# Girls's dilemma: Stay with horrid mother for beloved brother's sake, or get outta Dodge for her own?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girlss-dilemma-stay-with-horrid-mother-for-beloved-brothers-sake-or-get-outta-dodge-for-her-own/564872>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 20, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girlss-dilemma-stay-with-horrid-mother-for-beloved-brothers-sake-or-get-outta-dodge-for-her-own/564872 "2010-12-20T20:28:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girlss-dilemma-stay-with-horrid-mother-for-beloved-brothers-sake-or-get-outta-dodge-for-her-own/564872/21 "2010-12-21T23:58:11Z")

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“Messing her life up” eh?

Geez I didn’t know University of Memphis was so poorly looked upon! Surely it’s a few steps up from Greendale Community College!

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**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girlss-dilemma-stay-with-horrid-mother-for-beloved-brothers-sake-or-get-outta-dodge-for-her-own/564872/22 "2010-12-22T00:18:29Z")

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> [@Rushgeekgirl](#):
>
> Alls I can figure is you misread my words. I said “repeated physical abuse”.  
> I have a friend who works for CPS. They have their hands tied because of stupid laws most of the time. It’s ridiculous. And that’s on top of being insanely overworked.

I understood what you meant. I just disblieve, from my own experiences in Memphis, that they’ll do much evenwhen there’s clear abuse as long as bones aren’t broken.

Anyway, we are only disagreeing in details, not in theme, as neither of us thinks CPS would intervene in Jessica & Chris’s situation.

> [@](#):
>
> And that’s why I chose the option of her attending U of M. It’s a mark of responsibility that she’d be willing to make that sacrifice to protect her brother, in my opinion. Maybe she wouldn’t get into the college of her dreams but sometimes you do what you have to do to protect the ones you love.
> 
> In my opinion, of course.

I tend to agree. In her place I could not countenance abandoning my younger sibling.

> [@Rushgeekgirl](#):
>
> “Messing her life up” eh?
> 
> Geez I didn’t know University of Memphis was so poorly looked upon! Surely it’s a few steps up from Greendale Community College!

I choose U of M deliberately. It hasn’t as good a reputation as Stanford by any means, but it’s hardly a bad institution. Obviously I could have mentioned SCCC instead. (Or State Tech to date the story, but only you and I would know what I meant.)

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**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girlss-dilemma-stay-with-horrid-mother-for-beloved-brothers-sake-or-get-outta-dodge-for-her-own/564872/23 "2010-12-22T22:45:35Z")

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There’s nothing wrong with the UofM, but there’s a lot wrong with continuing to live with a toxic, emotionally abusive parent. Also, Stanford. They give you a free ride to Stanford you just have to go, it will impress people that you went there until you die.

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