Despite our best efforts, no one is able to completely avoid being jealous at some point or another.
Wishing we had someone's house, car, skill set, beauty.
Then there are the parents who find themselves jealous of those who seem to have better behaved, more gifted children than their own.
Redditor kidswaps was pleased to discover that her brother's new girlfriend got well with her four-year-old daughter.
With this in mind, the original poster (OP) had high hopes for an upcoming family holiday in which her brother, his girlfriend as well as his girlfriend's daughter, would all be attending.
The OP's excitement dampened considerably, however, when her brother's girlfriend offered a child care suggestion which the OP found confusing, and less than enticing.
After hurting her brother's girlfriend's feelings by declining her request, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole" (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for saying I won't 'kid swap' over our Christmas holiday?"
The OP explained why she had zero interest in partaking in her brother's girlfriend's child care idea at an upcoming family vacation:
"I (32 F[emale]) have a brother, 'Charles' (38 M[ale]) who has a girlfriend, 'Claire' (35 f[emale])."
"Claire has a daughter, 'Ruby' (8 F[emale]), who has additional needs (this will be relevant), and I have a daughter 'Bea' (4)."
"We are all, along with my mine and Charles's parents, going to be on a family holiday over Christmas."
"Claire was originally not bringing Ruby as she was meant to be staying with her father but her dad is a flake and cancelled so Claire is now bringing her."
"For some context, Claire loves my daughter, which is great."
"She will volunteer to babysit her (I don't need babysitting as I'm a SAHM and my mother is nearby for emergencies) unprompted, and whenever we see her at events she always wants to play with Bea."
"Bea loves her and it's nice to see, but it is noticeable how she will spend a whole afternoon fussing over Bea even when me and my husband are perfectly capable of looking after her."
"But again, she's great with Bea so we don't mind."
"A couple of days ago Claire and I were texting about what to pack for the trip as I was lending her some clothes."
"During this, I sent her a picture of what I was packing for Bea to give her some idea of what Ruby would need, and Claire said she was really looking forward to seeing Bea."
"She then suggested for a couple of days during the holiday we do a 'kid swap' where we babysit each other's kids for the day."
"I was immediately not keen on this idea, as I have only met Ruby twice and I know nothing about her needs or how to properly look after her."
"Also, I come on holiday to spend time with my child, not farm her out to other people."
"I skirted around the issue, saying we could definitely do things together but Claire kept pushing me to agree."
"She wanted her and Charles to take Bea for a day to go ice skating."
"This back and forth went on for a while before I finally said no, I'm not letting you borrow my child, you already have one."
"Claire said I was being unfair and that she deserves a break and to have an enjoyable holiday, too."
"She then said she didn't want to borrow my clothes anymore and stopped texting me."
"Charles is now saying she's very hurt that I won't let her take Bea out, and that Claire adores her."
"I said that's not the point, I'm not comfortable caring for Ruby on my own and frankly I find it a bit odd that Claire's idea of a break from parenting involves babysitting."
"Charles says I'm massively overdramatising and that babysitting Ruby for a few hours doesn't need a degree and I should just help Claire out."
"Now I'm wondering if he's right."
"AITA?"
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 firmly agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to do a "kid swap" during her upcoming vacation.
While there were those who sympathized with Claire, and understood her wanting a break from watching Ruby, everyone otherwise agreed that a "kid swap" was a strange suggestion, and the OP was more than justified in expressing her discomfort in watching Ruby.
"NTA."
"Claire wants to spend time doing parental activities with a child who doesn't have any special needs."
"It's not /babysitting' as such - it's substitution as she's unable to do them with her own daughter."
"I have a great deal of sympathy for her."
"She's watching everyone else get the Kodak moments that we all picture before becoming parents, yet they're denied to her with her own child."
"However, you are in no way required to help her get those moments at your own cost - not to mention you would be enabling her to exclude her own child in favor of yours."
"It's a tough situation for Claire, but ultimately one she has to deal with herself - and not by doing this."
"I could see her getting possessive of your daughter as well, so you are doing the right thing by nipping it in the bud straight away."- WestLondonIsOursFFC
"NTA."
"The problem is not only that Claire wants to borrow Bea for a while, the problem is that she wants you to take care of her child with special needs, a child who you don't know (and Ruby doesn't know you and could be uncomfortable around people she doesn't know well) and don't know how to care for."
"Now, without wanting to sound too cynical, do you get the impression that Claire somehow resents Ruby in any way, and would like to have a daughter like Bea instead?"
"Her attitude around your child is strange, at best, and it looks like that Claire has something to unpack with a professional therapist."
"Frankly, I'd be quite uncomfortable too, leaving my daugjter with a woman who seems slightly obsessed with her."- 000-Hotaru_Tomoe
"NTA."
"I know some people may downvote this, as we can all empathize that a parent who has a child with mental or physical needs/support is naturally exhausted (especially with a deadbeat ex involved who doesn't share the parenting load), but it's unfair to throw a tantrum because you're not getting your own way regardless of the situation."
"We see far too many posts, especially on this sub, where family bullying others to conform or submit seems to be the norm."
"If you aren't comfortable doing something, and for valid reasons, that should be the end of the conversation."
"Your brother is seeing his partner's raw emotions and not the full picture, don't let his reaction influence your opinion."
"Have you discussed this with your OH/mum/close friend?"
"What's their reaction?"
"Are you being supported?"- spookobsessedscot
"NTA."
"This is a gut reaction: Claire wants to play-act that Bea is her daughter."
"I'm willing to reveal my superpower is elastic arms for the length of this reach, but that was my immediate gut reaction to your story."
"You're 100% right, a break from childcare wouldn't involve babysitting someone else's child while someone babysits yours."
"If she had suggested to take Bea with her family one day and you take Ruby with yours a different day, that would equal a break for each of you."
"Her tantrum and the constant focus in her negotiation of wanting to flat out switch children could be that she knows Ruby would be too much for you to handle on your own."
"To prevent you from calling up and cancelling the swap after an hour she could be planning to guilt you into keeping Ruby for the day with 'how upset would Bea be if you cut her day short' type manipulations."
"And that is far more reasonable a speculation."
"But her tantrum showed you that she doesn't cope with raising her child easily, nor does Ruby's father, he's probably not as flaky as she makes out just that he's equally challenged by raising her."
"But with the extra info of all the unprompted offers of babysitting when you've never needed her to."
"So she doesn't cope well with her own daughter but wants the responsibility of adding another child to her load?"
"My gut remains on she wants to play pretend."- Professional_Ruin953
"NTA at all."
"This is straight up weird."
"Doing things together with both kids?"
"Sure, that's something one could agree to."
"But for a mother to actively leave her own child behind because she needs a break, but then getting another child for the outing, is just strange!"
"Sounds like she'd rather just take Bea home after the holidays, too, and leave Ruby to you."
"Stand your ground on this!"- backyardchick
Being a parent of a child with special needs certainly comes with more than its fair share of challenges.
Even so, spending more time with another child is not the answer.
Especially not on a vacation intended for families to spend quality time with one another.
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