An Open Letter to My Aunt and Uncle

Subject: An Open Letter to My Aunt and Uncle
From: Anonymous
Date: 4 Jan 2018

It has been about a year since you moved in again. Why do I always find myself saying that? I have been alive for eighteen years, and yet it seems like you guys have been living with us for more than half that.

Around two years ago, you two made one of the most boneheaded moves I ever could have imagined. You sold your house, bought a camper, and wanted to "live off the land". This is coming from people who live off of the internet and must take everything the easy way. All you had to pay on your house was utilities and taxes.

I still wonder to this day exactly why you sold that house. It's not like it was just you two. You still had a fourteen-year-old girl and an eight-year-old girl with you. You still had to look out for them. You promised them again that everything would be fine.

It was only fine because your parents stepped in.

For three weeks while you tried to gather the courage to go to Colorado, you stayed in your camper in our backyard. You stayed in Colorado for two weeks, and then we saw your camper in our yard again because you couldn't go without Methadone.

I still remember the thing your father told me as that camper was leaving. He told me "25 bucks says we will see that camper again in less than a month."

I didn't realize how correct that statement would be.

Now, almost two years have passed since that day you came back. I knew almost instantly what that meant. You were here, and this time you were going to stay. I told my grandparents "you realize this is gonna be for the long haul, I don't expect them to ever move out." They told me they would be out in a couple of months. The one time in my life I wished I was wrong, turned out to be the one time in my life I was completely right.

You moved out for about three months into a camper lot, and then you came right back to this house. You have been here ever since. Not only did you guys move back in, but you pretty much commanded the special treatment. You kicked everyone out of the bathrooms because you wanted to use them, you took all the soda out of our fridge, and you basically made your parents pay for all of your bills.

I am still in High School, but when I get settled down in my career, I fully intend on giving them back EVERYTHING they gave to me. Uncle (who should remain anonymous), you're almost forty, and you let them treat you and your family like you're ten. I know growing up that since we were raised by the same people, we called each other bro, but that doesn't make us the same age.

Another huge wrong you have done is basically ruin your younger daughter. You older daughter was smart, she left and went somewhere else to live. She is learning valuable information about how to raise kids and be the mother of a household there.

What is your youngest daughter learning? That she can marry an old rich man and get their life savings by having a good personality alone? She has not been to school a day in her life, not even online, and she just turned nine last month. I was reading the Pendragon book series when I was that age.

I have offered to attempt to teach her basic reading and writing myself, but she downright refuses to learn anything except what kind of video her favorite youtuber posts that day. Your mother cannot stick up for you forever. My other uncle noticed her not learning hardly anything in nine years, and he asked your mother about it. She told him "She's smart because she watches youtube all day." Do you consider that smart? I could ask her how to spell a word like "empire" and odds are she will completely ignore me and go back to watching DanTDM or someone like that.

I do not write this letter out of contempt, I just want you to see the stress you are putting on both your parents and myself for continuing to live here. You have a job, Uncle. You make more money than your parent's do but yet they still support you. All your mom does is sleep, work, and wake up from her sleep to let you guys in to use the bathroom. All you do is work as well, Uncle. Take some pride and find something to show for it. You're not a bad man, just a bad adult. I remember you telling me that if you could change one thing, you would finish high school so you weren't in a situation like this. I believe you, but its hard to because actions speak louder than words and you're still here.

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