tell my sisters and mom to move in with me, I was prepared to graduate early so I can have a job to support them myself. Words cannot describe the hatred, the disgust I felt for that man. but somehow he came back and my parents made up, my mother convinced me not to take on any burdens on myself and to live my life. The other woman was gone again and I lived through my semester away from home always stressed for my family. Its summer, im home again and she is back. I feel dead inside because I know this is breaking my mother.
For those who could be asking why she just doesnt divorce because she doesn't have any way of income or that many close friends here, they had always planned on returning to india once all of us children have settled in our lives. There's only five of us here. so she likely would have to move back home if she did but like I said they are extremely traditional there and it wouldn't bode well for her mentally to be there. Plus my sisters are 17 and 13. There is no way they can go back to india at the age, there are no opportunities for them there either they are and my mother wouldn't be able to survive being away from them while they're still growing. And there is no way in hell they would ever want to stay with him here in US if they hear she is back. The only thing I'm hoping I can do is wait two years until I graduate and manage to find a job. I hate being in his proximity and him trying to act like everything is normal.
Over my dead body will a second wife come into this home and I won't hesitate to ruin his new life if he does try to go through with this. But for now I just want my mother to not be so heartbroken because I know for a fact that her entire world will crumble if he's not there with her along with us, her children. I don't know what I'm able to do as i'm moving to my dorms tomorrow with my student loan debts and with this current job market where i haven't even been able to get a single part time job over the summer. I just don't want the only members of this family that i care about to be alone like this. Genuinely where do I go from here?

Tldr: My father is breaking our family apart by suggesting bringing in his other woman as a second wife and I feel numb.

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u/Popular_Tip_8072 — 8 hours ago
▲ 6 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

Does anyone else's narc-parent go full-r*tard when they get mad?

When my father fights with us, when he gets overly mad, he just goes full retard and starts mocking us and making dumb faces and speaking extremely illogical with zero reasoning. It's like his brain shuts down and he has no idea what he's doing. It's hard to describe unless you see it. He absolutely would never behave this way with anyone outside the house. But when I see him act like that, I think he's definitely suffering from a mental disorder or chemical imbalance. I really thinks he blacks out and he's just suffering inside and has no control over what he's saying. It's like an inner demon just coming out.

I wish he was like this with everyone, then I can say that's just how he is. But it's only with my mom and siblings. Outside the house with strangers, he's a coward and very weak. His 5 sisters all treat him like dirt but deep down he still loves them no matter. They can cuss him out and he'll just sit there quietly and take it. But if we say 1 wrong word to him, he reacts crazily and starts shouting out insults. He is literally like Jekyll and Hyde.

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u/The-Majestic-Lion — 19 hours ago
▲ 1 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

Are my parents whack or am I being dramatic with them??

Colour guide:
Purple = me
Black = my older brother
Pink = my SIL
Red = my fiance
Blue = my baby
Yellow = my oldest brother

Alright so some back story on this. I live about 3.5hrs away from my family as it worked for us & my fiance got work & I can stay home with my baby full time & we can afford to live in a nice house out here. I didn’t know I was pregnant when we moved. Anyways fast track to recently, my baby is now 4 months old & we don’t visit out there much. We can’t. It’s really hard to travel constantly with a baby. Idk if anyone here has done it, but our 3.5hr trip becomes almost 6hrs & it’s exhausting. We try to fit in all the visits we can in one weekend, but it’s hard to. We spend the nights mostly at my in-laws because my fiance has a spine fusion so he needs an orthopaedic bed. Anyways. We went out last weekend as it was the last weekend my fiance could go out before harvest season & we had made arrangements to meet with my parents at their house in the city (they were 40 mins away at the cabin) & we have a hard time giving ETAs cause.. again… travelling with a baby so there’s lots of variables. I let them know around when we were planning on leaving in the morning about a day in advance, then my mom messaged me that they made other plans with my brother & his lady instead. Keep in mind my brother lives about 3 mins from my parents & they see them literally all the time… we don’t because AGAIN… travelling with a baby is hard. So I was hurt because it’s their grandson & I thought they’d be excited to come out & see him & spend an afternoon with him before we headed to my in laws. Guess not. So about a week later I messaged my mom PRIVATELY saying that I was kind of hurt that they cancelled on us to make plans with my brother & his lady instead & mentioned that we can’t visit much & that we don’t want them feeling left out when we visit so we really wanted to see them so they could spend time with the baby. She didn’t take it well & victimized herself so bad in that convo. Anyways here’s how the convo went today a few days later. Absolutely ridiculous. Idk what to do. Also for back story, we were JOKINGLY calling my parents “coocoo & poopoo” (inside jokes) & I guess it offended her even tho she was playing along with it at the time. Like he’s 4 months, it’s not that serious.
Also another thing to note is that my in laws visit our here quite a bit. My FIL works & my MIL doesn’t, but they still come out 1-2x/month so we see them that much + when we visit. My parents r both retired & have nothing going on. So with that too. Before I went to the hospital I had it out a bit with my mom because we have 2 dogs & 2 cats & needed someone to come out & take care of them when we were in the hospital until we got home as the hospital was an hr away from us. I was tryna see if my parents could possibly come out as theyre the most reasonable choice for BOTH not working & having nothing else going on. We got keys cut for both sets of parents. Anyways she eventually just “gave in” & said to message them to come. My in laws gave me no issue when I asked if they could come out in case we needed them to, so ofc while I’m in labour & in pain & it’s our first baby so we’re stressing, we go the stress free route & ask my in laws to come out. I ended up needing a c-section & was in the hospital for 3 days so it’s a good thing they came out & stayed at ours. They even came to visit in the hospital. & then they stayed until I was able to get out of bed on my own (extra 3 or 4 days). So that was really nice. No issues. They were so helpful with everything in those recovery days. I always had a feeling that my mom felt jealous of it all & she indirectly basically said she did in this chat & our private chat. Like. Anyways. I feel like I’m talking to a wall whenever I talk to her & im tired of it. Any feedback is appreciated!

