My parents yell at me for things I didn't do! My brother gets away with everything, like hitting, slapping, and he even bit my head! But he makes me run to my room and start to cry. The worst part is, my dad will blame it on me.

I feel like they don’t care and I even thought about running away. What should I do?

Hey girl! Having siblings can be hard, especially when it comes to sibling rivalry and thinking your parents are being unfair. Sometimes we think they are being unfair, but they don’t realize it.

Let your parents know how it makes you feel when they punish you for actions you didn’t do while your brother gets away with it. Getting blamed is no fun...especially if you didn't do anything wrong in the first place. Just make sure you aren’t doing anything that you can get in trouble for, such as hitting your bro back (even though you might think you are justified in lashing out, don't! It'll only make things worse and then your parents WILL have a reason to blame you for doing something bad). Hopefully they see that they shouldn’t be punishing you unless they see with their own eyes you doing something wrong.

Your bro might continuously hit you and bug you because he knows you'll cry or get angry. Instead of giving him a reaction, keep it cool. When he starts to hit you or say mean things to you, walk away. Go somewhere safe, like the bathroom or your bedroom and shut, even lock, the door. This gives you a chance to cool down and it lets him know you aren’t going to deal with his actions anymore. Unfortunately, his behavior probably won’t change, even if your parents talk to him (I know this from experience) so the best thing you can do is to ignore him. Eventually he will stop.

If you talked to your parents and they still aren’t treating you fairly, talk to a close aunt or grandparent and tell them what’s going on. Maybe they have some advice to give, or maybe they will talk to your parents and let them know how upset their actions are making you. It’s always good to have one relative or close friend you know you can talk to. Not only is it good because they might be able to talk to your parents, but you have an outlet for getting out your frustrations.

Home life can be super-stressful, especially during the teen years (when lot’s of fighting happens!). Whatever you do, don’t run away. That will only cause a lot of worry (believe it or not) and even more fighting and tension. If you approach the situation in a mature way (talking calmly to your parents, rather than accusing or yelling) then hopefully they will realize they have been treating you unfairly. Also, remember to never resort to hitting your brother back. You’re better than that! Keep your head up and remember everything will work out.

1/16/2010 7:00:00 AM