Long, long term lurker. I am very nervous about posting this but I guess I have reached an age where thoughts of a future without my mum and dad and how my older sister will cope preoccupy me.
I am worried that when my parents are no longer alive I will need to take on the parent-role for my sister. Is it wrong of me to feel dread about this?
For context:
I do not live in the same country as my parents and my sister.
My sister lives with my parents, she is 50 years old
She is 2 years older than me but growing up everybody thought I was the older child as I appeared to have more confidence.
My sister has never had any kind of relationship
She has a job and a fairly active social life but she is very naïve about life and can be taken advantage of easily.
Around 10 years ago she racked up £20,000+ in bank fees. Mostly because she never read her mail from the bank and fees mounted. This has now all been paid back but gives you a measure of her financial awareness.
She is an incredibly kind person.
She is obese and 2 years ago had a stroke - she has done little to change her lifestyle despite having to have surgery for a heart monitor.
My parents and sister live completely enmeshed lives, I would consider my mum to have NPD traits - certainly it was clear to me growing up that I was the odd-one-out in the family as I cared about my appearance and conduct outside the house. We were ridiculed a lot by friends and peers about what we wore/how overweight we were/how untidy and dirty our house was. This has made me incredibly sensitive to comments and looks from other people when I do go out with my sister and parents (my Mum is very loud when out and about and loves being centre of attention).
At around 10 years old I heard my mum telling my aunt that my sister was her favourite. I remember feeling absolutely crushed.
I had a very tense relationship with my mum as a teenager - I was made to feel bad if I went out with friends without taking my older sister with me.
I resent that my parents have done nothing to encourage my sister to live an independent life and the conclusion as I see it will that they will die and I will be left to worry about my sister living alone in another country. Worse she will have another stroke and be permanently debilitated.
Do you think this feeling of resentment and worry is normal? Does anybody else have a sibling who has never led an independent life even though they appear to be able to function as an adult, hold down a job etc? Am I selfish to think about myself and how my sister's and parent's life-long choices will affect me in the future?
Thank you for getting this far - any insight gratefully appreciated!