Personally, I would suggest that as an older brother you find ways to BE an older brother and a positive influence, without stepping into the authority figure/ parent role. There are ways that you can influence good behavior, and inspire the little ones to do chores -- as a brother, not a surrogate father. You are not their father and you are not their mother either. To suddenly take on that type of role could cause resentment, other negative feelings, and negative behaviors from the younger ones. Regardless of how uninvolved your parents may be, it is still not your responsibility to become the parent.
Being a single mother is not easy. Your mom may be feeling overwhelmed by having to be both mom and dad. Chores may be something that she doesn't have time or energy for. Try talking to your mom about some of the problems. Talk about the chores and offer to help her come up with solutions on how to inspire the little ones to do theirs. Ask her if there is something that you can do that would help her out, such as taking the littles ones to the park on Saturday mornings so that she can have a day to sleep in, or offering to drive them to one of their activities, or helping them with their bedtime routines.
|