Todd and Julie Chrisley reported to prison last month to begin serving their sentences.
Obviously, this will change their lives forever. And they are not the only ones.
Savannah Chrisley’s life has fallen apart. It’s not just sadness over her parents’ incarcerations, either.
At 25, she now finds herself acting as the parent of a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old. She has broken down over these challenges.
On this week’s installment of Unlocked With Savannah Chrisley, the titular podcaster talked about her new role in life.
She is not just a big sister to 16-year-old Grayson and aunt to 10-year-old Chloe. She is now their caregiver, raising them both in a parental role.
Savannah is far from the first eldest sibling to receive these responsibilities. And she is not even the first to find herself becoming de facto parent because her actual parents are incarcerated. But that does not make it any easier.
“The other night, I had a full-on breakdown,” Savannah admitted.
“I was trying to find Chloe proper clothes to go and visit my parents,” she recalled, “and find her hair stuff.”
Savannah described how “I just sat down on the floor and started crying.”
Remember, Savannah is only 25 years old. And she does not have the extensive childcare experience that some eldest siblings already possess by that age.
“I am not my mother. How am I going to do this?” she asked, thinking aloud.
Savannah then admitted: “I don’t feel that I am worthy or capable enough of doing the job she’s done for all her life.”
In an endearing moment, Chloe offered Savannah reassurance and emotional support, even as doubts were eating her alive.
“I was sitting there, and the next day Chloe said, ‘You’re doing a pretty good job,'” she recalled.
Savannah shared that Chloe had reminded her: “‘You made me ramen noodles last night.'”
Speaking of which, when it comes to food, Savannah is working out a new plan to make things orderly, predictable, and to keep everyone happy.
“From here on out, every Sunday we’re going to plan our meals for the week,” she noted.
“And,” Savannah shared, “you guys tell me what you want for dinner.”
“And we’ll get the groceries for the week,” Savannah explained, “and you’ll know every night what you’re going to eat.”
That is a solid way of doing things. And will lead to less (well deserved) resentment than just declaring what everyone will eat and hoping that they like it.
A lot of people like to plan their meals in advance. Not everyone has the peace of mind (or budget) to make it a reality. Planning ahead can be a source of comfort in uncertain times.
“I had a conversation with my dad and he said, ‘This is going to be the hardest, but most rewarding thing you’ve ever done,'” Savannah revealed.
“I’m starting to see that,” she commented.
“It’s so crazy because I went from a place, sitting in the same chair thinking about how mad I was at God,” Savannah reflected.
“‘Why would you allow all these things to happen? One thing after another. Where are you?'” she recalled asking.
“Now,” she declared, “I’m in a place of such peace.”
Savannah’s aspiration is that Chloe and Grayson both find themselves in a place of “peace and calmness.”
“We need to figure out healthier ways to cope with things and deal with things,” Savannah added vaguely.
“Even if it’s just little things I’m trying to implement,” she continued, “because I’m not their mom.”
Savannah further clarified that: “I’m not their dad. I’m their sister.”
“I want to stay in that role of sister,” Savannah expressed. “But it’s hard when you’re in the role of parent and discipline.”
With Julie serving seven years and Todd serving 12, Savannah is going to be acting in this role until Grayson is in his twenties and Chloe is nearly an adult.
We hope that they can all get the hang of this.
Savannah Chrisley Admits to “Full-on Breakdown” While Caring for Siblings was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.