Would your extended family want to mooch off you?

[MorelCabin]

:bouquet

 

[roosmom]

Is it too Pollyanna to imagine that everyone would help out or contribute?

I can imagine the psycho grab bag that is my family, gathered in one place, attempting to share and share alike.....well, no, I cannot imagine it...its too hideous to even contemplate!

I think every family has members like that. Anyone who says they dont hasnt really lived with them, IMO.
Yesterday as my mother and I were canning the rest of the applesauce, she mentioned that my brother is just like his dad (my father). I looked at her , and told her that we (sister, husband) thought my brother was just like her. She wasnt happy. But that just shows how people are different and the perceptions we would bring to a group setting.......oh my lord

 

[Homesteadmom]

Beekissed, I am with you. I think there would be someone who would not do their fair share & cause disention. And in dh's sis's case feel she was entitled to it all & the heck with everyone else. We have nothing to do with her by choice & dh has said we will never have her back in our home again, no matter what.

 

[Homesteadmamma]

I don't think it would be considered mooching if I became a slave-driver and said "no work = no food". They already know they are welcome to come, but they need to expect to help out if everyone wants fed!

 

[reinbeau]

I have a sister very nearby with MS, she is independent, but she's not a survival type. There's no question we would take her and her two kids in, my nephew is a very smart little guy, quick on his feet (he's 11) and my neice is 14 and also has a good head on her shoulders. They live 1.9 miles away. My oldest younger brother (I have two, I'm the oldest) lives about four miles from me. He's a PITA, I wouldn't want to have to take him and his wife in (although I'd take her, she's a Filipina and definitely has the survival instinct in her!!) I would, because, it's my job as the oldest to take care of the others, always has been. My mom is 3.5 miles away and of course we'd be taking her in, too. Youngest brother is 67 miles north of me, on the other side of Boston, he'd stay up there with her family (he's made that clear in many ways), good luck to them, I don't think any of them (except my brother) has it in them.

Hubby's family all lives way too far away to do anything for, but I think they'd be ok, they're from stout stock.

I wouldn't feel like they were mooching, and I know most of them would pitch right in. As I said above, it's been my job my whole life to take care of business, it'll be that way until I just can't take care of it all anymore.

 

[curly_kate]

My DH was just saying that I should post this topic! Both my family & his family are very close with each other, so I don't know how we'd say 'no.' My family is very good-natured, and gets along very well, but don't really have 'survival skills.' His family mostly gets along, but also don't have many skills, with the exception of his cousin's husband who's a big time hunter, and grew up on a farm. Luckily, the whole lot is generally healthy, and I think everyone would pitch in, as long as they had direction from me & Mike. I just worry about having enough supplies for everyone, because I know that no one else is 'stocking up.' They think we're kinda nuts for worrying about it.

 

[Dace]

Well just call me Polly cuz, I think my group would pull together pretty well. Of course there is a slacker in the bunch but that can and will be dealt with!

 

[shareneh]

My poor sister and her kids have already moved half way in. She is really bad at paying bills and hasn't worked toward getting fuel asst. or food stamps. She and the girls basically sleep at their house and live at mine. I know it will be hard to keep her full time as she is a messy nelly but in hard times you can't turn family away. I have been stocking up on things and hopefully nothing comes of this panic. If nothing happens, I have lost nothing....

 

[PamsPride]

My sister would totally mooch...has before and I literally raised her children up until 3 years ago.
BIL and wife would totally mooch....I am suprised they haven't already. They have mooched off of my MIL though. But, I think the fact that BIL makes over twice as much as my DH, plus his wife works, and my DH is the only one that works here and we have 5 soon to be 6 kiddos..they do not have any...that has kept him from mooching off of thus far!
MIL...we would willingly help her, not sure she would take it unless she was really down and out.
My parents and brother would chip in and help...they already do when we ask without anything in return.

 

[sweetcorn]

My extended family are all capable of being fairly self sufficient . They all have woodstoves , gardens, can, hunt ,fish , and most of them raise their own meat or have done so in the past . I think here it would be a team effort . Between all of us we have a multitude of barns , about 40 chickens between me and the mom in law , steer, pigs , lambs , a few small orchards and miscellaneous fruit trees , 2 strawberry patches, a blackberry and blackraspberry patch , a 3 wooded areas to hunt in ,acreage we could grow animal feed and hay on , and a bumload of gardens. We'd be fine and without moochers , of the family variety anyway.