For My Brother

[Totus Tuus]

My brother got in trouble for shoplifting today, but it was an honest mistake (he accidentally walked out with something that he didn't pay for). My dad has a very bad habit of using his kids to make himself feel better about himself (I'm not sure if that will make sense to anyone who doesn't come from a dysfunctional family, but it's true). So I think he is going to milk the situation for all it's worth ("You shoplifted, blah blah blah.") I'm worried about my brother. He has been going through a LOT the last couple of years (my parents divorced when he was 13 years old) and needs support right now, not to be brought down. My mom is preachy and emotional towards him, which is the worst way you can be with a teenage boy. So he's really stuck in an illogical and hurtful situation sometimes.