When we find ourselves indisposed, the most frustrating thing is being unable to do even the most menial tasks.
Some people are too proud to ask for help.
Others are lucky to have people who are ready and willing to wait on them hand and foot.
Then there are those who expect help without asking for it, often upset by the way things turn out.
The girlfriend of Redditor N7_Prototype recently fell ill.
The original poster (OP) made an effort to ensure her comfort.
Unfortunately, not only were the OP's offers turned down, but his girlfriend also simultaneously felt neglected.
Confused by how things turned out, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**Hole" (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA For not bringing my gf anything while she was sick?"
The OP explained how they hit a stalemate with their girlfriend:
"My girlfriend has been sick for the past three days, when she first told me I asked if she needed anything, to which she only replied 'a stronger immune system'."
"The next day I checked and asked if she's been eating/drinking which she says yes she's been eating/drinking and resting."
'Later in the day I checked in again asking if she needs anything, saying I have soup, she replied with 'she's okay for now'."
"Today I asked how she's feeling and told her to get some rest, which she was receptive to but later tells me she going into work."
"After work she tells its hard for her to ask for things whole sick and small gesture like soup or tea would have meant a lot, and it she felt lonely she didn't get that."
"I would have brought something but she explicitly told me she was okay and didn't say anything when I asked."
'I figured I would allow her space to rest since since she said she had food and I did not want to risk us both getting sick."
"AITA for not bringing anything?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community was in agreement that the OP was not the a**hole for not bringing their girlfriend food.
Everyone agreed that if the OP's girlfriend wanted soup when they offered it, then she simply should have said yes, even if some understood the OP's girlfriend wanted to be waited on without prompting:
"If you listen to me, I'll save you a lot of money on couple's therapy in your future."
"You are NTA, she didn't communicate to you what she wanted."
"She told you she was fine and you took her for her word. buuuuuuut what she really wants (but didn't communicate) is to be seen."
"She doesn't want to have to ask you to bring her soup, but she wants you to see that she isn't feeling well and to think about her and anticipate that soup might be helpful and bring it to her - not because she asked for it but because you care."
"It might sound silly, and really it's best for her to be more direct about expressing her feelings / wants, but wanting to be seen is tricky because a part of its value is not having to ask."
"And maybe right now it's not a big deal (like it's just a virus) but it's still a good thing to understand and practice."
"Because a partner who's good at 'seeing' notices their spouses feelings and responds to them."
"And when/if babies get involved, seeing and anticipating your partners needs is something which I cannot overstate the value of."
'MANY marriages fail because (usually) the guy doesn't see the invisible labor their wife is carrying or hear when she asks for help."
'But NO ONE complains about someone who really sees them."
"So NTA but maybe some food for thought."- WildCaliPoppy
"NTA."
"She said she didn't want soup."
"Imagine if she said she didn't want soup and you brought it anyways."
"She'd be completely justified in being upset, and if you came on here asking if you were the asshole it would have been unanimous."
"People would be saying 'Can't you take no for an answer?'"
"'She's a woman, not an infant, you don't need to baby her'."
"How much more clear could she have been?"
"She said no."
"You respected that."- NeedsItRough
"NTA."
"I hate it when people say they don't need anything and then get upset that you didn't bring anything."
"You checked in, you were very ready to bring anything she requested, and (most importantly) you took her at word."
"Some people like visitors and attention and stuff when they're sick, some don't."
"If she wanted you to come over with tea or soup, she should've said so like a grown up."-Live_Pressure_5432
"NTA."
"I used to expect people to meet my needs without me asking them, and was upset and disappointed a lot."
"Then I realized I was the issue in not articulating what I want."
"You shouldn't have to guess, that's how boundaries get crossed and consent/requests ignored."- MaidenMamaCrone
"NTA."
"You explicitly asked if she wanted some soup."
"She said no."
"You are not a mind reader."
"Your girlfriend should work on her communication skills."
