Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thank you for getting in touch. I’m pleased you have, it sounds like home life with your step sister can often feel quite strained and sharing a room adds to the frustration and tension that you feel.

Your letter made me wonder if you have tried talking to your step sister about how you feel. It may be that she is not aware of how she is coming across and the impact this has on your feelings. You say that you are not sure if you have done something wrong, maybe the best thing would be to ask her calmly. If you can talk about it, this might improve your relationship which will hopefully make sharing a room much easier.

Family relationships do have their ups and downs. Sometimes the closer a person is to us the more comfortable they are to show the feeling they hide from everyone else. If your step sister is finding life difficult at the moment, maybe this is why she comes across as in a mood with you yet fine with everybody else.

This of course does not make it any easier on you. I can see how worried and upsetting this is for you. It sounds like you sometimes feel you don’t get the same support back that you have put in when your step sister finds life difficult. Your letter made me wonder if you and your step sister share any common interests and hobbies, this can be anything that you both enjoy that you could get involved with together. There is more information in Explore about Friendships and Stepfamilies that you may find useful.
 
There is always somebody at ChildLine that you can talk to when things are getting on top of you. You can get in touch by calling 0800 111 or using online chat or you can email a counsellor.

Take care,

Sam