What should I do?
I just got off the phone with my mom. She's 68 years old.
She told me that she expects to pay a sizeable chunk of income tax this year.
This struck me as odd for two reasons:
1.) She's a retired senior citizen in a state for whom senior citizens don't pay property tax
2.) She's taking care of my invalid grandmother, who requires round the clock care (bathing, bathroom, dressing, etc.)
She does work part-time, but certainly not enough for the IRS to even notice.
Puzzled, I asked her why she expected to pay income tax at all, let alone a huge chunk (thousands $$).
She hesitated... with good reason.
I have two aunts, both her sisters and younger. They each have a son, one is a year older than me (42) and the other is 29.
The one aunt that has a 42 year old son is still employed and makes a more than my mother ever made... somewhere in the high 40k range.
She's very frugal with her money. Her son, at 42 years old, still lives with her and works on and off... pretty much when it suites him.
He's an artist, so I guess that means certain allowances should be made for him. So because he works on and off, she can't claim him as a dependent.
At this exact moment, I've decided he's just a bum. Period.
My mom has just explained to me that this same aunt convinced my mother to let *her* claim grandma as an invalid dependent.
Her reasoning? Because she sometimes comes over to help take care of grandma at my mother's home.
Did I mention that my mom had an apartment built onto her house just so that grandma could live in it... paid by her own money?
The only reason I didn't raise hell was because my mother is a recent breast cancer survivor and I didn't want to stress her any more.
I'm not making any of this up, honest. I know this sounds like total BULLSHIT, believe me I know... but it is absolutely true.
So I'm left with the question, "What do I do?"
I'm seriously contemplating flying to Dallas, Tx, and forcing my mother on a plane, get her an apartment here in Atlanta and move her into it.
The only thing stopping me is I'm don't know how to do that without jeapordizing her health during what would be a stressful confrontation. Besides... I'd never win because my mother is extremely stubborn.
If I don't do anything, then my mother will keep letting her little sisters and her brother use her as a doormat and thereby physically wearing her down.
If I have a confrontation with the entire family, she'll get stressed about it and end up in worse health.
So... I'm stuck.
Damn!