i feel like i couldve done something.

[Confused]

Well first of all I just wanted to say that my parents aren't abusive. But they sometimes lose their temper. On that topic my younger sister came home from school with really bad grades and in my house keeping up good grades is a must because neither of my parents did and they regret it. So my mom yells at her. She didn't get hit in this instance but the next day she forgets her homework so my mom very angrily takes her to school to get it. Then today she forgot her homework again and this is where it got bad. My mom yelled at the top of her lungs at her and grabbed her by the hair and started yanking her. Then she kept yelling at her and then proceeded to spank her as hard as she possibly could several times . After that my sister continued crying and they went back to school to get the homework after my sister went to wash her face. I just sat there and did nothing. I pretended not to see it but I wanted to stop it. Yet I did nothing. I hate myself . I could've done something but I didn't and I feel like a complete worthless piece of trash. I'm her older sister I should've done something. My mom normally isn't like that it takes a lot for her to do that. But I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know who to talk to. What should I do?

[ccsmod7]

Re: i feel like i couldve done something.

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us. It must have been really difficult to witness your mom hurting your younger sister. No one deserves to undergo being physically hurt. Home should feel safe and comfortable. It’s good to hear that this isn’t a regular occurrence in your home, but that doesn’t make it okay for your mom to hurt your sister.

It sounds like your mom being mad at your sister about homework has been pretty regular lately. It sounds like her actions upset you and you want someone you can talk to about it. Maybe there’s a relative, a friend, or school counselor/teacher. We are happy to discuss with you your situation in more detail if you would like to give us a call. Because it sounds like your situation has some to do with abuse. You might also find helpful the resource Child Help USA: 1-800-422-4453 or https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. They might be able to talk with you about options.

Maybe talking with your sister about how she’s doing and feeling given what she’s been through would be helpful to her. Sometimes knowing that someone is there and cares can make her feel supported during these stressful times at home. We would be happy to talk to you about that also if you contact us directly.

We hope these options are useful we hope to hear from you through phone or our online chat.

Best of luck,
NRS