No you are not. Just because someone labeled you that doesn't make it true. I would call you the smart one. Btw, you don't have to participate in theses conversations. There is always some reason to get off the phone or lose an email

I might not be labeled that if I could actually explain myself, but I took too long gathering my thoughts and mum told me to call her back when I was done being pissy. The fact that she started off the phone call with "are you still pissy?" Didn't help.

To compound things, I got my period this morning, and now I'm afraid I fucked things up because I can't control my own hormones and irrational feelings.

Can anyone control hormonal feelings? I thought the point of it was that they are out of control.

If you want to soothe your mother, blame your period, but she sounds like the type who would then embark on a long, stupid lecture on how to manage your period. I'm afraid I would take the "call me when you stop being pissy" to mean "Cool, there's one less duty phone call I have to make for the foreseeable future."

I figured my weekend out! I am at the office now, after seeing my father and having lunch at BK. Then tomorrow I can go apple picking and skip seeing dad, and then see him Monday! Perf. Now to actually get some work done....

I'm afraid I would take the "call me when you stop being pissy" to mean "Cool, there's one less duty phone call I have to make for the foreseeable future."

Yes, this.

Juliebird, I cannot emphasize this enough: you are not the bad guy in this situation. You left a toxic situation, and it at once doesn't matter that it was family, because survivors do what they have to do, and it DOES matter that it's family, because you love your mom and younger brother. It's a really difficult position to be in, especially, as it seems to me, no one else in the family has got your back

It's a horrible situation to be put in, and I'm sorry that you're in it, but you did the right thing.

Anne, you rest yourself up and get your feet back under you. You can't help anyone if you yourself are knocked flat on your ass. I'll watch for an email when you're ready.

Juliebird, I cannot emphasize this enough: you are not the bad guy in this situation. You left a toxic situation, and it at once doesn't matter that it was family, because survivors do what they have to do, and it DOES matter that it's family, because you love your mom and younger brother. It's a really difficult position to be in, especially, as it seems to me, no one else in the family has got your back

It's a horrible situation to be put in, and I'm sorry that you're in it, but you did the right thing.

All of this, a thousand times.

Juliebird, Strix said it. You did nothing wrong, and your family is putting you in a terrible position. Your parents are putting themselves in a terrible position, and don't seem to realize it.

Sometimes it's healthier for you to walk out of a bad situation, regretfully but righteously, to make it clear you're not bluffing about your needs.

I seriously wonder if your mother has some vision of a perfect family, where if she just gets you all together under one roof for a weekend, that your brother will be OK, and damn all the consequences, like unhappy other children. It's not your duty to help her chase after a dream that's not going to happen, at the expense of your own emotional well-being.

You were right to walk out. Your mom has a right to be unhappy, but it's on her for putting you in that position, and prizing your drunk brother's happiness far above his siblings.

I just spent half an hour finishing up some training that I needed to catch up with at work that I can access from home. I'm not sure if I feel grown-up or beat-down.