The Wisest Aunt Telling The Saddest Tale
Dear Maribeth,
My 16 year-old nephew is having trouble in school, basically, his grades suck. Since he is going into his sophomore year, it is very important that he turns things around so he will have the opportunity to get into a good college. My sister is raising him by herself in Florida and has trouble maintaining a healthy environment for him because of her own problems. She wants what is best for him and we agree it could be to spend some time with my family.
I am fortunate to have a wonderful husband, great kids and a happy home. My nephew stayed with us for a month over the summer and did very well. He has since expressed interest in coming to attend school up here. I realize that this is a huge responsibility so I talked with him at length about our expectations for him if he were to come here. We planned for him to be here in two weeks and I told him that it is extremely important that he do well in school now because his records will be transferred up here. The next day I found out he cut classes! I can’t believe it!
Am I making a mistake in inviting him up here? Should I tell him the deal is off? Why would he behave this way with so much on the line?
Signed,
Trying to Do the Right Thing
Dear Trying,
I applaud your intention and efforts. Your reading brings us The Lovers, the 4 of Wands and the 6 of Cups.
The Lovers is about open communication and the truth. When you truly love someone you are opening yourself to the good, the bad and the ugly. I am confident that you are communicating well to your nephew. However, he may need some education on how to be honest and communicate well with you. Ask him questions and really find out where he is coming from, where he wants to go, and how he thinks he can get there. Understand what is going on in his head. You can help his dreams become a reality by creating an environment where he can make the right choices. But ultimately, he has to make those choices, and want to do it right. By allowing him the space and knowledge to create a vision of what he truly desires in his life, that vision is what will motivate and inspire him to do well.
The 4 of Wands shows a successful partnership. I feel that you are doing the right thing by inviting your nephew to stay with you. He must know the rules and understand that he has just as much ability to ruin this experience as he does to make it succeed. He must understand and accept the responsibility for his actions. You are meeting him halfway, he may not be used to that.
Finally is the 6 of Cups. This is the card of sisters. You are doing this to help your sister, and she would benefit by accepting this gift for herself as well as for her son. It is important that she knows that she has done what is best for her son because she loves him. She must also love herself enough to take care and nurture her own soul. She too can learn from you, but be careful not to be negative with her. She needs your support and encouragement to improve things for her family.
I feel this will be a temporary situation, one that will benefit everyone in the long run. These cards show a positive recipe: open communication with a dollop of faith, mutual respect and high expectations, and a bunch of love and caring guarantee success for you and your entire family.
