Dear Prudence,
My roommate is driving me insane. He is a slob who leaves dirty clothes and dishes everywhere. He is also always bumming money off of me. I don’t work frequently because of my health, and when I am sick he still expects me to be his maid! Every time I ask him to do the smallest task, he drags his feet and whines about not having the time to do it. When I tell him I’m tired of seeing him leave a mess everywhere, he responds by saying I’m not his mother! I am so close to telling him, “No, I’m not your mother, but I damn sure feel like I am!”
Here’s the kicker: He’s my older brother. We both still live at home with our parents. I do so out of necessity; he does so because he’s a mooch who wants to be a kid forever. He thinks giving our parents 50 bucks a week exempts him from chores. Meanwhile, our parents, who work long hours, still find the time to clean and do laundry at night and on weekends while he gallivants off to spend all his money and have a good time. My parents are enabling him to never move out, get married, or get a real job. I am sick of feeling like I am mothering my nearly 30-year-old brother and then being told off as though it’s my fault he doesn’t clean up after himself. My blood pressure cannot take this much longer. Please help me deal with my jerk of a brother!
—Adult Toddler