Dear Prudence,
My parents divorced when I was 5 years old. I have a strong and loving
relationship with both my parents and each has remarried and started new
families, which means I have much younger half siblings, whom I also
love dearly. My father and stepmother never helped me financially
through college, though their house and lifestyle would lead me to
believe they could have. I worked to pay for college, lived at home, and
made excellent grades. But I am saddled with over $100,000 in school
debt. Now my younger sister has started college. My father and
stepmother have been paying a significant amount of her tuition, are
helping with day-to-day expenses, and encouraging her to study abroad.
She's stated that she’s been told "school is her job" and she doesn’t
have to work. I feel like I need to distance myself and cool off, but
still want to share with my father how unfair this all seems to me. How
do I deal with the anger and resentment I feel toward my sister and the
"second family"?
—Frustrated First Daughter