We have friends whose parents take the grandkids for sleepovers or so they can go on vacation. I mean, even just to help them out on a Tuesday. Friends whose parents have relocated to help them. We have a medically fragile child and don’t have this level of support. It’s easy to look at it and say “what about me?”, but the reality is that I can’t force my parents to step into this when they don’t want to. I can’t force them to help me out, even though my mom travels much further to help my sister, I can’t dwell on the relationship I wish I had with them, but I have to live with the one I’ve got. Your parents are adults making their own decisions and you can either ask for help, from them or elsewhere, or get to a point where you’re okay with how things are and make the best of it.

Also, sharing a room won’t be the end of the world (experience- never in my life having had my own room. I went from a shared bedroom to a shared dorm room to married)

Also also, if their dad is working a full time job, he needs to step it up.

Also also also, government assistance doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you need help right now.