I’m so done

I’m going to call my younger cousin Gary for privacy reasons, so no one knows his real name. There’s a 4-year age gap between us—when I’m 14, he’s 10. Here’s the problem: whenever my mom sees us on the phone, she always makes us play a game together. But Gary never feels like it. When I ask him, he’s always like, “I don’t wanna spend the night.” Yet when my mom asks, “Do you want to spend another night?” he says yes.

It’s annoying because we don’t see eye to eye. He has a smart mouth and always starts stuff. I tell my mom, and she just says, “Well, it’s boring at Grandma’s house.” He has to stay here because his parents are dealing with personal things, and Grandma is raising him.

Even though he’s 10, he still cries and throws fits. One time, when he was 8 or 9, he roasted one of my friends on Fortnite for not having a dad. Then, when I introduced him to another friend, he started being homophobic because she’s asexual. Thankfully, none of this happened in person, but it hurt my friend when Gary said rude things about her dad and called her ugly.

Another issue is my mom. Like I said, she forces us to play games, but Gary never wants to pick one. She acts like a 10-year-old can’t do anything, so I’m stuck washing his dishes and making his food. Then, if he doesn’t finish his food, I have to eat it.

The worst part is that every time I ask to hang out with my friends—either inviting them over or going to their place—my mom always says no. I’m 14! But my 10-year-old cousin Gary can come over anytime just because he’s family.

It’s so unfair because I know if I had a sleepover with my friends, we’d have a blast. They’re my age and have the same interests as me. Meanwhile, Gary is 10, hates what I like, and doesn’t get along with me.

TLDR

My 10-year-old cousin (let’s call him Gary) stays at my house a lot because of his parents’ situation. We don’t get along—he has a smart mouth, starts drama, and has been rude to my friends online. My mom always makes me play games with him, but he never wants to. She also makes me take care of him, like washing his dishes and making his food. Meanwhile, I’m not allowed to hang out with my friends, but Gary can stay over anytime because he’s family. It’s frustrating and feels unfair because I’d rather spend time with people my own age who share my interests.