Our family is breaking up

Dear Tita,

I am 17 years old, a college freshman in a private school in Bacolod. I want to save our family from breaking up but I don’t know how. My siblings and I are worried about our parents, who are always fighting. Papa is a businessman and Mama helps him in the business.

The problem began late last year when Mama found out about Alma, Papa’s young mistress, who is pregnant. He had been spending money on Alma and even bought her a car. Mama went wild when she found out how much money he had already spent. She felt so bad as she said she had sacrificed so much for the business all these years, and now that it was thriving, another woman was enjoying the money.

The house has become a battlefield as our parents keep shouting at each other day and night. We are ashamed to invite our friends to our house as they might hear our parents fighting. My brother, who used to be a good student, has become a rebel. He stays out late with his friends and sometimes doesn’t come home at all. He has to repeat this school year as he failed to pass last year. My sister wants to run away with her boyfriend because she can’t stand the tension in our house. I keep telling her to just be patient and not do anything drastic, but I’m afraid she just might leave anytime.

Tita, I don’t know what to do anymore. We used to have a happy family but now our home is like a war zone. We are always on tiptoe inside the house. Even with our bedroom doors closed, we can hear their angry voices. I even heard Mama saying she was leaving Papa. I want to talk to Mama or Papa but I’m afraid they might scold me.

Please advise me on what to do. We just want our family to be happy again.

SUFFERING DAUGHTER

Dear Suffering Daughter,

This is the tragedy of a broken home. It is always the children who suffer the most. The way things are going with your parents, they might break up anytime. I could suggest that you and your siblings try to talk to them and tell them how you feel. Tell them you love them both very much and would like to have your family stay together.

Hopefully, this might jolt them and make them realize how much they are hurting their children. You could also ask your relatives, who are closest to your parents, to help you talk to them. Don’t let this episode in your lives ruin your future.

I have seen children of broken homes overcome their problems and end up successful and happy. Good luck!

TITA