Edit**
-I would like to add that I’m slightly autistic & have always had problems with my words, especially regarding affection towards people that aren’t my baby & fiance. & im not a hugger. Never really have been.
-the 20-30 mins calls r with my older brother who she sees & talks to alllll the time (he calls her a MINIMUM of 4x a day & then they text all day. He’s 25.)

u/Unknownuser5342 — 1 day ago
▲ 4 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

LIVING IN A ABUSIVE HOUSE WHAT DO I DO?

I was born in Haiti and grew up with my mom, dad, and my four siblings. When I was nine years old, one of my cousins decided that she wanted to raise me as her own child. She was living in America, and my parents believed that coming to the United States would give me a better future and more opportunities. They trusted her, so they allowed me to come to America with her.

When I first came here, she already had three young children. At first, I understood that I would have to help around the house and help take care of the kids because they were young. But after a while, it started to feel like I was doing everything. I was cleaning, taking care of the children, and doing most of the housework. I felt more like a maid than a family member.

Things became worse after I told her children that I had a biological mother and that she wasn't actually my mom. After that, her attitude toward me changed. She started hitting me whenever she was angry with me or didn't like something I did.
At first, I didn't really understand that I was being abused. Growing up in Haiti, my parents sometimes physically punished me, so I thought maybe this was just how she disciplined me too. But as time went on, she started hitting me more and more. She would also insult me, make me do excessive amounts of chores, and treat me differently from her own children.

When I got my first phone, I was really happy because I finally had a way to talk to my friends, my parents, and my siblings back in Haiti. I started telling people I trusted about what was happening at home. My cousin and her husband would go through my phone and read my private messages. Whenever they found out that I had told someone about how they treated me, they would get angry and treat me even worse.

One Thanksgiving, something happened that I still remember very clearly. My cousin's husband called me into a room because he wanted me to get something for him. When I came into the room, my cousin took off my hoodie. I was confused, so I put it back on. She immediately grabbed me by my hair and started punching and hitting me.
I tried to get her hands off me because I was tired of being hit. I looked at her husband because I thought he would help me, but he didn't. He just told me, "That's how she is."

After I got away, I went somewhere quiet and called one of my friends. I told her what had happened, and she told me that I should call the police. I was scared to do that. I didn't know what would happen to me if I called the police because I didn't have any other family in America. My parents and siblings were still in Haiti, and I was afraid that reporting my cousin would somehow make everything worse.
After I finished talking to my friend, her husband came into my room. I realized that he had been listening to my conversation. He took my phone, called my friend, and put my cousin on the phone so she could yell at and insult her. They then went through my phone and read messages where I had talked about how angry and hurt I was. They took my phone away from me. I had only had it for about two months.

I felt completely alone after that. I went into my room, locked the door, and used my school Chromebook to contact my teacher. I told her that I needed to speak with a social worker.
Unfortunately, my school account was connected to my phone, and they found out what I had written. My cousin came into my room and started telling me that she wished I would die and that she hoped I would get hit by a car. She then started punching me and pulling my hair. She pulled my hair so hard that I ended up with a bald spot.

