While people say they would do anything for family - and the sentiment is usually true at its core - unspoken boundaries do exist.
A person shouldn't be expected to hinder their own well-being and compromise their future in order to fulfill a favor to a family member, especially when it's an avoidable monetary favor.
A teen on Reddit is being called "selfish" for refusing to use the money she's been saving for college to help pay for her brother's wedding, so she turned to the "Am I The A**hole Here" (AITAH) subReddit to seek feedback from fellow Redditors.
Redditor Peachypetite_xo asked:
"AITA for not contributing to my brother's wedding expenses?"
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
"I (18/F[emale]) have an older brother, Mike (28/M[ale]), who is getting married in a few months."
"Our family is pretty close, and we've always supported each other."
"Recently, Mike and his fiancée have run into some budget issues with their wedding."
"A few weeks ago, Mike asked if I could contribute financially to help cover some of the wedding costs."
"He knows I've been saving the money I earned from my part-time job for college expenses and some personal goals."
"I explained that I wouldn't be able to help since I need those savings for my future education and other important needs."
"Mike seemed to understand at first, but lately, he and some family members have been acting distant and cold towards me."
"They think I'm being selfish for not helping out, especially since I'm still living at home and don't have many expenses."
"I've always tried to be there for my family, but I feel like I need to prioritize my own future, especially with college coming up soon."
"I feel guilty for not being able to support my brother's wedding, but I also feel it's important to stick to my savings plan for my education and other personal goals."
"Am I being unreasonable, or are they asking too much from me?
"AITA for not contributing to my brother's wedding expenses?"
"Thanks for your perspective."
Redditors weighed in and decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA), with many stating that her brother and other family members, however, are the a**holes (AH) for asking her to help fund his wedding in the first place.
"NTA"
"He's a grown a** adult asking a teenager for money. He should stick to what he can afford."
"That is money you earned, money you will need to establish yourself when you do move out."
"Ask the family members who are giving you trouble how much they're contributing." - waywardjynx
"Anyone telling an 18 year old to spend their college money on a 30 year olds' wedding is a complete AH." - churchofdan
"NTA. Your family members are the a**holes for expecting a child to blow their minimum wage part-time savings, that are meant for your future, on a wedding that should have been budgeted for by the adults throwing it."
"Don't do it op." - 624Seeds
"OMG, how pathetic for a man almost 30 to be asking his teenaged baby sister for her hard-earned college money for his stupid overpriced wedding!"
"Do not do it!"
"And no, you have zero reason for feeling guilty for not handing that entitled jacka** money."
"You're doing nothing wrong, but he certainly is!"
"That guilt you're feeling is because those sh*tty people are trying to manipulate you, using the old 'but faaamily!' garbage manipulative tactic."
"Keep saving and go to college far away from these a**hats."
"NTA." - Laquila
"NTA it is absolutely not appropriate to ask you for money."
"Your family sounds pretty stupid to be honest" - ghjkl098
"NTA . If they can't afford the wedding they have planned then they should scale it back to an amount they can afford."
"Expecting an 18 year old to bail them out is just not acceptable at all." - therealgingerone
"I sure hope your parents' names aren't on any of your bank accounts."
"If they are, go open an account at a completely different bank and transfer all of your funds to the new account."
"Otherwise, you may find the money gone."
"NTA."
"And it's pretty gross that a nearly 30 yo man wants his teenaged sister to help pay for his wedding." - Beck2010
"as a 28-year-old, the idea of asking a teenager for their earnings from their part-time-job because i can't afford to pay for a party i'm throwing is one of the most absurd things i've ever heard."
"who does that. what. NTA!" - liekkivalas
"NTA"
"They have to plan a wedding within their means."
"Also, money for education > money for a f**king wedding." - chuchofreeman
"NTA. Insane that they would expect you to give money to a big party instead of saving for your education." - Lambsenglish
"NTA. When it comes to weddings people love to sh*t higher than their a**holes hang when it comes to budgeting."
