Redditor sarahmarie0 recently took to subReddit "Am I the A**hole?" (AITA) with a unique quandary.
The Original Poster (OP) is one of multiple siblings - a family they self-describe as "a big blended family".
One of their stepsisters joined their family with a low education level when she was just months from her 18th birthday.
After pulling numerous resources from their personal network, the OP's parents were able to secure their stepsister a college education if she could graduate from high school.
This proved to be a particularly difficult feat considering her education level at this point, but a private school in the area offered to put her on a catch-up year, provided a hefty donation.
This donation won the OP's sister a slot at the school but cost them and their siblings financially when it came to their turn to pay for college.
On the sub, the OP asked:
"AITA for reminding my parents that my stepsister ruined our family's future?"
They went on to explain:
"I grew up in a big blended family where we all consider ourselves siblings and I consider my stepmom my mom. All of us kids are close except for one: my stepsister Liana [fake name]."
"My parents think it's just because she didn't grow up with the rest of us but that it's fine, and it's not."
"Yes, by the time she came to live with us, she was almost 18, but it's not because of that. It's because she cost the rest of us our futures."
"See, when she came to live with us, she had been 'independently' home schooled."
"She was said to be very smart, but testing revealed that she only had about a 9th grade education and no transferable credits."
"Neither our school or the public school were willing to place her above 9th grade."
"Since she was only about a month from turning 18, this would mean she would be in high school until her 21st birthday and would more likely than not have to drop out anyway."
"The only other option was to have her get a GED."
"They were devastated, especially because she had an offer from family friends to get her into and through college if she did a specific program that she DID have advanced education in."
"If she didn't graduate that year, they would question how bad it was and likely rescind the offer."
"The only other option was for her to get a GED, which would force the family friend to rescind the offer even if they still wanted to help because she could never get accepted with a GED."
'My parents worried over this, until someone they knew who was the admin of another private school offered to help out."
"They offered to enroll her as a senior and she could spend the year 'catching up'. Provided they saw it in their hearts to give a donation, of course."
"~100k later, she 'graduated' from an accredited high school and moved on to college."
"My family is just normal middle class, so paying that meant that the rest of us had to take out massive student loans, and my youngest siblings even had to switch to public school."
"My older brother got some help before this, but there wasn't a dime for the rest of us."
"My parents justify it by saying that they had to do it because it was their job to give all of their kids as close to an equal start to their lives as possible, and this was the only option to do that for her."
"My mom asked why we all have strained relationships with Liana, and it finally came out that truthfully, we resent her for the huge financial load on us and the entire family that she caused."
"It's been 10 years and she's never even tried to apologize or make amends, and it's grating."
"Now my father says that mom has fallen into a depression because 'nobody loves Liana but her' and that we 'weren't a family despite everything she's ever done'."
"We are a family, just not with Liana. Are we really in the wrong?"
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:
"YTA I kept waiting for the point in the story, where Liana did something terrible to you and your siblings to make you hate her. That point never came."
"Someone clearly did Liana very wrong by homeschooling her rather than sending her to a real school, and it's really sad that your parents had to stump up so much money to rectify this damage."
"You said she graduated and moved on to College so clearly she didn't piss away the money your parents spent on her."
"I can understand how it feels unfair that this money was spent on her and you didn't get it, but realistically all that it did was get her to the same place that you got anyway without it."
"That is a high school diploma. They didn't pay for her College."
"Finally, it doesn't sound like your future has been destroyed because you went to College too and if you really had 'massive' loans…"
"…then your small share of that hundred thousand would've barely made a dent. Your resentment dripped from your post, and is entirely misplaced. Grow up." - ExistentialistTeapot
"It's not Liana's fault she was home schooled and so poorly at that."
"Your siblings had to switch to public school? Oh, the humanity!"
"I don't understand what you're saying about taking students loans - you mean for college? $100k divided by 4 is $25k each. That wouldn't have paid for even one year if you're in the USA."
"YTA. You have a hate-on for Liana that isn't justified." - Longjumping-Lab-1916
"YTA. I have no idea how old you were when Liana showed up, but unless your parents gave you a detailed history of where she was and what she had been through the last 18 years…"
"…she may have had a lot more going on than you realize."
"You also said you're a normal middle class family but that your youngest siblings had to switch to public school."
"If they were attending private school their tuition would likely cost more over the course of their primary schooling than Liana's did, no?"
"It doesn't sound like Liana asked for this, or purposely held herself back at a 9th grade level. If you love your stepmom like a mom, go talk with her like she's your mom." - bingewatch-
"Ehhhhh. I think your anger is misplaced, and you and your siblings should be mad at your parents, not your sister."
"Yeah, your sister was in a bad spot, but as far as we're aware, Liana didn't ask, beg or expect to have to have $100,000 spent on her to get her a high school degree."
"I don't know what Liana's life looked like before she came to live with ya'll, and maybe there was some abuse or trauma there..."
"…or just the lack of a proper education (which I doubt was up to Liana)."
"It's your parents who wanted to keep on her this specific track of their (getting her into college on a specific timetable), and they had to know what spending this money would do to the rest of you…"
"…and they still chose it. That's on them, not Liana... gentle YTA for holding something against your sister that wasn't her fault." - fallingintopolkadots
"I don't believe a word of this, it's just too bizarre."
"So Liana mysteriously appeared as age 18 with this inadequate education but a shadowy 'family friend' who somehow could guarantee her way into and through college…"
"…provided she graduated in time."
"And then a very dubious private school came into the picture offering help for $100K (which middle class families don't keep in their back pockets)…"
"…and somehow your parents decided that free college for one kid was worth that, leaving all the rest with nothing?"
"That not only makes no financial sense it makes no common sense and would require at least two unfathomably crooked educational institutions to be conveniently placed."
"'…my youngest siblings even had to switch to public school.' Oh, boo hoo."
"I went to public school and got a scholarship to college and I know plenty of people who decided in colleges that would saddle them with small loans only."
"I don't think any of this ever happened. Your parents would be massive a-holes if it did, and also incredibly stupid." - Icy_Blueness1206
"What future do you speak of? Are you guys getting college educations? Sounds like it."
"Are you applying that education to get jobs and start careers? If so, I don't see what the problem is, except you sound like you all felt entitled to going to private schools debt free."
"If your family is middle class, you weren't all going to private schools and would have had to take out loans regardless." - JoeyShabadoo79
"Yta."
"That's not your stepsisters fault."
"Who was responsible for maintaining her homeschooling? The parents. Who was responsible for choosing to spend the money. The parents."
"Who was responsible for all of these choices. The parents."
"This isn't on your stepsister. This is on all of the adults surrounding her" - Disastrous_Cress_701
Well, Reddit certainly had a lot of feelings about this one and how the parents deserved to spend their funds. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
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