"That said, now that you know asking her is useless, next time she is sick you can just bring her something without asking."
"But does she pretend that you read her mind instead of listening to her with other stuff too?"
"That seems so annoying."- Own_Wave_1677
"NTA."
"You asked if she needed anything, she said no."
"For her to then complain about you not getting her things is ridiculous and just playing games."- Pale_Height_1251
"This kinda sounds like either a new relationship or a relationship kids would have."
"Either way NTA."
"Poor communication on her part."- Dark_Phoenix25
"NTA."
"I understand that it's hard for her to ask for things - that's hard for a lot of people - but you offered."
"You asked if she needed anything, and she made a joke."
"You asked if she wanted soup; she said no."
"Now you know that the next time she is sick, she would like you to bring her something even if she says no - but it's absolutely not fair for her to expect you to ignore what she said ('no, I'm okay, I don't need anything')."
"If she wants a small gesture, she shouldn't refuse the small gestures you offered."-OkPomegranate4395
"NTA."
"You asked and she responded."
"Given that your previous asks have resulted in a yes before, it would be reasonable to expect that she would answer honestly this time around."
"This sounds like an opportunity for her to practice better communication skills."- lpk2012
"NTA."
"You checked in and asked if she needed anything MULTIPLE TIMES."
"She said no."
"She is playing games."
"You did nothing wrong."
"She's acting like a child."- AWonderLuster
"NTA."
"When my husband and I were dating and didn't live together, whenever he'd get sick, I'd bring a little care package to him just because and just put it at his steps and leave so he wouldn't feel he had to do anything for me."
"He did that for me a few times too."
"It's just a gesture you can make."
'Your gf should have been more clear if she wanted things instead of saying 'no I'm good', BUT she clearly values acts of service type things so for future reference she'll like you doing thoughtful things, especially if they're sour of the moment."
"There's nothing wrong with liking thoughtful gestures but there is something wrong with her wanting you to read her mind."- Fatt3stAveng3r
"NTA."
"No one is a mind reader."- Several_Emphasis_434
"No, you really are NTA."
"You checked on her frequently and offered to get her things, and she turned you down."
"You couldn't possibly know that she wanted you to do it anyway."
"That simply isn't rational."
"However, know you know for future reference."- LdiJ46
"NTA."
"Closed mouths do not get fed."- queenkittycat_
"NTA."
"She's one of those 'you're supposed to know what I want even if I don't explicitly tell you', and they're impossible to please."
"Tell her in the future she needs to clearly communicate her needs to you, and you'll be happy to help."- origamiecstacy
"NTA."
"You offered."
"She said no."
"You were supposed to infer that 'no' meant 'yes'."
"That's absurd."
"It would be one thing if you never asked and waited for her to bring it up, but if you offer to do something and the other person says no, it's BASIC RESPECT to not just do it anyway because you think they may be playing a mind game with you."
'Imagine 'AITA for bringing my gf soup even though she said she didn't want it?'"
"The answers would almost certainly be 'YTA for treating your gf like she's incapable of speaking for herself'."
"'She's not an infant'."- elvie18
In an ideal world, everyone would have someone to care for them when they were feeling down.
Something the OP's girlfriend actually had, just not at the exact moment that she wanted it.
At the end of the day, though, she can't say she wasn't offered the soup she was offered.
Woman Asks If It's Wrong To Hold Grudge After Mom Told Her When She 8 Years Old That She Wished She'd Aborted Her
While some people view having and raising children as the greatest blessing, some parents hold their children's existence against them for their entire lives.
And when they feel that way about their children, they're unfortunately typically pretty honest about it, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor heavelymango knew from the time she was young that her mother did not really like her and significantly favored her sister.
But when her mother told her at the age of eight that she wished she had aborted her, the Original Poster (OP) held on to that grudge for years after the fact.
She asked the sub:
The OP had a grudge against her mother.
"I (22 Female) have been holding onto a grudge due to something my mom told me when I was roughly eight or nine years old."