"You are saving for your future."
"He is saving for what is essentially a big party." - RazzmatazzOk9463
"NTA you're a teenager with a part time job about to go to college, which is a whole lot more important to properly finance than a 1 day party like a wedding."
"If they can't afford the 'wedding of their dreams' then scale back those dreams, rather than rack up huge debts and make unrealistic demands on family members." - stiggley
"NTA Your brother is the selfish one trying to take the money you need for school."
"Yes, they are asking too much of you." - Meep42
"NTA. Its not your obligation your brother should at least saved up and not rely on others to pay for his own wedding." - Wonderful-Studio-870
"If he can't afford his wedding, then he either needs to postpone it until he can, or downsize what he's planning!"
"It's not up to you, an 18yo, to finance your 28yo brother's decisions!"
"NTA all day."
"Don't contribute past a modest wedding gift." - lefdinthelurch
"NTA"
"They need to live and have a wedding within their means, and he should be ashamed to ask his teenage sister to give him money for his 'party'."
"He's nearly 30 years old, he should know better!"
"If he can't afford it then he/his fiancé need to take on a 2nd job or continue saving for longer."
"Your money is for your education and anything else."
"There's no way he would pay for your studies (if he says he'll refund you later, don't believe his lies)."
"Make sure your money is in a bank account that none of your family can steal from you." - MajorAd2679
"NTA."
"He's being selfish by expecting you to contribute a thing to his wedding."
"If he and his fiance can't afford the wedding they're planning, then they need to change their plans."
"Your education is far more important than a party, whether for a wedding or not." - Ornery-Wasabi-473
"NTA. He should be embarrassed for having to ask a high school student to contribute to his wedding."
"Save your money for your college." - SqrrlGrl5
Several urged OP to avoid putting her future in jeopardy to appease her family.
"NTA. College is an investment in the future, not an expense."
"A live band or open bar at a wedding is the opposite." - Beneficial_Test_5917
"NTA"
"You need your money for your college expenses."
"Your brother doesn't need a fancier wedding."
"He and his fiancee can borrow money from a bank if they think it's important to spend so much to celebrate their wedding."
"Don't compromise your future to pay for your brother's celebration." - teresajs
"a futile and luxurious wedding vs your future education.... do you really think this is a dificult decision?" - bunnypt2022
"NTA."
"A 28 y/o should know to budget better."
"To rely on your 18 y/o bro for frivoulous money spending ( aka ) wedding is just wrong."
"Ask your brother if he is willing to put into writing that he will pay for your college if you give him the money."
"To trade your future for ONE party is mental." - lodenscore
"You're only 18 and have your life ahead of you."
"just ignore it, go on with your plans and go live your life."
"Relax, your brother's marriage is his problem, you have nothing to do with it." - LowInvestment3826
"I'm sorry, did I read this correctly?"
"Your f*cking family thinks you should sacrifice your college money for your brother's wedding!"
"Are they out of their minds? The audacity of it!"
"Tell them they are crazy to think you would give up your education for a party for your brother."
"And tell your brother to grow up and have a wedding he can afford instead of leeching from others."
"You sound like you're the only adult in your family, so do not give in to their stupid demands."
"Keep your spine and your bright future." - Antique-diva
"This is nuts."
"No, you (a teenager) do not need to toss your literal college savings to your brother (an adult) to pay for his optional wedding expenses."
"Keep your savings. NTA." - katie-kaboom
"NTA"
"Don't burn yourself to keep others warm."
"We also help each other in our family, IF we can afford to at the time of need."
"If not, we apologize, and move on."
"Your family is out of line." - CuriousCake3196
It certainly seems that OP has her priorities in order, and according to her fellow Redditors, she should in no way feel bad about that.
Hopefully her brother can find some ways to cut back on expenses for the wedding, but it sounds like he has no reason to be upset with OP.
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