My mum... She just raged at my younger brother...

She was saying things about how we kids don't respect her, and that "she has to do everything"

She doesn't do everything. She expects so much of me and my brother. We're teenagers! We're in that stage where we won't do everything we're told but we're not quite responsible enough to do what we need to. I think the stress of work is really getting to her. She wasn't like this before we moved, before she got this job.

Well, I got up and headed to my bedroom door, ready to jump in and defend my brother and I. I touched the door handle when a thought occurred to me.

By going out there, you'd just be getting involved in another argument, and things won't get better.

So I stopped, whispered to myself, "Don't get involved girl." And sat back down. I don't even know if she knows I heard her. Well, she does now, because I just responded to her Facebook message.

But it was just that moment, when my conscious mind cleared enough to realize how bad an idea it would be to get involved in that argument. That second in which I chose patience, instead of standing for what I felt was right.

It would have been easy to start yelling. I get so riled up when people don't do the right thing by me. This morning, my brother thought I was yelling. I was speaking a little loud, but I was a little riled up because I had been respectfully waiting for him to wake up so that I wouldn't disturb him whilst on the computer, and once he gets up, he nearly jumps straight on. I turned it on, knowing it wouldn't make much noise and that he would awaken soon, only for him to take my kindness and not respect me.

What doesn't help is that I'm starting to feel like my mom doesn't respect me either. I'm in my final and most important year of school and she's treating me exactly like my younger brother. She doesn't mind me staying up a little late doing school-work, but when I can't go to parties because she doesn't want me drinking, despite me not being interested in alcohol at all, I can't help but feel a little annoyed.

Oh, and I'm not left with much food or drink (other than water) because my younger brother eats and drinks everything we have in the house. And you'd wonder why I'm so skinny, and feeling ill! I get dinner and that's it on some days, but my mom wants to go on strike and not cook meals for my brother and I. We'd have to do everything ourselves, which I think is quite unreasonable seeing as I'm already stressed out with school!

If anyone ever wonders what the best time of the day is for me, it's the walks to and from school. 6 km round trip! Takes me 40 minutes each way. And I love every second of it! It's also another reason I'm quite skinny.

Oh, what do I have to do to remove all this unnecessary stress?

Oh well, I've just decided to not get involved in someone else' argument. If I didn't start it and it's not directed at me, it's not my fight.