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My sibling refuses to live life. Our [60+] parents want to retire... Any advice?
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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The dynamic feels weirdly uneven. Parents insist they are trapped, but keep fluffing the safety net. Sibling insists on opting out of everything, but enjoys electricity, food, and a roof that someone else maintains. The older sibling sits in the middle, watching two adults complain while enabling, and one adult child treats life like a lobby they never check out of.
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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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The fear about the future is not abstract here. If nothing changes, the next step is not just delayed retirement, it is two aging parents trying to pay for themselves and an adult who still behaves like a dependent when they need support.
Sometimes the hardest part is accepting that no one can drag a person into their own life, only step out of the role that makes standing still so comfortable.
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Unemployed 23-year-old delays parents' retirement by refusing work or school, leaving older sibling worried they will still be dependent when parents need care: ‘My parents complain to me but do not choose to do anything’
Many families get a golden child and a scapegoat. This one somehow ended up with a third category: permanent houseplant with WiFi. A 23-year-old who has never worked, never moved, and treats adulthood like an optional side quest someone else can click through.
The parents are in their 60s, staring down retirement, still funding a three-person household when the math was supposed to shrink, not expand. They vent to the older sibling, lose sleep over the situation, then quietly keep paying for it. It is like sponsoring an exchange student who never exchanges, just stays.
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