The fear of very common or necessary things in life can lead to a whole host of problems. How do you handle being afraid of someone you need to see regularly, like the dentist?
Redditor Rycax's wife has this exact problem. The original poster (OP) doesn't think his wife handled the situation in the best way.
Now she's upset at him, and OP isn't sure if he should have said something different. So he decided to ask the "Am I the A**hole" (AITA) subReddit about their situation.
How would you handle what they're going through?
"AITA For telling my wife how it is?"
Especially when the wife's condition is so bad.
"My wife had a traumatic instance with the dentist and she is terrified of dentists. Her tooth started hurting about 2 weeks ago."
"I knew she was worried about having to go to the dentist so I reassured her that I would take that morning off so I can comfort her."
"She didn't make the appointment."
"Fast forward to 3 days ago where her pain is increasing to the point where she can't stay still, drinking ice water constantly, ice packs, and finally to call and make an appointment, but it's 2 weeks out."
"I had to work full time and take care of the baby during the night and clean because the pain is so bad she can't sleep so she needed all the rest she can get and knocks herself out with sleeping pills. Honestly I don't mind taking on the extra work because she does need the rest."
"She was able to be seen today due to the seriousness explained to the dentist."
"She has a series of appointments now at different dates and I have days and event that are mandatory for me at my workplace. She gets upset with me about how I have all these events (which I can't control) when she has dentist appointments scheduled."
"I tell her that 'she shouldn't be frustrated with me, if anything you should blame yourself for not going sooner.'"
"She absolutely flips. Telling me that I don't care about her emotions and how I'm not validating her feelings and don't care."
"Basically she took it as it was her fault that she couldn't deal with her trauma (I believe it is) and call sooner and she says that I have no empathy for her experience. Calls me a piece of sh*t and other things."
"I don't know what's right and wrong. Please help."
"Edit: we live in Japan and some solutions in America does not work here. Like anxiety for dentist. Hard to do."
OP tried to get his wife to go to the dentist, but her phobia was so bad, she kept putting it off. Now, she has a ton of scary appointments, and OP has too much going on at work to go with her to all of them.
Was OP too mean when he told her this is how it is?
On Reddit, the users of the board judged OP for not 'validating' his wife's feelings about her dentist appointments by including one of the following in their response:
- NTA – Not the A**hole
- YTA – You're the A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everybody Sucks Here
While OP could have been a little nicer, Reddit decided that overall he's right. He did everything he could to get her into the dentist sooner, but she postponed it.
OP is doing their best to support, but there's a limit, especially when he's being blamed for not showing up to these appointments.
OP is NTA as voted by the users of the AITA subReddit.
"NTA. Also, any couple in which you are freely calling each other a Piece of Sh*t is a couple that needs therapy."
"Having disagreements and yelling at each other happens, but there has to be a barrier of respect you should never cross." - Mortis_Limpkins
"NTA. I hate people who do this sh*t. She's a grown adult and I'm assuming she knows that dental health, if not addressed, will deteriorate and cause significant problems."
"She knew something was wrong, didn't do anything about it, possibly made the situation worse by stalling for so long and made a bunch of appointments all once without checking to see if you're available."
"What does she expect you to do? Drop everything related to your job to accommodate for her irresponsibility?"
"It's her medical issue. You're not her secretary or nurse." - theogdebbiedowner
"NTA her phobia isn't valid reason to verbally abuse you. You offered her assistance and she didn't make the appointment."
"Then when she finally did, you had work conflicts that made you unable to attend her dental appointments with her. That doesn't mean you lack empathy."
"You've been picking up extra around the house for weeks while she's been unwell. Your wife needs to attend to her health and get some therapy to address her trauma/dental phobia."
"You aren't at fault here." - totalitarianbnarbp
"NTA You told your wife you would take off work for the first visit. When she didn't make it, you stayed up with the baby at night and aren't even complaining abt that."
"I may be biased bc my ex husband had me take four toddlers/elementary kids to my dentist appointments and refused to help with the kids at night even if I was sick, but I think you're doing a great job of reasonably supporting her while expecting her to act like an adult."
"How could she expect you to take off every appointment? What if you have a similar problem or get sick and then there are no sick days?"
"She needs to find a friend she can swap some babysitting with, maybe she can do her once the pain is gone. Totally NTA" - Scottiegazelle2
"NTA"
"It's not up to you to manage her trauma."
"I have trauma surrounding doctors. I have a prescription for xanex when I have to go to the doctor."
"My husband and I schedule the appointments together so I don't interfere with what he got going on and I can have a ride and support person there."
"It's up to me to keep my needs and trauma on my shoulders and not make it my husband's responsibility." - OMGIneedanap
"NTA. It would be one thing if she were just frustrated in general but didn't blame you for work sh*t you can't control. Getting upset with you is what makes her the AH."
"I pretty much have a phobia of driving (I have spatial-awareness issues that make it feel f**king terrifying), but if that means I end up in an inconvenient situation because my husband can't give me a ride somewhere, that's my problem."
"I make sure I have a laundry list of other options because he has to deal with my bs about this enough - no need to make it worse." - justheretosavestuff
That said, people are still somewhat sympathetic to the wife. Dealing with an extreme phobia isn't fun, and creates challenges that can be difficult to overcome.
While OP isn't wrong for that they did, the wife's situation is difficult.
There may not be someone at fault, since the wife's phobia is such an issue.
"I have a severe phobia of dentists. I found one that does sedation dentistry."
"He prescribes these anti anxiety pills before I need to go. It makes it a lot more tolerable."
"My husband does have to take off work to drive me and pick me up, but he doesn't mind teleworking for a day. NAH, fears can be hard to overcome, and you just want the best for the family, please look into sedation dentistry." - Jorbarip
"I second this. I'm a grown a** adult and I'm TERRIFIED of the dentist."
"My regular doctor (pcp) is aware and will prescribe me 2 anti anxiety meds to take prior to a dentist appt. All I usually need is a ride."
"Of course it's always better to have someone go with me, but if it's an emergency, the meds alone will do just fine. Maybe OPs wife just needs to be upfront with her medical providers so they can explore options with her. NAH." - mmwhatchasaiyan
"You may be right but you weren't kind. Was it her responsibility? Yes. But you don't kick your spouse when they're down and that it's their fault they're on the ground."
"It doesn't sound like either if you guys are very kind to each other and if that's an acceptable relationship for you why do you care if you're an a**hole?" - iwastobeasloth
"NAH"
"You're not wrong to say it. But it's also not surprising you got that response once you did because a)she's actively in pain, which tends to sap emotional control and b)trauma is not rational - she's probably been in a borderline triggered state since the whole issue came up."
"Therapy. Needed. Badly."
"The fact that the trauma is actively affecting her health and her relationships means we're into active 'disorder' territory. If you love her, keep working to bring her around to getting help." - Ippus_21
OP's wife needs therapy and to find some way to make this work. It's interfering with her life.
The only thing OP can do is try to support her the best he can.
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