A few days later, I went back to school. My teacher noticed what was happening and helped me speak with the school psychiatrist. I finally told her everything. I told her that I didn't want to go home because I was scared of what would happen to me.
The school psychiatrist helped me find a shelter where I could stay for two months. Those two months were honestly some of the best months I had experienced since coming to America. I was away from the people who were hurting me. I didn't have to constantly worry about being yelled at or hit, and I started doing better in school.
But after those two months, I had to go back to the house.

When I returned, the arguments, insults, and threats started again. I became extremely depressed and stopped going to school. I missed my exams and eventually failed my sophomore year because I wasn't attending. I didn't want to do anything anymore. I stayed in my room most of the time because I didn't want to see or talk to anyone in the house.
There were times when I went more than four days without eating because I didn't want to leave my room. I felt like I had completely lost control of my life. I even started questioning my faith and asking myself why God would allow me to go through all of this.

During the summer, things got even harder. Sometimes my cousin would leave the house with her children and there would be little or no food for me. Thankfully, someone who rented a room in the house was kind enough to help me. I would sometimes wait several days before asking them for food because I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of their kindness. That person eventually bought me a phone, and I am extremely grateful for that. I have to keep it hidden because I'm afraid of what my cousin and her husband would do if they found it.

Now that school is starting again, I'm worried because I don't have what I need. My clothes are old, stained, and torn, and I haven't gotten new clothes in years. My backpack is also ripped and worn out. What hurts the most is that my cousin and her husband have enough money to buy expensive things for their own children, but they don't provide me with basic things that I need.

Even after everything that has happened, I still want to go to school. I don't want to give up on my education or my future. I already lost my sophomore year because of everything that was happening at home, and I don't want to lose another year.
I'm 16 years old. I don't have a job, money, transportation, or another family member here who I can live with. I want to leave this house, but I don't want to run away and end up homeless or in another dangerous situation.

I don't know exactly what is going to happen to me, but I know that I can't keep living like this. I need help finding somewhere safe to live, getting food and clothing, returning to school, and getting the support I need to move forward.
I am not trying to hurt anyone or cause problems for my family. I just want to be safe. I want to finish school. I want to have a future. I want to be able to live without being afraid all the time.

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u/PrettylilJina — 20 hours ago
▲ 3 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+2 crossposts

Brother’s baby mama is a financial drain.

Help. My brother (m 49) is in a 10 year relationship with an emotionally & financially abusive partner (f 45). He is being verbally abused and isolated from the family. They have 2 young boys. He is the primary h/h earner, makes 200K annually. He cannot get ahead between rent, cost of living and out of control spending. I am in a position to help however I don't want to watch him burn up the money & still not get ahead. I am tempted to even offer her money to leave. They have fought in the past with her threatening to leave.

Should I help or wait until she leaves? She may never leave, doesn't have a job. I don't want to see him suffer. Do I wait until he hits rock bottom for a chance at real change to happen? Do I give him the money and explain this is it? TIA

Edit: They are not married, so divorce isn't an option. He will not leave his kids. Yes his spending is a problem too.

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▲ 9 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

[Advice/Support] 18, calling the police for a civil standby to finally leave an abusive home. Am I doing the right thing?

Title: [Advice/Support] 18, about to call the police for a civil standby to leave an abusive home, but I’m terrified. Need outside perspective.

Body:

Hi everyone, I really need some advice and perspective from people outside my household because I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I’m an 18-year-old college student. Things at home have always been toxic under the guise of a "perfect family," but today it escalated to a dangerous level.

An argument started because one of my brothers was getting in trouble, my mom said I was smiling, and I said I wasn't. My dad jumped in, I told him I wasn't arguing and was just giving them the same energy they give me, and things went back and forth. I went upstairs to my room to cool off. While I was walking up, my dad mocked my voice in an annoying tone, so I matched it back. He snapped, called me a "fucking dumbass," and followed me into my room.

I was sitting on my bed. He came right into my face, yelling aggressively. When I stood up to try to get space, he kept getting in my face and hitting my hands/trying to hit me first. I pushed him away to get him off me. He kept shoving me back forcefully, which backed me into a corner and forced me to step on my guitar, snapping it in half. Now they are blaming me, calling me overdramatic, and saying it's my fault the guitar broke.

My mom is now weaponizing my past against me. She’s threatening that she has "evidence" of me getting physical in the past (which only ever happened when my dad cornered and screamed in my face like this). She's bringing up old arguments, acting like I'm a monster. They are also holding all my legal documents—my ID, Social Security card, and birth certificate—so I can't leave freely.

I want to call the non-emergency police line today for a "civil standby" so an officer can keep the peace while I pack a backpack, force them to hand over my documents, and get a courtesy transport to a domestic violence shelter before transitioning into my college dorms.

