r/family•
Glad-Dig2778

My guardian (33F) and I (18F) haven't spoken in over a month - how do I break the ice without making things worse?

Hi. I'm going to briefly explain my living situation before asking for advice on how to talk with my guardian again.

I (18F) have been living with my guardian (33F) for about 3 years now, and we haven't really spoken to each other in over a month. It makes me feel bad and ignored, but I don't know how to talk to her since it's been a while. Every time she comes home, I can't predict what mood she'll be in. She's told me before that she's "fine" or "not angry" when she comes home, but she clearly doesn't show that she's kind of like a storm cloud, so I don't know what to expect or what happened that day. I can't ask her about it for fear of making her more upset.

Background: I'm a kid from multiple living situations. I lived with my dad full-time until age 11, when his business closed and he couldn't support me anymore, so my mom and stepdad took me in. At 15, they got divorced, so my mom and I moved to Texas. Her mental state got so bad that I had to be placed in another home at 16.

I got to move in with family on my mom's side that I didn't know well, but I'm glad they took me in. My guardian and her husband were really nice, until unfortunately, he turned out to be an alcoholic. One night, he came home and beat her pretty badly. So instead of a house, we're currently living in a two-bedroom apartment with really good security. We have a one-year protection order against him, so he can't try anything.

Since the move, she's been different and indifferent, which I get because she went through a lot with him. But it also feels like she's ignoring me, and I don't know what to do. I kind of get jumpy when she comes out of her room, like I flinch or jump when I don't mean to. She doesn't really talk to me anymore.

When we went to court and won the protection order, she was really happy, and we got to hang out for the first time in a while. We went to In-N-Out to celebrate. Afterwards, I suggested we could go thrift shopping (she likes that), or go to parks that have cats, or go to movies. But we never did any of those things, which makes me feel like she just forgot (which isn't necessarily bad), but it does make me wonder if maybe she just didn't want to hang out?

We both come from bad homes, so, understandably, we don't know how to exactly interact with each other. Don't get me wrong, I love my guardian, but I just don't know how to feel about this whole situation.

I have one idea, though: I was thinking of inviting her to the Pride parade they're having in my city. I'm going with friends, and I have no idea what she'll say or if she'll be free, but maybe it could be a good opportunity?

How do I approach her? I feel like my presence is unwanted, but I don't want to make things worse. Any advice on how to approach this situation would be really appreciated! <3

Posted Aug 14, 2025, 12:36 AM UTC

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