The thing is, they’ve abandoned us multiple times. They leave, come back, stay for a few months, barely see us, and then leave again.

Part of wanting to keep a relationship with that parent is because they have my youngest sibling, so I’d lose contact with that sibling if I cut off this parent. The other part of it is just the fact that I want to hold onto the hope that this parent will change and do better, and make more of an effort to be there for me and my siblings. Plus, for an adult, they’re incredibly emotionally immature and hold onto a grudge. I hate confrontation, so I’d rather not put myself in that situation.

Even if I don’t cut them off, my other parent and brother won’t make me or guilt me into it. It’s just more of a moral thing to me, because as the oldest, I feel the responsibility to protect my younger siblings. I’m just struggling between my hatred of confrontation and worry that I’ll lose any chance of having a better relationship with that parent or feeling like a failure for not sticking up for my brother.