"Growing up, I was a rebellious kid and always felt as if my mom favored my older sister. My sister would always get whatever she wanted."
"I know she was born with Down syndrome and always needed more attention and care, but if my sister wanted my tablet, for example, she would have it for the whole day while mine was limited to 30 minutes so she could have it."
"As a kid, I lashed out more because of this. She could take all of my things, but I could never use hers."
During a heated moment, the OP's mother said something unforgivable.
"Eventually, this led to an argument with my mom. I don't recall the whole thing, but it was related to my sister and how I felt my mom didn't care about me or give me the same amount of attention."
"The fight got heated, and I probably told my mom that I hated my sister and her."
"I remember she said back, 'I never wanted you from the start. I knew I should've aborted you when I had the chance.'"
" I didn't know what aborted meant at the time, and I remember I looked it up, and it made me cry. I never forgot it, and it lingers in my mind whenever I am home."
The OP's mother pressured her to "let it go" and move on.
"Even growing up, I still brought it up, and she would get mad, saying I need to let it go and how I'm stubborn for not just forgetting what she said."
"There was even a time in high school when she took me to a therapist, and she complained about how I never dropped what she said."
"She says I need to move on from it because it has affected my relationship with her, and she wants to fix it."
"I know I'm older now and it was so long ago, but it still hurts, and I feel like it's made me not want to have her in my life in the future, and I have told this to her."
"How I don't want her in my life once I move out, get married, or have my own kids."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that this sounded like a core memory more than a grudge.
"The axe forgets. The tree remembers."
"It sounds less like you're holding a grudge and more that this is a formative, core memory for you."
"It won't stop being a core memory (unless maybe with the help of a lot of therapy). Has your mom ever apologized for saying that? Because you don't have to forget to forgive, but if she's not remorseful for saying that terrible thing to her young child (not just remorseful that you remember it), then she probably needs therapy (or is a narcissist/sociopath/similar)."
"You are certainly not obligated to 'get over it.'" - Hot-Can3615
"This is not a 'grudge'; it is pain that is still felt to such a degree. If she said it, then she was thinking it. She'll probably never apologize, but that doesn't mean your pain is or was invalid." - Fast_Register_9480
"NOR. This kind of thing needs a real apology. Like she needs to acknowledge the damage and genuinely care about it. Brushing it off won’t make it go away." - TentacleWolverine
"NOR. Did she really want to fix things? She basically just told you to get over it from the start instead of giving you a sincere apology."
"That isn't working on anything. She wants you to get over it so she can pretend that she never said it, so she doesn't have to feel bad about what she did. It doesn't sound like she cares much about how you feel."
"She just doesn't want to deal with it. For that reason, I would still have issues with what she said." - Chemical-Ad6809
"If your relationship with your mother is being affected by the actions of your mother, your mother is responsible for fixing it."
"You should know you probably aren't ever going to get closure, but you don't have to swallow it down. It helps to be the person you needed when you were younger out loud to yourself, but especially to others."
"For example: My name is Liz, and my mom told me to go ahead and do it already and save us all the heartache when I finally had the courage to tell her about how much I've been struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. I'm never going to forgive her for that, and we have never been close as a result of her actions."
"You aren't holding onto a grudge; you have a core memory of your mother distilling her feelings into a world-shattering sentence."
"You did not have a secure attachment before and can't have one now because of the deep trauma. You do not apologize for being stabbed."
"Find another therapist. I mean it. Someone who cares about your well-being wouldn't force you to apologize for being verbally abused as a child. I'm 29 now, and I lived through it. I still struggle with suicidal ideation daily, but once I stopped relying on my mom and unstable sources for support, my life got better immediately."
"You want things for comfort and familiarity. Don't let your mom or your therapist gaslight you into crossing a boundary."
