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Adult literacy issues with relative; how do i handle it?

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Can't I just want what is best for another person?

You can. But only if they want it too. And if they have some say in it.

You need to really consider what her feelings are. She may be fine about her literacy level. Or even unwilling to want you to intervene in that area of her life.

If she is illiterate then maintaining contact with her via email is going to be a really big ask. She will need to become literate, sufficient to write and use a email program on a device.

I understand your intentions are good however beware of unintended consequences to your good intentions.:wideeyed::cautious:
 
No kidding. I mean, it's not hard to care about them, but to take steps in the real world to demonstra...

Your idea is a good one if it is from the heart and you are going to carry through. I’m a teacher- been here and done this before- it’s a tricky thing to discuss and carry through on literacy efforts when I have a relationship with the person- I can’t imagine bringing it up to someone that I didn’t have a relationship with
Also- acknowledge it as fixing-because it is- because that’s what you are doing-and this has potential to create a worse situation than already exists and the person whose left with the hurt feelings and feeling dumber is your sister.

Gaslighting- no- I don’t have any desire to gaslight you-not want that kind of neg. emotional payback.
Don’t assume someone is out to get you if they don’t agree with you. The situation you are trying to create( this is different from being dealt a situation) just seems very messy- I assume that’s why you started the thread- to get a variety of opinions. Good luck
 
Gaslighting? Not going there.

Whatever you end up doing, I hope it works out for the both of you.
I have no desire for this to go badly, I really don't.

Good luck.
 
Why are you zeroing in on me, me, me and my guilt? Can't I just want what is best for another person?

I'm zeroing in on you and your guilt because this is MyPTSD. It's a forum where we work on our issues. I believe you want what's best for your sister, but you also said that you feel guilt, shame and embarrassment. Those are very powerful and painful emotions. I'm concerned that this could go badly for both of you. Since many people here expressed concern that your sister may not take your gift as you intend it and may instead be reactive, it seems reasonable to accept that's a possibility. And that will impact you, especially if you are already carrying all this pain.

I clicked into this thread because I have dyslexia. I have also volunteered to help adults learn how to read. I think helping someone learn to read is a great thing to do. I also know what a painful, difficult issue it can be to tackle. When I read your plan, I couldn't help but think how I would react if I were your sister. And I would not take it well. It would just be too emotionally laden and I would feel hurt that the priority was literacy, not getting to know me. That's how I would react, of course your sister's reaction may be different.

I hope that whatever you do works for both you and your sister.
 
What exactly is her literacy level? I'm very confused that you mentioned that you plan on primarily comunicating with her over e-mail, since that would imply that she is at least literate enough to communicate effectively only through writing. I feel like a lot of the suggestions so far might be insultingly easy. Something like this really needs to be geared towards her ability level. Has she shared anything about her education with you?
 
Has she shared anything about her education with you?
No. She used some very plain language in the messages we've exchanged in the last few days. Stuff that you learn from the im/text message culture we live in. I noticed some misspellings. I would guess she is at about a first grade level. I'll try to find out more when I see her.
 
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