“We grew up poor. We were on every form of government...

“We grew up poor. We were on every form of government assistance. I grew up in a world where I could never predict what would happen or when it would happen. It was chaos all the time. I did all I could to get out. I made good grades. I went to college. But my mother and sister are still there—working minimum wage jobs, smoking a lot of weed, and making the same mistakes over and over again. There’s no recognition of a pattern. I finally decided that I’m happier when I avoid contact. I don’t enjoy talking to them on the phone. I don’t enjoy visiting. They are both so miserable in their own lives, and it brings me down, so I just stay away. I guess my mother tried in her own way. But that’s not enough for me.”