My dilemma and fears:

  1. My siblings: I have younger siblings, especially a little sister, and I am terrified of losing contact with her or being labeled as "dead to the family" for breaking their trust/leaving.
  2. My safety vs. survival: I've never lived on my own, I don't have a car or a license, and I'm worried about surviving college and life on my own.
  3. The guilt: My parents make me feel like I'm the abusive one for pushing him off me when he cornered me.

Am I making the right choice by calling the cops for a standby and walking away completely today? Has anyone else survived leaving a controlling/abusive household at 18? Any advice or reality checks are appreciated.

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u/After-Pin-3862 — 1 day ago

My sister just got 8 years in jail for her 5th DUI and my dad bailed her out for three months and now it's for nothing because she got sentenced and she broke even more laws while out on bail

I can't believe how freaking dumb my dad is for supporting someone who clearly cannot get better. My sister was on her fifth DUI facing 2 to 50 years in jail and she has been wasting away all of the money she inherited from my mom side of the family when my mom passed away to fight her legal case and stay out of jail for a year, even though sentencing was always looming over her that said the court got sick of her games and made her go to jail and on Mother's Day. my dad bailed her out and I think it was almost half of his entire retirement I think like literally $900,000 and now since she committed crimes against the bail, the state can literally forfeit it from my dad and I just am so upset because my dad has a history of just making really poor decisions, but obviously my sister has a even longer history of not being stable. So it's like not only her mistake, but this affects the outcome of my father's health and longevity as well as as you know anything we would potentially inherit it when my father passes. I don't know anyone who has as fucked up of a family as I do so I just really can't talk to anyone about it so thank you for reading this if you read it. Feeling so many things

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u/HappyGo123456789 — 1 day ago
▲ 16 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+2 crossposts

My mom is being romance scammed. I don’t know what to do.

So my mom has been getting scammed for a couple years now. In October 2025 my dad passes away from stage 4 colon cancer. My dad always worked and provided for me and my mom. He has helped me raise my 3 children as well because their dad is scum. Anyway, when he passed we got some money and I let my mom put it in her savings to keep it safe. She promised me she would keep it there in case she needed it or the kids needed something. She was broke by December but I never said anything because I was grieving and trying to get through life.

My mom and I share a cell phone plan and we split the bill. So my mom promised me she would pay her half of the cell phone bill and she didn’t. I’ve paid the full bill 3 months in a row and I told her I could no longer afford to do that. She messages me yesterday and tell me her home phone and internet are disconnected. So I went over there after work and exploded. I’ve tried talking to her nicely about giving her money away and getting scammed but she doesn’t seem to care. I took her phone and demanded to see her bank statements and she wouldn’t show them to me. I found out she’s let the home owners insurance go and has took out personal loans to keep giving to these scammers. I’m done with it, I can’t keep worrying. The house she lives in is my house, but it’s in a life estate. She can live there until she passes if she wants to. But she doesn’t ever stay there, she will stay there during the day but go spend the night at her sisters. I told her sister what was happening and she confronted her. My mom stopped going over there. Idk what to do. If she isn’t going to live there why not let me have it so I don’t have to pay rent. Why not give all your money to me instead of scammers, why watch your child struggle and your grandchildren.

She’s been scammed out of like 40k that I know of. I told her she could either let me help her and get her out of this situation or she could choose the scammer. She’s not spoke to me in almost a month. It’s like she doesn’t care. She would rather choose this fantasy than have her own family.

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u/brittbritt1122 — 2 days ago
▲ 15 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+4 crossposts

My boyfriend’s family is extremely enmeshed and I genuinely don’t know if our relationship can survive it. Am I overreacting?