"It might help to ask for a written five-part apology from your mom. 1. Acknowledge what you did 2. Say why it was wrong 3. Promise not to do it again 4. Ask how to make amends. 5. Share your feelings at this time if there's anything you'd like to say."
"My mom can be a good person and a bad mom and role model. Being in your own company is so much better than poor company." - PotLuckyPodcast
Others hoped the OP would go no contact with her mother sooner rather than later.
"NOR. It’s emotional abuse. And you do not owe her closeness after that, especially as she refuses to be accountable for that and try to make it up to you."
"She knows you have her number, and she can’t forgive you for knowing what a colloidal b***h she is."
"It’s unlikely that will change; it will at least be turned back on you with her the victim."
"Stop expecting her to apologize. If she doesn’t pay your bills, ghost her." - SnooCheesecakes2723
"My mom said something similar. My brother and I were adopted, and when I was a teen, in front of a church lady, she said, 'We didn't even really want you, but the people didn't want to split y'all up, so we just took you, too.'"
"Me and the church lady were shook. When I say my falbbers were ghasted. Like huh? She didn't remember saying that when I brought it up years after the fact."
"I also got grounded two times for two separate nine weeks (for C's on my report card) and a three and a half to four months (for smoking at 16 and getting caught because she liked to just pop up out of nowhere), and we just had a talk about that, and she didn't even remember."
"She said, 'No, I didn't. I never grounded you for that long,' and when I gave my rebuttal, she said, 'Well, if I did, it definitely wasn't for no nine weeks or months,' and this started because she was praising me for reading so much and liking books. I said, 'Well, when you were grounded like me, that's all I could do (no TV, no friends outside of school, no music, nothing but my room and books)."
"There's a reason I only call or answer her calls once or twice every few weeks. And I only call to get food, really..." - ManicalMoe
"‘Fine, I'm sorry’ is not an apology."
"Whilst I’m sure it was said in anger, most things said in anger have a grain of truth. There are also some things that no half-decent parent ever says to their children, no matter how angry they are, and this is one of them! It also sounds like she has made repeated similar comments of not wanting you as her child."
"I understand her eldest had a disability, but this is no excuse for neglecting and emotionally abusing her younger child. Lots of families deal with a child with additional needs whilst still managing to prioritise their other kids. Children with Down syndrome are capable of understanding ‘that’s your sister's, not yours; give it back’ !! It sounds like your mum has mental health issues?"
"Do you have a present father or other family you can turn to?"
"Protect your peace. Your mum has hurt you time and time again, honestly, for no real gain other than momentarily satisfying her anger. You owe this woman nothing." - Background_Term9810
"I went through something similar. When I was a little girl, my mother used to make comments that implied she didn't want me, though it was never that explicit. 'I only had you because your brother wanted a sister,' and 'My figure never recovered after you; after your brother, it did.'"
"Each comment stayed with me, but I never addressed it with her. I tried to move on and leave it in the past. She did a lot of horrible things throughout my life, but her behavior was always ignored because that's the precedent my dad set, where she can do essentially whatever she wants."
"A few months ago, she came to see me because I was desperate for help and sick. Instead of helping, she made my life so much worse. I won't go into details. At one point, I could no longer keep it inside, and I told her that she is a narcissist, to which she responded with, 'It would have been better if I had never had you.'"
"In some ways, it felt really good to hear her come out and say it. It felt good to hear the truth I've always known."
"I don't know what you should do, but I've chosen to not forgive."
"Every time I forgave, I just let her know that she can get away with whatever horrible things she had done. Her apologies were never real apologies. She always found ways to blame me or others for whatever she had done."
"And I'm truly just done with it. As sad as it is to not have a mom, it's sadder to pretend that you have one when in reality you don't... quite the opposite, if anything." - Neos_Mom
"So, OP, what will hurt more: keeping her and the grudge in your life or making a break and going low or no contact with her?"
"Frankly, we've no idea of what she might have been dealing with at the time, but regardless, what she said was said only to cause pain and suffering. 'Sorry' doesn't magic that intent away."
