My parents are always fighting and me and my siblings are always caught in cross fire, what do I do?
i have 5 male siblings and im the only girl. my oldest brother is my half brother cz my mom is remarried and i found out beginning of high-school year but that didn't change anything between us. we werent ever each others comfort people but i always treated him like my brother and that hasn't changed. there was a day when my oldest brother and 2nd oldest brother got into a fight and it got VERY heated and my 2nd brother out of anger told my oldest brother "u not even my full brother f off" and my mom found out and was REALLYY pissed. ofc she'd be angry that was wrong of him to say but ever since that day she's been singling us all the time and saying we jealous of my older brother and shii.
you might be wondering where the parents come in?? my mom and dad are divorced thank god, but they still co parent. we live w my mom and my dad's useless he doesn't do anything nor pay for anything even tho he DEFINITELY has the funds for it. my father use to single out my moms first child from her late husband and it was a sensitive topic for her. there was this one time my dad brought shoes for one of my siblings(prolly only thing he bought for us everrr) and my mom said what abt my oldest brother and he said "thats not my son so why do i care" since that day my mom decided to start her business and make sure her son doesn't need our father. she's successful now and makes funds to support us.
sure she has been thru alot more than what ive stated but me(15,F) feel suffocated in this house, Im the only girl in a house filled w males and the stereotypes they play into in an african Muslim household is even stronger.when there's no helper in our house im the one doing most of the chores if not everything and ontop of that my mom wants me helping at her shop everyday. I've always tried reasoning w my mom that doing school and helping at her stores and cleaning is not ok, theres a helper half the time so maybe im just being ungrateful cz ALL I asked her was can she atleast pay me a little for everything I do and she sees it as me not gna do anything for her unless I'm paid
my mom wants to be modern and seem very independent infront of everyone but with us its different. she's always hurling insults at me and can never stand for me to be called pretty. she also keep saying im useless and not worthy of doing anything for. my dad doesn't pay for anything LITERALLY not even scl fees and my mom does. but lately she's been threatening us saying that I don't do anything and whats the point of paying school fees, i believe she wouldnt do it but you never know w ts family. she's generous towards everyone but her own kids, theres even a random lady living in my room cz my mom wants to be viewed as a saint.
there was this one time my half sister came over for ONE night and she barely comes ever, one a yr maybe. and I told my mom and she was like "ok sleep w me in my room cz she has queen sized bed" and i have a twin bed so I was like no i wanna sleep w my sister and she just jumped onto the idea i was tryna tell her to kick out the aunt from my room. whole time i was suggesting if we could switch rooms for a night cz shed do it for other ppl. I couldn't even explain and she thinks I'm being bitchy but I will agree I don't appreciate random in the house ESPECIALLY my room when I'm a teen that needs privacy.
my dad makes it worse by just speaking rubbish and aggegating my mom and i genuinely feel very unsafe in my house ,i hate socialising w my family and im so much happier not around them. even her compliments are backhanded. my dad's crazy against uni and my mom doesnt mind so all ik is as soon as I graduate im leaving ,thats been my dream for the longest time. i genuinely hate speaking to her cz she's gna make it abt herself and i grew up very avoidant so i dont know how to manage emotions. i just need to escape to another country cz they against it and live my own life. I have ZERO freedom rn even going out w my friends EVEN families is like a miracle.
I need help and idk anyone I could ever tell this too without being vulnerable, please any advice and recognition would be appreciated
Posted Apr 7, 2026, 11:26 AM UTC