Parentified Eldest Sibling Is Tired Of Taking Care Of Three Family Dogs While His Siblings Sit Around And Yell At Him About Vet Appointments
Parents sometimes use pets to teach their children about responsibility. Kids love the idea of having a cat or dog but have no idea how much work they can be.
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The actual test of their devotion to their new pets begins once the novelty wears off. This is when they realize that their new best pal is fully reliant on them for everything.
Some kids thrive and step to the plate while others tap out & the pet-related chores ultimately fall on the parents. In this family, all three children are supposed to be responsible for each of their dogs.
The reality is, the 19-year-old eldest brother takes the lion's share of the tasks. His 14-year-old sibling Eli misses most of the chores but they do pamper and spoil their dog a lot.
OP's biggest headache is his 17-year-old sister Kate who has a Shih Tzu dog. She doesn't groom him, clean his ears, frequently forgets to feed him, and doesn't even take him out to do his business.
All of the chores OP's two siblings neglect automatically becomes his. He loves their dogs and doesn't want them to suffer so he grits his teeth, then takes care of them.
Kate's dog got an ear infection she didn't even know about until OP told her about it. He took him to the vet along with his dog and got both of their medicines.
Kate didn't take the infection seriously
OP was the only one who cared enough to make sure the dog's ear infection medication is applied on time
OP was supposed to come back to the vet with both dogs but saw that his dog's skin infection was healed
He decided to take the shih tzu by himself but he was immediately yelled at by Kate and Eli when he was just about to eat lunch
They were mad at him for not taking Kate's dog to the vet at noon
OP said the dog wasn't his responsibility and it's ridiculous that he basically had to force her to give a damn about him. OP told Kate he won't take her dog to the doctor anymore but he feels bad for the dog because it's not his fault his owner is irresponsible.
OP is right to say that the dog is not his responsibility but if his sister continues to do nothing, OP has to take the dog to the vet because he doesn't deserve to be in pain
OP has to get their parents involved because this should not be his battle to fight
Kate is just looking for an excuse instead of doing the responsible thing because she knows OP cares about the dog too much to not take him to the vet
All the yelling in the house did not alert them of the fight among their kids
OP said their parents were preoccupied with Holiday preparations to mediate between the three
They have to address the problem now that Thanksgiving is done. They shouldn't enable Kate's immaturity and lack of responsibility.
They have allowed this mess to go on for too long and it is up to them to teach Kate how to be an adult
It's not right that OP is made to act like a parent to Kate and Eli just to make them take care of their dogs
OP did the right thing and made sure the dog's infection was taken care of. All Kate had to do was bring her back for a follow up but she dragged her feet with a task as simple as that.
It's easy to tell OP to stick to his guns and bear the scolding his parents might subject him to. He is a college student who lives at home and still depends on his parents for a lot of things.
However, his parents need to realize that they are being unfair. They expect OP to do everything without complaint while they allow Kate and Eli to skate by — the Redditors are right that the parents need to intervene.