"Me, I think spending time alone or with friends or in therapy away from her might be what you need here. You might come to some sort of acceptance, but if this is something that's just going to keep coming between you, then stop trying to have that relationship." - Tal_Tos_72
After the OP received feedback, she shared a few clarifications from her original post.
"I wanted to clear some things up, take accountability where it's due, and provide some much-needed context from many people commenting the same questions."
"I want to be completely honest. We had many arguments, and I was a rebellious kid. I acted out and argued with my mom."
"I don't want to give off the impression that I was an entirely innocent kid who never did anything wrong and my mom just snapped out of nowhere. We both said hateful and hurtful things to each other during our fights."
"Growing up, the only way she would accept an apology was if I got on my knees and begged her for forgiveness. If I ever asked her to apologize to me, she would say, 'I have nothing to apologize for; you should be the one begging for my forgiveness.'"
The OP had a lot of physical memories, too.
"Things also would turn into physical arguments, not just verbal ones."
"There were times when she would get so angry she would get physical. Like yanking me by my hair, twisting my arms, or throwing things at me (like remotes, a bug spray can, or a radio)."
"When she yanked my hair, I would fight back just to get her to let me go, and she would scream that I was trying to kill her and she would get me arrested. When she twisted my arm, and I begged her to stop because it felt like it was going to break, she would say she hoped it did."
"When she threw objects at me, she would say she wished they would hit my face."
"I remember in middle school, during an argument, she said she wished she could break my face and that she hated it because I look like my dad. I won’t lie, whenever she said things like that, I would say nasty comments about how she chose to have him put us in her."
While the OP wasn't financially ready to move out yet, she hoped to as soon as possible.
"Why haven't I moved out yet? The main reason I haven't been able to move out is financial."
"I wasn't making enough to support myself without worrying about whether I’d end up having to crawl back home."
"Thankfully, I have recently found a better-paying job. My plan is to move out between mid-to-late October, or early November at the latest."
"The only reason I can't leave this exact second is because I have a few legal/administrative things to get cleared up so I’m completely untied from my mom, which will take a few weeks."
The OP also had proof that her mother liked her sister better.
"Has my mom ever admitted to favoring my sister? Yes."
"In arguments, she has explicitly told me that she doesn't see me as her legitimate daughter, and that she adored my sister more and forever will. She has also called me a 'monster,' told me there is a certain type of evil inside of me, and said she was afraid I would be just like my dad and try to harm them."
"She would even tell me that she was telling family and friends these things about me, but then later claim she 'just said it in the moment' and wouldn't be crazy enough to actually tell people that."
"Because I was so confused growing up and didn't know if she was lying or telling the truth, I started avoiding our family when they came over."
"Naturally, that just made things worse because she would get mad at me for avoiding them (even now as an adult), completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who lied about what she told them."
Unfortunately, the OP didn't have support from her father.
"What about my dad? My dad is not in my life."
"He was around sporadically, but never as a stable parent. My parents separated before I was born and divorced when I was two or three."
"Growing up, it was just constant back-and-forth toxicity, with him telling me how toxic my mother was, and her telling me the same about him."
"He would mostly only come over to see my sister, and often used me to care for her if he wanted to take her out to eat. Ultimately, my dad didn't care about anyone else other than my sister (and his drugs)."
"I hope this can clear some questions on the original post. I know I didn't provide many details as I originally should have. I honestly didn't want to post something too long, and I honestly did not expect it to be noticed."
"Thank you all for taking time to talk to me and share your thoughts."
The subReddit fully sided with the OP, pointing out that no matter how heated the moment was, it would never excuse the terrible things the OP's mother had said to her.
If the OP's mother really wanted a relationship with her, she'd drop the defensiveness and demands, offer a genuine apology, and work hard to be better for both of her children.
That takes a very rare kind of person to pull off, and it didn't sound like the OP's mother had that in her.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp