I am a mother of three young children ages 10, 8, and 6. My husband and I have recently separated for the second time and are trying desperately to work things out. We love each other and do not fight…we just can’t with each other and can’t live without each other. We are in the midst of losing not only each other but also our home, our vehicles, and our credit. We will be declaring bankruptcy, have turned our vehicles in, and been forced to stop paying our mortgage. Not only has my husband moved out but we are buried financially. We have been in counseling for almost a year trying to work things out. We do not cheat or do drugs…we are your average to above average Joe’s trying to make it in this world. Truthfully, we lived above our means for years but always managed to work our way out and be debt free until this time. We hit the end of the road when we found ourselves in a depressed real estate market (I am in the real estate industry) and paying for my husbands apartment and bills when he was out of the house. It just came down to the fact that we couldn’t hold it together anymore…as hard as we tried. This is the first time we have fallen into this situation as we have always been financially sound and able to work our way out of our minimal debts. It has been over a month since my husband moved out again and my family has been absent from my life. When looking for someone to co-sign for a car for me my mother decided she would not help and that I should dig my way out of my mess. I never asked for money…just a co-signer. My mother will not even take the time to talk to me. My sister has not called in over a month and decided to withdraw her listing from me and use a "professional"…that hurt. My father (my parents have been divorced since I was 4)…well I won’t even bother explaining him. Sufice to say I feel as if my family has abandoned me in my time of need. I have been there for them time and again…but they seem to be ignoring the fact that my life is falling apart. My mother in law happily co-signed a car loan for me…telling my husband that my parents don’t know how lucky they are to have a daughter like me. In your opinion should a member of my family reached out to help me, emotionally or otherwise? I just can’t imagine turning my back on my girls when they get older…telling them to deal with their problems on their own. By the way, my mother is financially sound, retired, living in a million dollar home on the water with two boats, and spending months at a time traveling. Again-I am not and was not ever looking for a hand out…just a shoulder to cry on or someone to at least help me purchase a car to drive my children around in. At least my dad was willing to lend me his extra vehicle.