Dysfunctional families can significantly impact the quality of life of all members, particularly the children. Challenging relationships within such families can lead to persistent feelings of guilt, shame, and low self-esteem, as well as difficulties with forming healthy attachments.
The teenager who shared her story on Reddit recently comes from a family where the father is largely absent from his children’s lives, even though they all live together under one roof.
She turned to the Reddit thread AITA to share that her mother was the one who raised her and her siblings, as their father was not actively involved in their upbringing.
One day, when he arrived home and left his mobile phone on the table, OP noticed a message that had just come in, which read, “Last night was amazing! Can’t wait to see you again,” accompanied by a few emojis.
After a brief contemplation, she chose to inform her mother that her dad was being unfaithful. “She became quite emotional, and I felt bad about that. She told me not to worry and that I should focus on being a kid while she handled the situation. So, I decided to let it go because I didn’t want to upset her further.”
One evening, the whole family came together for dinner at OP’s grandfather’s house. During the meal, OP’s cousin announced that she had started a new job, and everyone was delighted with the news. However, OP’s father then told OP that she should be more like her cousin, stating that, in his opinion, she wasn’t doing well. He didn’t stop there, continuing to criticize OP by saying she needed to focus more on school and much more.
At one moment he mentioned that OP lacked respect for him, and that was the final straw.
At this point, OP had reached her limit. “It’s hard to respect you when you openly cheat on Mom and don’t even try to hide it,” she said in front of everyone.
The room fell into an initial silence, but then her father began yelling at both her and her mother. The mother then gathered her children and told her husband that he should not come back home.
Once they returned home, OP began receiving text messages from relatives who blamed her for ruining the evening and causing trouble in the family. However, her mom reassured her, saying, “I understand your frustration, and perhaps you could have expressed it better in private, but what’s done is done.”
Redditors were quick to comment that OP was NTA.
What are your thoughts on this?