I (22F) have been with my boyfriend (25M) for about a year and a half. I love him, but his relationship with his family has become one of the biggest problems in our relationship, and I desperately need outside perspectives because I don’t know what is normal anymore.
When I first met him, he was living independently, and our relationship felt completely different. Eventually he moved back in with his parents and started working for his dad’s business, and since then it feels like his entire life revolves around his family. His work, money, schedule, living situation, and free time are all connected to them. There doesn’t seem to be much separation between “him” and “his family.”
His parents seem very involved in his decisions and his schedule, and it feels like plans between us are constantly dependent on what his family wants or needs. We’re currently long distance, so seeing each other already requires planning. There have been times where we’ve gone weeks or over a month without seeing each other, yet I still feel like creating independent time for our relationship is treated as secondary.
The relationship with his sister is another part that makes me extremely uncomfortable. They are VERY physically affectionate with each other, including cuddling and spooning. I understand siblings can be close and affectionate, but this goes beyond anything I’ve personally seen between adult siblings, and I have tried explaining that it makes me uncomfortable.
The worst incident happened on my birthday. I was already upset because he was cuddling/spooning with his sister. I tried waking him up, and during the situation he smacked me hard enough to give me a black eye. I know physical violence is a separate and serious issue, and I’m not trying to minimize that. It affected the way I see him and his family dynamic, and months later I still haven’t been able to fully get past what happened.
To his credit, his behavior toward me has improved significantly since then, and I have seen changes in him. That’s part of why I’m so conflicted. If everything were horrible all the time, this decision would probably be much easier.
But I still feel like I’m dating someone who hasn’t actually separated from his family as an adult. I don’t expect him to abandon them or stop being close to them. I actually think being close with your family can be a great thing. I just want normal adult boundaries and to feel like our relationship is capable of becoming its own unit.
I’m also starting to resent the situation because I don’t want my future to look like this. I don’t want to spend years waiting for him to become independent, move out, establish financial boundaries, and start making decisions without his family’s involvement.
I also want to acknowledge my own part because I don’t want this to be a completely one-sided post. I’ve handled some of these conflicts badly before. I’ve gotten extremely angry, said things I regret, and allowed my resentment toward his family to build instead of dealing with it productively. I’m working on my own behavior. But even when I remove my reactions from the equation, the underlying family dynamic is still there.
I guess what I’m trying to figure out is:
Is this actually family enmeshment, or am I interpreting a close family through my own discomfort?
For people who have dated or married someone from an enmeshed family, did your partner ever successfully establish boundaries while remaining close to their family?
And most importantly, how do you know when it’s worth waiting for someone to become more independent versus accepting that this is simply the family system you’re signing up for?
I love him, but I’m starting to realize that loving someone and being compatible with the life they currently have might be two different things. I really need outside perspectives.

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u/throwaway72839493 — 2 days ago
▲ 3 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

I NEED HELP, I have anger issues...

Alright, so I have a cousin (16M), I'm (16M) too and to start all of this, last April till June, he lived in my home with my mom because he just came out from the rehab center and he had to attend some court meetings here in my city. So what I am angry about all the time is the moments where he keeps on coming in my head, he always tricks me, for example, he asked me to have my wifi's password because my mom said so but when I asked my mom, she didn't say anything, I got tricked. And another moment is when he tried to steal my laptop at like around 11 PM, luckily I was still awake and then my phone alerted that someone was trying to hack into my google account, so I went to his room (f**k him), he has my laptop and I asked like, "hey! give me my laptop back!" I got it and so I went to my room, and at that moment I had a mental breakdown, I was so angry and I think that was my first time that I had a mental breakdown related to him, and so even when he finally left my house to live with his family in the province, these moments are ALWAYS REPLAYING IN MIND. It's too much that I always have a mental breakdown, whatever I do, I think of him, I always think of revenge and stuff, punching the air and so on. And that is why I need help, please just make him get rid of him from my mind! My mom keeps telling me, simple, just stop thinking about him, well, that doesn't work, those moments are just too much that I keep thinking about it and having mental breakdowns about it, anger issues. So please, does anyone have a tip to help me? I cannot control my anger or my emotions...

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u/Oxygen_inhaler1 — 3 days ago
▲ 11 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

living here is hell

my family is incredibly religious and they hold modesty above basically everything. i started wearing the hijab when i was five, which is insane when i actually think about it because i was literally five. i was a child and i was rushed into making a decision i was nowhere near old enough to understand, and whenever i tried to talk about taking it off later, i was hit and abused for even bringing it up, so eventually i just stopped saying anything. my mom didn’t even start wearing the hijab until she was in her late 30s, so sometimes i genuinely don’t understand how she can expect me to accept being practically forced into something she herself chose as an adult. my dad constantly goes on about how religious and amazing my mom is, but he doesn’t see how she actually treats me when nobody else is around. everything with her is about control, appearances and being praised. she can do no wrong, and neither can my older brother. he’s constantly praised for literally everything while i can do ten things right and they’ll still find the one thing i did wrong. if i’m upset, i’m dramatic. if i’m angry, i’m disrespectful. if i defend myself, i’m ungrateful. somehow every situation always ends up being about how i’ve hurt my mom, even when she’s the one who started it. and yk what’s sm more worse is how different she is around other people. everyone thinks she’s this sweet, religious, selfless mother because that’s exactly what she wants them to think, but at home it’s completely different bcuz there have been literal times i’ve been rushed to the hospital crying and barely holding myself together, and instead of asking if i was okay, they were worried about whether my hair was showing or whether my arms were covered properly. like genuinely, how is that what you’re worried about when your daughter is sitting there sobbing bro? everything is about how we look to other people. they care more about me looking like a good daughter than whether i’m actually okay. my mom talks constantly about how much she sacrifices for us and how much she loves her children, but somehow she never talks about the fear, the guilt, the constant criticism or the fact that i don’t feel like i’m allowed to make decisions about my own life. she wants the perfect daughter and not an actual daughter with her own opinions and feelings. and honestly, i’m just tired of being treated like i’m supposed to be grateful for everything just because they’re my parents bro

