Family ties

[Leigh]

Hi friends, I need advice. My SO has been supporting his aunt and two cousins for a while now. They are taking advantage of him because he is so kind hearted. We talked about it and he agrees with me. The problem is how to break it to his family who has been dependent on him for their support?

[agentholli]

Thats a tough one. He is going to have to be just really blunt, so they won't have any question in the end if he meant this or that.

[LadyMarchHare]

Are we talking financial support? If any of them are capable of holding a job to pick up slack, that's what needs to happen. I agree with Holli in that he should be very straightforward about discontinuing said support or even halving it so that they get no choice but to fill in themselves. I can understand if at one point they really were in need, but sometimes when others step in to help they get used to it and string it out as long as they can, especially with family. I have a cousin whose parents still buy her groceries and give her "loans" for her rent because she refuses to get her act together and thinks the world owes her something other than oxygen, and this woman is in her mid-thirties.

[Leigh]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. It was very helpful. Leigh