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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Op I think I may be able to help.   I also have a single sister with depression "spells" and one time it correlated with a job loss. Like your situation the details were sketchy.  I lived about 3.5 hours away but started going to see her weekly.  I will be honest and say that was a HUGE burden on my kids and husband.  We had older kids with travel spots, 2 working parents, and one toddler still in daycare so leaving for 11 hours every week was tough. I would leave at 5 30 am on Saturday and get there by 9.  Every time I went I had a plan for us.  Sometimes it was getting our haircut and nails done, sometimes it was shopping for new towels, sometimes I would kinda act like I needed her help…"Will you help me find Larla a first communion dress, can we go to the mall by your house this week and shop and get lunch?", and sometimes we would go on a job.  I never made her "talk" but I also forced myself on her.  I made it clear we were hanging out.  It helped that I just drove to her.  She would at least let me inside after driving all that way and 3/4 times we would exit the apartment and following my activity plan. About 8 visits in she mentioned to me she wanted to turn things around and from there on things SLOWLY go better.  She ended up getting a part time job a few months later and within 2 years she was working full time again and dating and socializng.  She did get on meds which  helped SO much.  She was a really bitter and mean person under depression and she really pushed a lot of her social circle away and I just made a commitment to myself she wasn't going to push me away.  I was just doing to keep showing up and pray we could put this puzzle back together.  We also aren't particularly close either and we dont talk about that time period much.  Im just mentioning that so you know that you dont have to be the stereotypical best friends for life sisters to help her through this. [/quote]

you are a great sister PP![/quote]

But maybe not a great parent? That's a LOT of time to spend away from your young children who also need you.[/quote]

11 hours a week?  And they are home with Dad then?  I bet they are fine.  [/quote]

As a working mom with two young kids, the amount of time I see my kids awake during the course of a week is about 33 hours. Three hours during the week (hour in the morning, two in the evening) and then we're together all day on weekends, which for my kids translates to around 9 hours. Still nappers at this point. I can't imagine seeing them for a one third less time. I'm not saying OP isn't a good parent, but 11 hours a week could likely translate to a large percentage of her time with her kids.[/quote]

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