Thank Goodness.....but

Thankfully I do not have a gambling problem. Unfortunately over the past two years I have watched a family go from everything to nothing. This is my brother, his girlfriend and their daughter. I didn't realize what was happening but got approached about 2 years ago to help cover a bad check that my brother was going to go to jail if he didn't cover. It was $600. I did. Then I heard he returned his daughters winter coat for a cheaper one so he had money to go. I didn't understand what go... meant. Over the past year I have seen their car and their motorcycle repo'd. I paid to get their car back but I get calls from the same company daily about attempting to get their car again. I have bought the necessities for their daughter for a good year now. It is to the point where the school calls me for lunch money for her. I firmly believe that this is going to be their way of life until the rock bottom. I have learned to just add their daughter in with my school supply shopping or holiday shopping. I feel bad for her. I do understand the addiction. My brother talked me into going with him a few times. I have lost. But on one hand I turned $30 into $500 and $18 into $400. This has only caused me to think about going everytime I want more money. But I don't go. Why I am blogging about this is I have decided not to help them anymore. Over the last two years, easily, I have loaned them over ten grand. Not including all the clothes, halloween costumes and what not. Plus I have an extra kid here all the time. My children have become hateful towards their daughter and it's a catfight all the time. She hears things her parents say and she rubs them in my kids face. This causes me to think "oh yeah" well your parents never do what they say and we're gonna do it without you" though I never do this. I don't have the heart. Last year in August I told myself this was going to stop. It was a Sunday and I was taking my kids to the fair. I knew already that my brother had lost alot of money and probably wasn't going to take their daughter to the fair. I was just going to wake up, load up my kids and go. My brother came over when we were on our way out. He asked where we were going and I told him. He said how am I supposed to afford school supplies and asked if I would save some money to help him. I said we will see. I went to pick up my sister and before heading out I couldn't do it. I turned around and went to my brothers house to pick up his daughter. I knew it was already gonna cost me over a hundred dollars, and I couldn't live with myself not including her. When I got there I asked if we could take her and she jumped off the couch and said yes. Afterward I took her and got her her school supplies. Only to find out that while we were there my brother had asked my grandpa for money for school supplies and he gave him a check. But he followed my brother and he went right to a casino. My grandpa went in and confronted him. Nothing happened as usual. I did hear yesterday they one eight hundred. But I guarentee that they will put it all in the machines. But now I am committed to letting them go on their own. I have provided food and money for them and this is stopping today. Again another hard one for me.