A death of a pet is always difficult. An unexpected death can feel worse. An unexpected death that was completely avoidable can cause resentment and anger as well as grief.
A grieving pet owner turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback.
Eng_elp asked:
"AITA? My dog died today and my family still expects me to take them out to dinner tonight."
The original poster (OP) explained:
"My dog passed away this afternoon. It was sudden and awful and I was with her when it happened. I’ve had her for years, she was basically my shadow. I am completely wrecked."
"My family is visiting and staying at my home, and no less than an hour later, they started talking about dinner plans like it was a normal day. When I said I didn’t think I could go, I got hit with 'it’s just a dog” and “we leave tomorrow'.”
"I can’t even think about food, let alone sitting in a restaurant pretending to be okay."
"I tried to explain that I’m not trying to make it a big dramatic thing, I just lost a living being I love and I need a minute. The response was basically that I’m being overly emotional."
"I got in my car and booked a hotel room. I told them they can stay at my place, but I wouldn’t be seeing them today or tomorrow."
"AITA?"
The OP later added:
"My brother’s son dropped an Adderall pill while playing yesterday. We couldn’t find the missing pill afterward. It is likely that my dog ate it today while I was at work, based on the symptoms the doctor described."
"My nephew is 9, and my brother has him handle his own medication to teach him about personal responsibility. The pill likely fell out of his pocket while he was playing outside."
"I wasn’t told until later, and by then it was too dark to find it. I had no luck the following morning, so I went to work, and hours later my brother called saying my baby was acting strangely. By the time I got home, my dog was seizing and died at the vet soon after."
"I’m devastated, especially knowing that instead of rushing her to the vet, they were out at the mall."
"I don’t control my brother‘s parenting skills, but his negligence and dismissiveness hurts the most."
"They haven’t left my home yet, so I have not been able to go home and mourn my baby. I’m afraid to walk into an empty home."
The OP summed up why they might be the a**hole in their situation.
"Leaving my home and staying at a hotel instead of going out for dinnder with family after my dog passing. They’re visiting from out of town and I should technically be entertaining them."
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
- INFO - more information needed
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
"Based on the edit it sounds like your family are trying to downplay your grief because they know if they weren't there, your dog would be alive. NTA."
"Even if they weren't responsible what sort of family downplays someone else's suffering?" ~ lord_buff74
"Oh I'd put money on them not feeling remotely responsible for what happened, and even if OP was able to explain that the dropped medicine killed her dog, they'd dismiss it as 'an accident' not even a tragic one."
"Good for OP taking herself to a hotel until these heartless monsters are gone." ~ LottieOD
"My dog died directly because of my mum's actions, something we'd been fighting about previously because I could see the risk but it was her home and she could do what she wanted. Later she found out I had cancelled plans for my birthday (I knew the friend involved would ask about it and I would cry), she demanded to know why, I said because you killed my dog, she said oh you're still upset about that?! Complete disconnect." ~ LimeLimpet
"OP's brother is absolutely responsible. A 9yo should not be responsible for a controlled substance like Aderall (nothing against the drug itself, I take similar medication)." ~ itsnotlikewereforkin
"And we all know that they won’t kick in even a nickel towards the vet bills, that are a direct result of OP’s brother’s negligence in monitoring his son’s controlled medication." ~ yahumno
"I am SO PROUD OF YOU! This 60 y.o. mom is here to say that was the healthiest choice you could have made for yourself."
"A dog is embedded into every minute of your routine and you will be getting constant reminders of your loss throughout the day. This is a huge loss that will reverberate through your life and you should take all the time you need to grieve." ~ Ok_Ingenuity_9313
"So. They had an accidental hand in your beloved dog's sudden death and this is how they react? Good Lord. NTA." ~ CKM5253
"NTA. Dropped an adderall pill by playing? I beg your finest f*cking pardon‽‽" ~ Careful-Possible-965
"Yeah, medication and play are 2 things that should be kept as far apart as physically possible."
"This should have never happened, and I'd be raining hellfire on whoever thought it was a good idea." ~ ThxRedditSyncVanced
"NTA. They were being deeply insensitive. I'm sorry for your loss. And, HoHolF*ck, they were responsible for it? No. I mean, the verdict stands, but beyond that they're lucky you didn't immediately put them out and that you didn't... erm... do anything to end up on the news. I'm not sure I'd have your restraint." ~ hiddenkobolds
"NTA. It’s completely reasonable that you need some space right now. It’s wildly out of touch for them to expect you to act like nothing happened."
"I’m so sorry for your loss." ~ BeKindRewind98
"NTA, firstly I’m sorry for your loss, people who are not dog people do not understand but that’s no excuse for them to be so callous."
"Secondly, they lost track of an adderall? What the actual f*ck? It’s a controlled substance for a reason. That mistake and the subsequent failure to locate it puts the whole thing onto them, it’s as if they gave it chocolate with an espresso shot as a chaser. That’s equivalent to manslaughter." ~ FloridaMMJInfo
"Agreed. They killed her dog, whether intentionally or not, and are claiming she's being overemotional. Next, they'll have family and friends telling her how horrible she is for putting an animal over family. Frankly, I'd never speak to them again and it would be fine if everyone thought I was terrible for it since they'd likely leave me alone if I'm that bad."
"OP, I am so sorry for your profound loss. The fact that everyone here is appalled at your family's behavior should tell you without question that you are NTA! I don't know how they can come back from this if they won't even acknowledge they're entirely to blame. Mishandling a controlled substance that caused the death of a beloved pet is bad enough; not taking responsibility is disgusting." ~ geckotatgirl
"You lost your fur baby, highly likely due to their negligence. The fact they can’t show you even the slightest bit of grace is beyond belief. NTA." ~ AlarmedKnowledge3783
"I am so terribly terribly sorry. My girl died nine months ago. My husband was her favorite human, but on the night she died she came to get me when the seizures started. I can’t get past that she loved me in the end and needed her mom."
"Your family is…I don’t even know what to say. You did absolutely the right thing. Of course NTA." ~ RandomAmmonite
"NTA. When my dog died on a Thursday, I called my boss and told him I would not be in on Friday. He bought me and my husband dinner out at our favorite restaurant."
"I did work Monday, but canceled all of my meetings. I was afraid that if I had to talk, I would cry. It was a week before I was able to leave the house and enjoy our dinner out with my boss. That was eight years ago."
"We won't even get another dog. It was too hard. So sorry about your dog." ~ According-Drawing-32
"NTA. Your family obviously has never had a deep bond with a pet before. I recently lost the cat that I’ve had since the beginning of my marriage; she was our family. It’s 100% understandable for you to be grieving right now, I’m sorry your family isn’t considering how you feel." ~ JoyfulDelivery
"I'm so sorry for your loss. I also lost a loved dog about a week ago. I feel like the loss of a pet is felt just as profoundly as the loss of a family member because our pets are so integrated into our daily lives."
"We look at their water bowl and miss them. We look at where their bed was and miss them."
It was sh*tty of your family to not be sympathetic, especially since they're responsible for your dog's death. NTA." ~ Areil26
The OP has the right to grieve however they want.
Their family should be offering apologies and empathy. If they can't do that, a little distance seems like the best solution.
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