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u/hoorisriri — 2 days ago
▲ 1 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

I need help here

So, I need some help here. My parents are being hell of secretive about sh*t. And I am old enough to understand what the hell is happening. So, I think it was somewhere in July, and I’m still pissed off about it. She lied about going to liberty lake and I have a suspicion that she did NOT go to liberty lake. My dad asked her about it and she was hell of suspicious about it when he asked her. I don’t know what the fuck is up with her but today was the day I had enough.

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u/EndStill8406 — 2 days ago
▲ 1 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

I don't know what to do anymore about my cousin (28)

My cousin is 28 and lives with my family since she was born because her parents gave her away and my mother took her in we don't know her dad.

She started borrowing money from me a year and a half ago which was fine when it started because she wasn't living with us at home. But 10 months ago she broke up with her partner and moved back in. We have never been close because she's a horrible person. She constantly bosses my mother around by shouting at her or throwing things or just saying nasty things to her. She borrows money from my mother and never pays her back and she will force my mother to buy her things at the store.

I'm part time employed and make about $410 weekly I pay $80 to my mother for board,$170 for groceries because I'm the only one who buys groceries in the house, $50 for gas for my car. That leaves me around $110 but I also pay WiFi and phone plan monthly which is about $90.

I end up giving her around 40-60 weekly which I know I could just not give her but she will bother and scream and whine to my mother until she gives her money or until I give in to stop her terrorising my mother. She rarely pays me back the full amount but sometimes she will pay me 10 dollars or something.

I desperately want to move out but I just can't save money I'm always broke by pay day. I can't just leave as well because I have a 14y old sister and she will be stuck and not have food in the house if I go.

Both my mother and cousin are addicts and unemployed. They don't even look for jobs there just fully content with how they live their life. I have never done drugs or smoked anything before because I don't ever want to be like them.

My mother won't ever kick her out because she has no place to go and she defends her behaviour by just saying she having a rough time or something. My cousin will terrorise everyone in the house if she doesn't get her way.I feel so stuck in currently looking for full time employment but it's hard rn.

Tldr. My cousin terrorises everyone until she gets money. I can't save any money and I want to have my own life and just do normal stuff.

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u/Old-Requirement-2972 — 3 days ago
▲ 3 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+3 crossposts

AYUDAA EN MI CASA VIVEN UN NINI DROGADICTO Y UNA NINI CON UNA HIJA, NO SE QUE HACER.

Para los que no quieran leer todo el contexto se los resumo:
- Tengo a un primo NiNi y drogadicto viviendo en mi cuarto
- Mi mamá “mantiene” y solapa a mi hermana NiNi de 30 años junto con su hija de dos años y su esposo.
- Tenemos problemas económicos.
- Tengo un papá ausente desde los 10.
- Mi casa está súper desordenada y sucia por mi hermana y mi mamá.

Para los que quieren entender todo y comprender un poquito más ahí les va más explicado. DISCULPEN MI ORTOGRAFÍA Y/O MI DICCIÓN HICE, CONTÉ Y LO ESCRIBÍ COMO PUDE ESPERO SE PUEDA ENTENDER BIEN TODO Y CUALQUIER DUDA LO PUEDO RESPONDER CONNGUSTO.

Soy un chavo de 19 años, estudiante de Ing Mecánica, sencillo y tranquilo desde pequeño eh crecido en humildad y sencillez, nunca me ha faltado ni ropa ni comida pero tampoco eh vivido una vida cercana a una buena vida. A los 10 años mi mamá se separó de mi papá y nos vinimos a un departamento no muy lejos de donde antes vivía, en esa época creo que todo se empezó a romper en mi familia ya que mi hermana sufría muchos problemas con la marihuana, era muy adicta junto con su novio y dejo la universidad en 8tavo semestre, Mi mamá empezó a salir con alguien súper celoso y posesivo y el lugar donde vivíamos tenía algunos signos de carencia, Ante todo eso yo seguí creciendo normal y hasta cierto punto con una mentalidad y forma de ser normal pero conforme fue pasando el tiempo la relación de mi mamá y ese señor se volvía más tóxica y violenta, mi hermana seguía con su adicción y su relación tóxica también junto a su novio y mi mamá la corrió y se fue durante un tiempo pero después regresó a vivir a la misma vecindad donde yo vivo para ese momento la relación de su mamá y el señor ya había terminado pero seguía activa, mi hermana se embarazó de su pareja y tuvieron una hija y pues desde ahi se han súper recargado en mi mamá y la casa, tienen la sala llena de peluches, de ropa, de cajas y ciento de mamadas de su hija, no son capaces de llevárselo a su lugar y si les digo que se lo lleven porque la sala se ve sucia, desordenada y tirada se enojan y se ofenden, mi mamá según ha hablado con ella y le ha dicho pero ha sido en vano, mi mamá desde que terminó esa relación se volvió una mujer depresiva, triste e insegura que no puede hacer nada por ella misma y que tampoco quiere limpiar y ordenar el lugar donde ella vive.

