Childfree weddings seem like a standard option these days. In some cases, this includes an age cut-off.
People often choose the age of 13, 16, 18, or 21 as their cut-off.
But what if the chosen cut-off excludes only a single family member?
And what if that family member is only one month shy of the cut-off age?
A parent whose child was singled out turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback.
Eastern-Second-2528 asked:
"AITA for 'throwing a tantrum' because my child wasn't invited to a childfree wedding?"
The original poster (OP) explained:
"My sister is getting remarried—for a 3rd time—and she wants a very small wedding with only immediate family."
"Yesterday we got her wedding invitation, and to my surprise, it said that the wedding is childfree and my child isn't invited."
"My child is 17 years old, going on 18 soon."
"By the way, my child is the only one under 18 in our family and in the groom's family, so she is the only one being excluded."
"I called my sister and asked her if she is f*cking serious. She said, 'I'm sorry, but we have decided that we want a childfree wedding'."
"I told her to just say you want a 'my child' free wedding and get it over with because this is exactly what you are doing."
"The other cousins are all boys and all invited. My daughter is the only girl and not invited. The other ones are 18-21, so she is the only one under 18."
"Funny, now that I think about it, she could say she wants a girl-free wedding, and she would have the same result."
"We got into an argument and she told me to stop throwing a tantrum and my child doesn't need to be included in everything."
"My daughter will be a month too young to attend, not a year."
"I know my child is too quiet and doesn't talk to people, so my family doesn't love her as much as they love the rest of the grandkids. But for f*cks sake, they don't have to show it!"
"I told my sister that we won't be attending her 3rd wedding then. She called me an a**hole for not supporting her."
"If my child isn't invited, then I'm not going. Sorry, she needs to find another matron of honor."
The OP summed up their predicament.
"I might be an a**hole for expecting my child to be invited to a childfree wedding because everyone else is invited."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
"NTA. You should tell her you can't attend because you don't have childcare for your 'child'." ~ jadeariel12
"This is awesome. OP: 'Sorry I can't be at your wedding, I can't find childcare'."
"SIS: 'But Niece is old enough to take care of herself for a day'."
"OP: 'But she's not mature enough not to get herself in trouble, so she needs to be supervised at all times'."
"SIS: 'Don't be silly; of course, she won't get herself in trouble. It's only a few hours."
"OP: 'So you're saying she's NOT a child?'."
"SIS: '...'."
"NTA, OP." ~ Styx-n-String
"Honestly, I think the OO's sister might just have a strong smell of sexism with a lot of the choices surrounding her wedding." ~ BeardManMichael
"Sister is entitled to invite who she wants to her wedding, but OP has the right to stick by their daughter also." ~ Crazy-Jackfruit4311
"So what I am understanding is that you are the maid/matron-of-honor (MOH), your daughter is a month shy of turning 18, other young people between the ages of 18-21 are attending, those young people are all males, and your daughter is disliked for being too shy and quiet."
"Yeah, I do think you have reason to feel insulted and excluded. I don't know if there's sexism involved, but it feels like it."
"I don't know why your daughter is quiet around her own family, and maybe there's a critical back story that you aren't including."
"I also don't know why your sister would alienate her own MOH rather than make it easier for her attend and enjoy the day."
"But I'm still going with NTA. You definitely have the right to refuse to attend the wedding." ~ DaxxyDreams
"Maybe OP's daughter is 'quiet' because the boys are rambunctious and annoying. Maybe she isn't extremely quiet, but just quiet in comparison to the boys."
"Maybe the family, in general, is a bit loud and doesn't understand someone who is more of an introvert."
"These are all just possibilities, but I'm thinking that if a family doesn't like her for being quiet, maybe it's not that she's quiet, but more that she's just normal and not a loud extrovert. And that makes a family of extroverts uncomfortable." ~ regus0307
"Extroverts just love to act like introverts have something wrong with them. 'Why are you so quiet? What's wrong?' Nothing is wrong. I just don't have anything to say. Also NTA, OP." ~ konimahoney
"NTA. I'm childfree and all for childfree weddings, but setting a 'no under 18s' rule when there is exactly one relative about to turn 18 sounds deliberate. Your sister can set any rule she likes, but your family is free to not attend." ~ irate_anatid
"Yeah, the fact she is hardly a 'child' and the only one not invited screams NTA."
