Guys, I'm in trouble. What should I do?

[Anonymous]

Guys, I'm having a lot of issues right now. My father has been diagnosed with mild symptoms of cancer and my mother has all of his attention on him. Whenever she makes a promise with me, it never happens and my mother is doing a terrible job at taking care of me, as well as looking after her husband. Whenever I point out to them that they can't take care of me, they say they can, but I feel like It's a lie. Tonight, my mother was acting strange at dinner and I talked about it with my dad. My mother didn't come upstairs to comfort me after 30 mins, but at 9pm, she only came upstairs to say goodnight to me and when I told her the way she was acting, she said it was my fault and went straight to bed without caring about me. My father was on the same side as her. What should I do? Normally, I would move out, but I'm not ready to live by myself and my other family members live 5 hours away from my parents' house. I can't call child protection services at the age of 18, since I think that is illegal and I'm too scared to tell anyone. It's 9:30pm and I'm terrified. What should I do?

[Anonymous]

You, an adult, want your mom to take care of you, when she’s trying to mind your dad who has cancer? I don’t understand. Are you disabled? What are the things you can’t do but expect her to do?

[Asker]

Yes, I am disabled and I'm autistic too

[Opinion Owner]

How much can you do on your own? Because even if you aren’t able to live alone, usually there’s at least a level of independence you can achieve. Maybe it’s choosing a day to meal prep so your mom doesn’t have to cook, or a day for chores when she has some free time. What’s your disability?

[Asker]

I get tired quickly and I get anxious very easily whenever my parents act irresponsible. I get very busy a lot and I can’t even sleep tonight at all. I can’t use the oven and the stove, since my arm had a 2nd degree burn while I got chicken fajitas out of the oven with no supervision. I can’t make the same mistake again and I’m terrified to do everything on my own during this crisis.

[Opinion Owner]

Why not use the microwave? When your mom cooks, ask if she can make enough for leftovers that you can warm. There’s also a variety of frozen meals at the store. Is also say to do a bit of research to see what resources and/or services (even free) are available for your level of autism, if you feel you need the extra help. I can’t relate to being on the spectrum but I can relate to having to fend for myself. It will be hard, but your dad really needs your moms help right now and it’s hard caring for two people. I’m sure you can’t do everything on your own, but take advantage of the things you can do.

[Asker]

I would, but my parents are sleeping and I can’t wake them up

[Opinion Owner]

You would do what? Warm food?

[Asker]

Sometimes the microwave makes loud noises. That’s why I cannot wake my parents up

[Opinion Owner]

Maybe it’s better to wait to wait til they get up then :(

[Asker]

I can’t. They don’t get up for another 10 hours and it’s currently 11pm

[Opinion Owner]

Sorry that wasn’t supposed to be an eyeroll emoji, this site auto changes it. Also, did you have any dinner? Because 10 is pretty late to eat. If you haven’t then maybe you should take your chances and if it wakes them up, explain you’re hungry and had no choice. That’s you’re only option. If you’re too afraid for that then load up on water, that will make you fuller at least til the morning.

[Opinion Owner]

I understand you’re upset with everything right now and will probably say no to everything I suggest, but at this moment in time you only have two options and being emotional about it won’t change anything.

[Anonymous]

You sound very selfish, so some respect for your mother.