Alright, buckle up buttercups, because do I have a saga to dissect for you today! Our tale of angst and woe comes straight from the hallowed halls of Reddit’s AITA (Am I The Asshole?) subreddit, where a plucky 17-year-old lad dared to ask the internet if he was in the wrong for yeeting himself out of his family’s drama-opera. Spoiler alert: I’ve got some feelings about this one.
The Cast of Characters
Let’s set the stage, shall we? We’ve got our protagonist, a 17-year-old Reddit user (henceforth dubbed “Mr. Brains” for his clear-headed approach). Then there’s his dad, who, before meeting Mr. Brains’ mom, had a daughter (24F – let’s call her “Sis”). Mom entered the picture when Sis was a wee 2-year-old, and the two lovebirds tied the knot when she was 4. Enter dad’s ex—Sis’s biological mom—a woman with a penchant for prison jumpsuits and rehab retreats. Are you with me so far?
Mom and Dad wanted to adopt Sis and give her the picture-perfect family she deserved. But Sis wasn’t about that life. She chose bio-mom and her hot mess express over stability and love from Stepmom, and do you know what hit the fan from there? You guessed it: years of family drama served piping hot at every breakfast table.
The Never-Ending Saga of Not Adoption
Fast forward to the present, and Mr. Brains has been subjected to a near-lifetime of rehashed drama about “The Not Adoption.” Every time this sordid tale is reanimated over the breakfast cereal, our protagonist’s eye roll could probably generate enough kinetic energy to power a small city. He’s asked his parents to kindly zip it about the topic on more occasions than he can count. And what did they do? Ignored him like he was spam mail.
Our story reaches its zenith one fine weekend, when extended family is in town. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle are there, and everyone’s gathered ‘round for what should’ve been a lovely brunch. But nooooo, the parents couldn’t resist scratching the itch of old grievances. They bring up—yet again—Sis’s rejection of the adoption. Mr. Brains, seeing his sanity rapidly spiraling down the drain, does the only sensible thing: he walks out. Not for an hour, not until lunch, but All. Day. Long.
Drama Unfolds: The Aftermath
When he finally returns, his parents are about as thrilled as cats at a dog show. They ream him for what they deem “disrespectful behavior,” especially in front of family. Evidently unfazed by irony, they accuse him of immaturity while clutching their pearls over the same old saga of adoption resentment. And there you have it, folks: the crux of the young sage’s dilemma. Was he an A-hole for walking out?
Roger’s Unsolicited Expert Opinion
In a word, NOPE. Or, to be more eloquent: absolutely not, Mr. Brains. Here’s the deal. His parents have been dousing him in vintage family resentment since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He asked them to let it go more times than Frozen’s Elsa, yet they persisted. His walk-out was not just a dramatic exit; it was a desperate plea for mental peace.
Also, let’s talk about context. This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment teenage rebellion. Our boy was in the midst of a BRUNCH with his extended family—a situation that should be as drama-free as a Hallmark movie. When the parental units decided to turn the Shakespearean tragedy back on, Mr. Brains wisely chose peace over proximity to the madness.
To the parents: You’re anchoring your lives—and his—on past grievances that desperately need to be adrift. Let it go. Stop clutching onto Sis’s decisions from yesteryear like they’re the last life raft in a Titanic scenario. Make new memories, please and thank you.
Now, if there’s one thing Roger knows, it’s the fine art of making an entrance—or, in this case, an exit. Mr. Brains, your walkout was iconic. You dropped that mic harder than Eminem in his prime, and for that, you’ve earned this sassy commentator’s undying respect.
Final Words
So, dear readers, next time you find yourself teetering on the precipice of yet another recycled family drama, channel your inner Mr. Brains. Because sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is to simply walk away. Disrespectful? Perhaps. Necessary for sanity? Absolutely.
Until next time, keep it sassy, keep it classy, and for the love of brunch, let bygones be bygones.
Yours sassily,
Roger
Original story
My parents are hosting extended family for a couple of weeks. It’s my maternal and paternal grandparents as well as my aunt and uncle on my paternal side.
It was going okay until last weekend when my parents brought up a topic of conversation that I (17m) am so tired of hearing and being pulled into.
So let me explain the non adoption and why it bugs me. My dad had a kid before he met my mom.
My half sister (24f). My dad had primary custody of my half sister, her mom was in and out of her life.
My parents met when my half sister was 2 and got married when she was 4. Her mom was in and out of prison, was on and off drugs and alcohol and she was really disruptive to my half sister’s life and to my parents.
She refused to stay away but refused to be a good mom too. When I was 2 or 3 her mom offered to walk away for good but only if they removed any chance that she could be sued for child support, etc.
My mom was willing to adopt my half sister. The three adults wanted this to happen but because of my half sister’s age, her wishes held a lot of weight and she didn’t want my mom to adopt her, and it never happened.
So her mom kept the back and forth for a few more years before giving up the relationship with my half sister completely. My parents were so upset that my half sister rejected having a stable and loving mom in my mom for a woman who even she admitted was so mean to her and didn’t take good care of her.
But my half sister never really liked my mom from what I witnessed.
It’s a really big deal to my parents and I have grown up hearing about it way more than I need to. They told me details I didn’t need to know, when I was too young to be hearing them, they would suck the fun out of things bringing it up.
And I know they hold it against my half sister. They think my sisters (14f and 13f) and I do too but the lack of closeness has nothing to do with the not adoption and everything to do with our half sister not wanting to be close to us.
I asked my parents to stop bringing it up around us a few times. They ignored me.
Until they said they got it and would listen.
But last weekend my parents brought it up while family was over and I was so not wanting to hear about it so I got up in the middle of breakfast and left the house and didn’t come back all day. My parents were so mad at me for that.
I told them I couldn’t listen to them talk about it again and they couldn’t help themselves but I wasn’t going to turn it into a fight to stop them. They told me walking out without permission is bad enough but when we have family here is disrespectful and they told me I’m old enough to know and do better.
This was a sore point the whole week.
AITA?