It's always exciting when a friend or family member comes for a visit.
Even if the visit also brings a fair amount of stress, you still have to get everything prepared for them.
Then, in some cases, the excitement of the visit takes no time at all to dampen when the visitor shows no gratitude or appreciation for our hospitality.
A friend of Redditor Ok-Cauliflower-619 was recently going through a hard time and asked to stay with the original poster (OP).
While the OP was initially happy to welcome this friend into their home, they quickly regretted their decision.
Eventually coming to the decision that this would be the first and last time this particular friend ever stayed in their home.
Wondering if this was out of line, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**Hole" (AITA), where they asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for refusing to host a friend again?"
The OP explained why their home was now off-limits to a friend from the past:
"Over the weekend, an old friend came to visit and stayed with my family for a few days."
"We first met 17 years ago when we were both single, and despite living in different states, we kept in touch, mostly through social media and seeing each other about once every five years."
"Recently, she began going through a divorce and asked if she could stay at my place. It was her first time staying with us."
"Before she arrived, I set clear expectations."
"I explained that my schedule as a lawyer running my own practice, combined with my kids’ school drop-offs and pick-ups, meant our routine is packed and would limit what we could do."
"She assured me that was fine."
"The day she flew in, I couldn't pick her up due to school pick-up, so I offered to pay for her Uber, which she accepted."
"The first evening went well."
"My husband usually cooks weekday dinners since he gets home before me and I’m busy with work and the kids."
"I take pride in my Mexican heritage, but with my busy schedule, I don't cook Mexican meals during the week, so we eat whatever my husband prepares."
"He’s not Mexican but always cooks an amazing home-cooked meal."
"However, she mentioned she was disappointed we weren’t having Mexican food."
"She is not Mexican and wanted some home cooked Mexican food."
"I apologized and reminded her of my busy work schedule."
"Despite my efforts, her behavior slowly started making me feel uncomfortable."
"To avoid paying for a carry-on bag, she brought only a personal item, which meant she had almost none of her essentials."
"She forgot a charger and spent every day asking to borrow my belongings, ranging from my hair straightener and brush to my makeup."
"The mornings were especially awkward."
"She would walk into my bedroom unannounced to borrow items."
"Because she didn't have a charger, she would walk right over to my side of the bed while I was in it to plug her phone in."
"One morning, she even asked my husband for Q-tips and a bag for her clothes."
"When we went out for drinks, she repeatedly asked to try my drink."
"I reluctantly agreed, but sharing drinks like that made me genuinely uncomfortable and ruined my evening."
"At one point, when the waiter forgot my cutlery, she told me to just use hers."
"I let her know that makes me feel uncomfortable."
"I paid for most of our meals and tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible."
"However, I feel a lot of boundaries were crossed."
"If I were staying with someone to save on accommodation, the least I would do is pay for luggage and bring my own supplies rather than relying on my hosts for everything."
"Now, she wants to visit every six months and expects to stay at my place."
"I have no desire to host her anymore, but I don't know how to bring it up."
"I’ve come to realize that while we were friends in our youth, we have grown into very different people with completely different standards of respect and personal space."
"AITA for being annoyed and a bad host, or was she out of line?"
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 refusing to allow their friend to stay in their house again.
Everyone agreed that this friend quickly outwore her welcome, with many surprised they even let her stay once in the first place:
"NTA."
“'Sorry, we’ve realized we can’t host for extended periods of time with our busy schedules. Happy to meet up for dinner the next time you’re in town!'”- BDizzMcNizz
"'Now, she wants to visit every six months and expects to stay at my place. I have no desire to host her anymore, but I don't know how to bring it up'."
"Friend: Hey, I'm coming in on
"You: Oh cool, where you staying? I'll check my calendar maybe we can meet up if not I hope you enjoy your vacay!."
"#travellife"
"NTA."
"Friend: Oh I thought I could stay with you."
"You: Oh, Im sorry you never asked. I think I'm done with Hotel life. Like to keep my space where I can reload ya know."-pottersquash
"You’re a practicing attorney raising school-age children and she expected homemade Mexican food on a weeknight?"
"GTFO with that."
"NTA in any respect."
"The B&B is CLOSED."- Otherwise_Turnip7135
"NTA!"
"Oh my Godddd?"
"Babe this reads like a horror movie."
"Do not ever let that woman back in your house."
"I hope she never gets to eat another tamal in here LIFE!"- magic_snail1888
"NTA."
"Just say no, you have other commitments."
"No need to tell her what they are."
"Just be consistently unavailable whenever she mentions visiting again."
"Give the names of some nice hotels if she likes your area so much."
"She seems very entitled to your hospitality."- 907puppetGirl
"NTA."
"You’re a lawyer with kids and a husband."
"Aren’t you supposed to be an expert with your words and able to say no a million ways?"- Kindly-Might-1879
"NTA."
"'I'm sorry, but based on your last visit, you made it obvious that I am unable to provide the comforts you needed. I wouldn't want to put either of us through that again'."- WaywardHistorian667
"NTA."
"If she's such a good friend then she will understand when you explain that you won't be available for overnight guests every 6 months."
"If she's not, then losing her won't be a big deal."
"Realistically, you should have called out the behavior when it was happening."
"You can't just set a boundary then let people stomp all over it while you stew quietly then somehow expect them to know you're upset."
"Use you words."
"Communicate like an adult."- bmw5986
"NTA."
“'I don’t know how'.”
"Yes, It is uncomfortable, but when she says she is coming (or if she calls to talk about an upcoming visit) you need to TELL her. Either directly ('you cannot stay with us') or less directly ('what hotel will you be staying in')."
"And you should not give a reason she can argue against."
"As in 'it will not work for us', 'our schedule makes it impossible'”.
"And the like."- bkwormtricia
"NTA."
"It's not really about the charger or the drink or the Mexican food request individually, I think it's everything."
"It's that every single one of them required you to give something up so she wouldn't have to plan ahead."
"That's the actual pattern worth naming."- Gloomy_Shine739
"NTA, just say that you can’t host as life is too busy."
"If she presses, say it again ‘sorry, I can’t host. Life is very hectic'."- carlosmurphynachos
"NTA."
"Just lose her number super fast or block it."
"That's like having your annoying 12-year-old sister visit you at Uni without any of the cute sibling vibes."
"Yuck!"- PinkSquiffel
"NTA."
"Some people might be fine with the permeable personal boundaries, but if that's not your thing (it damn sure isn't mine either) then you don't have to put up with that."
"You're not obligated to share your space with anyone, even if you're friends and you love each other."
"Sharing your space is so intimate, and everyone isn't compatible with the flow of your home."
"Nothing wrong in acknowledging incompatibility and figuring out an alternative solution!"
"Also side note, as a Latina, I cringed so hard at her being disappointed in not eating Mexican food at your home."
"Especially after you very bluntly outlined expectations."
"Like, I know some people will say it's flattery and cultural appreciation, but that makes me so uncomfortable."
"Like did you stay with me for my culture or because we're friends and you wanted to see me?"
"Idk if that's just a me thing, I grew up around a lot of micro-aggressions and weird crap in the South so maybe I'm being defensive."
"But that gave me the ick."- Magpiethemystical
We all want to leave our door open for friends who may need some extra love and support.
That being said, when people are kind enough to open their home to us, we should also be respectful of the fact that this is not our home, and we are their guests.
Not to mention that if we choose to stay with a friend instead of finding a hotel, it should be to visit them as much, or more, than to find somewhere to stay.
Regardless of all of this, who on earth considers sharing cutlery normal?
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