Aquí viene lo que ya me harto y no soporto hasta la fecha, MI PRIMO este wey no es ni mi primo, es primo de mi primo pero desde muy chavitos siempre nos hemos juntado y salido juntos y desarrollamos una relación de hermandad porque si lo quiero y lo aprecio, él desde siempre ha sido un huevon y un burro, ni lo culpo ni lo juzgo mucho ya que a su papá lo desaparecieron de pequeño porque andaba en malos pasos y su mamá es una prostituta que a los 12 lo abandono con mis tíos porque ya no lo quería cuidar. se salió de la universidad marzo de este año porque reprobó todo el primer semestre e iba a entrar ahorita en agosto a otra universidad pero dijo “no, ya no quiero entrar ni estudiar, voy a trabajar” pero el wey no ha pisado un trabajo desde que se salió de la universidad en marzo. Hace poco lo corrieron de su casa porque lo encontraron con su novia y su abuelo lo corrió y pues obviamente se vino para acá lleva aproximadamente un mes aquí y no hace nada, solo fuma marihuana con sus amigos y NO PIENSA HACER NADA CON SU VIDA, yo ya no puedo soportarlo aquí necesito estar solo y enfocarme en hacer lo mío aparte de que es súper sucio, usa la misma ropa varios días, no se lava la boca y no hace nada en general y si le digo algo de su manera de ser TAMBIÉN SE ENOJA ALV. justo ayer lo acompañé junto con unos amigos a fumar a la playa pero justo al llegar unos oficiales en una mula (un pequeño rzr con caja) se nos acercaron avr q rollo y este wey pues en el carro huimos, lvdd que a mi no me sentó bien y no me gustó la experiencia pero para él fue una experiencia extasiaste y divertida y obviamente se sintió tony montana y lo quiere y lo repetirá.

Yo ya no se que hacer, salgo a la sala de mi pequeña casa y está tirada, ropa de mi sobrina en todos los sofás, juguetes y peluches arrimados en las paredes, comida que tira la niña en el suelo, trastes sucios, ropa sucia de mi hermana, mi sobrina y mi cuñado, entro a mi cuarto y hay un cabrón de 19 años que no quiere estudiar ni trabajar solo fumar marihuana con sus amigos y sentirse tony montana y una mamá que no puede o no tiene el valor de correr a mi hermana y su suciedad de nuestra casa, Yo no sé qué hacer con mi primo, ya que el wey nos ve como su lugar seguro pero no mamen no puedo tener a una persona así en mi cuarto y menos en mi vida, cuando yo estudio y estoy buscando un trabajo para poder apoyar a mi mamá cuando él su abuela le manda mucho dinero y no pone ni una media tapa de huevo para esta casa donde vive.

Yo no sé qué hacer, les puedo jugar que puedo limpiar, barrer, acomodar, trapear toda mi casa por la mañana y en la noche ya estará tirada, sucia y desecha, mi mamá no hará nada en contra de todo esto y yo no sé qué hacer con mi primo, yo no tomo, no me drogo ni fumo mariguana, si fumo tabaco normal pero muy poco y de vez entonces no refugiaré mi desgracia en nada de adicciones pero no sé qué hacer, yo quiero desarrollarme y crecer como persona y profesional pero no puedo hacer nada en este ambiente, no tengo a nadie que me pueda recibir y vivir en su casa y irme a vivir solo tampoco es una opción el estudio, el trabajo y los gastos me matarían.

Espero se pueda entender mi situación, cualquier duda la contestaré, espero que alguien me pueda ayudar y orientar sobre mi situación les deseo lo mejor a todos y gracias por tomarse el tiempo de leer.

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u/17enBoi — 3 days ago
▲ 6 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

I think my brother is evil

So my dad passed away 7-8 years ago and ever since my mom and brother haven’t been the same.
My brother almost forced me to marry a guy i never consented to marry, i saved my life before it was too late. Now he just doesn’t let me use my dad’s salary even my mom is on his team. She saves up for him and his kids. Keep in mind im a (22f) graduated from university and just grounded at home.