"I feel this would be a relationship breaker between OP and her sister. I hope the bride changes her mind." ~ BaronOfCray
"I feel like normally it would be a 'their wedding, their rules' situation, and I'd say grow up and get over it, BUT this is not that situation. Your grown (pretty much) child is literally the only one being excluded."
"I can't even imagine what is probably going through that 17-year-old girl's head right now. She's probably wondering why her family doesn't like her."
"You should definitely talk to her and make sure she knows that some people are just ridiculous about their stupid wedding and that she didn't do anything wrong. Make sure she knows this is not her fault somehow. NTA." ~ __Grim_The_Reaper__
"NTA. She can make her invitation decisions and she can also deal with the consequences of those decisions—like her MOH withdrawing because the bride intentionally excluded their daughter."
"Your daughter is watching. Don't be the second female family member to let her down."
"Your sister is the one creating the situation. She can have the downside consequence and awkward conversations with family."
"If your family asks, just say, 'Bride did not want my daughter to attend. I do not want to take part in an event that hurts and excludes my daughter. It is what it is, and I'm sure the bride will have the lovely day she's planned for." ~ SlinkyMalinky20
"NTA. Personally, I'd be a petty b*tch."
"I'd very publicly—where the entire family can read or hear—RSVP with, 'Thanks for the invite, but we'll wait for your 4th wedding. My daughter will be old enough to attend your next one'." ~ Reddit
"I was also the quiet kid in my family and some people also didn't like me because of it. It even took my parents years to understand and accept my personality."
"Thank you for stepping up for your daughter. NTA." ~ chibisaurier
"Fellow quiet kid/now quiet adult here. The way we are judged is crazy."
"The things people said about me when I was young still hurt to this day. Good on you for standing up for your daughter. NTA." ~ Less_Volume_2508
"NTA. 17 going on 18 in ONE MONTH isn't a child, and when your sister's rule exclusively targets your family you are completely within your right to stay home. I don't know if she's being spiteful or just foolishly stubborn, but the result is the same." ~ Open_Mortgage_4645
"NTA. I get the idea of child-free weddings—mine was one with the exception of a couple of newborns that couldn't be separated from their parents yet. But honestly children 14 and up are really 'teenagers' in this context, they know how to behave generally."
"But yeah, I wouldn't go to a wedding if my 17-year-old child was the only one excluded with a 'childfree' rule. That's not a childfree wedding, that's purposefully excluding one person."
"She can make whatever rules she wants for her wedding, but she needs to accept who will and won't come because of it." ~ Kittenn1412
"Sister getting married for the third time, you're the maid of honor; sister doesn't want to invite their niece/daughter of a maid of honor who is a month short of being 18 and will be the only 'child' not invited."
"NTA, f*ck that, you wanna target my kid? Maybe we can resolve this on the 5th marriage." ~ knowledge84
"NTA. Don't go. Send back the RSVP as a decline. And don't send a gift."
"Don't communicate about this further with her. She extended an invite and you declined said invite. Make other plans and say 'sorry, we are busy'." ~ Cerealkiller4321
"If somebody asserts their position is 'her wedding her rules', then the immediate response is it has to go both ways. If she has autonomy in setting the guidelines for her wedding, then invitees do not forfeit their autonomy and whether or not they want to attend."
"She absolutely has the right to say, 'If you attend my wedding, you have to break dance on the front steps of the church and dip your head in a bucket of honey'."
"And the invitees have every right to say 'No, I'll pass, thank you for the invite'. NTA." ~ Important_Return_110
An invitation is a question, not a summons.
So, any invitation can be answered with 'no, thank you' for any reason or no reason at all.
No one is obligated to attend—or be part of the wedding party—just because they were invited.
While the bride and groom can make whatever rules and set whatever boundaries they want for their wedding day, they can't force people who don't like their rules to attend.
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