Im not even allowed to go out with my own sister, i am losing all my friends because i never go out with them. My brother acts all conservative and fills up my moms brain with rubbish. I cant go to the movies, i cant go out to have dinner, i cant do anything u can think of, fuck i cant even marry the guy i love btw.

In all of this, i think my brother has a bigger secret he is hiding from everyone, because we know nothing about his life outside, we only know what he tells us. I tried going through his phone but i never found anything thta caught my attention although it would be too quick cuz he would come into the room soon before i get to anything deep in his phone, he both leaves and doesnt leave his phone around???.. idk but i feel like theres something that would explain his anger issues, his grudges and his hate.

Help me figure him out, hes too hateful and doesnt let anyone speak

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u/Spiritual-Tax-7578 — 3 days ago
▲ 17 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+2 crossposts

Husband Exposed Me

I’ve been married almost 2 years and me and my husband recently had a major fight in which we said a lot to each other, his mums ruined my life basically so whilst HE was swearing at me I responded with “your mum” since then the whole family fued has been “she swore at my mum” “she swore at me” the mums jumped on the bandwagon to suck up to her son who she always talks shir about.

NOW. Since then husbands anger he’s exposed every single thing between us, every argument, every word I’ve said, literally anything and everything and they want me to justify it with “anger”

I don’t think I can ever forgive him, I don’t think I can ever trust him, I don’t think I can ever look at him the same, I don’t think I can even stand to be around him.

We are in talks of divorce, is this unforgivable as I believe it is or am I being dramatic?

He’s tried to turn everyone against me, on top of that his mum has tried to do the same it’s like mother like son they’re literally acting as evil as each other. They’ve even tried to get my own mum against me by exposing and twisting my words I’ve mentioned around them.

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u/No_Gap_1324 — 4 days ago
▲ 22 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+1 crossposts

Physical abuse

I'm female, over 20 years old.

weeks ago my parents physically abused me. To explain this shortly, I was in my room when I heard my sister screaming in pain, my father was beating her with a charger wire for answering him back and being "disrespectful" without thinking I interfered to stop this and I wanted to take her out of there he stopped me and said "you won't love her better than me to act like u care by saving her from me". I disgarded him and try to push my way in while he threatened to beat me up if I don't go.

I managed to take my sister but mother didn't like that I'm protecting my sister and not her so she made drama out of it. My father came again because of the argument I had w mom and he told my sister to not sit with me and go to her room while she refused he dragged her up the stairs by her arms and then by her hair pulling so hard I almost thought he'll end up snatching her hair out of her scalp,then he hit her with a strong fist in her back (my sister is so small and weak for her age). I immediately jumped to stop him whole holding his hand and trying to let him go of her, he grabbed me by my hair and twisted my head down the stairs trailing, while slapping me so hard both sides of my face continuesly while saying things that I couldn't even comprehend by the shock I felt and the ringing sound in my ear Cuz of the slaps.

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u/that_angrydaughter2 — 4 days ago
▲ 7 r/ToxicFamilyMembers+3 crossposts

Should I be responsible for cleaning my dogs mess in the kitchen each time my family members leave the doggy gate open that I installed to keep them out?

My family makes me clean torn up trash in the kitchen all the time after they leave the doggy gates open. I worked hard installing the gates and have been suffering with tendinitis in my wrists and thumbs ever since from the installation process. My brother especially constantly leaves the gates open and so does his kids who are 5 and 6. I’m on the fence because everyone views the dogs as my dogs. The one that causes trouble is technically my dad’s because he chose him and paid for him even though I didn’t want him, and I wanted an older dog from a shelter. This sounds maybe harsh but I wanted a 12 year-old dog so that if a second dog was too much for me when they passed away, I wouldn’t get another one. But my dad decided along with many other people in the house to get a puppy that I did not want. I eventually took the puppy under my wing because I didn’t really like how my family went about taking care of him. I’ve been his sole caretaker since. And I do often claim him to be my dog now even though my dad still says he’s gonna take him when I move so yes, he’s kind of my dog that causes the trouble, even though in a way, he’s not. But I feel like it’s unfair to expect me to clean up after every mess that my family causes involving them. My siblings were just upset at me and talking junk amongst each other about me not wanting to clean the mess in the kitchen because one of my brother’s kids left the gate open while I was upstairs.
Should I just clean all of these messes each time or should I hold other people responsible for what they do? I feel like if I keep cleaning up after messes, they cause, they will never start closing the gate because they don’t care that it falls on me. I feel like if they need to start cleaning up the messes, they will start closing the gate, but my family is very toxic and emotionally abusive as well and I’m sort of the black sheep that they pick on collectively. Thoughts?

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u/Soft_Intention_5882 — 5 days ago