A Castle, a Con, and a Clash: The Tale of a Rocky Mother-Daughter Bond
Ah, family drama—nothing spices up a perfectly mundane day like an emotional roller coaster featuring the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally. This story, plucked straight from the digital halls of Reddit, is a smorgasbord of teenage angst, parental disappointments, and, of course, hearing aids. Let’s dive in, shall we?
The Backstory: A Hearing Aid Hiccup
Our protagonist is a 17-year-old girl who we’ll call Jane, just to keep things simple. Jane has a complicated relationship with her mother, something most teenagers can probably relate to. Throw in a family that perpetually backs the maternal figure, and you’ve got a recipe for constant self-doubt. Recently, Jane started questioning whether she was genuinely always in the wrong, or if her family’s bias was clouding the reality.
Jane is hard of hearing and relies on her hearing aids to navigate her world. These aren’t just nifty gadgets; they’re lifelines. So, when her family planned a grand outing to an outdoor play at a castle—because why not add some royalty to the domestic chaos?—Jane’s world began to wobble.
The Trip to the Castle: Cue the Drama
Picture this: you’re excited for an outdoor play, ready to gather cultural brownie points. Upon arrival, Jane realizes her hearing aids didn’t charge properly—an inconvenient plot twist worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy. She braced herself and asked her father for their train tickets, just in case she needed a quick getaway. Her mother, with all the wisdom of a modern-day oracle, convinced her to wait until the break. Cue Jane sitting through the play, struggling to understand what was happening, and feeling like her head might explode.
Finally, the break arrives. Jane taps out, feeling like she’s three scenes behind and desperately needing an exit. So, she asks for the train tickets and heads back to end her misery. Just when you think she might get some peace, her phone buzzes. It’s her mother, sweet as a lemon, saying Jane had ruined her evening. Oh, the melodrama!
The Clash at the Con: Tornado Alert
Jane had already planned a con trip (you know, to geek out in peace), and her mother decided it was the perfect moment to flex her control issues. She calls Jane, asking her why she didn’t give a courtesy call upon arrival. Now, our girl Jane is fed up—like tea kettle-whistling mad. With enough pent-up frustration to power a small country, she snaps back, “I didn’t want to ruin your day.” Boom. Mic drop.
If only that were the end. Next, Mom drops a scathing text, pulling out every gripe from Jane’s ‘improperly’ cleaned room to the number of shirts she packed. Because, naturally, the number of shirts one takes to a con is of earth-shattering importance. Jane sees red, calls up her mom, and lets loose a verbal tornado. She doesn’t give her mom a moment to catch her breath, wrapping it all up with a superstar hang-up.
The Aftermath: Guilt or Just Desserts?
As Jane hung up the phone, the echoes of her mother’s cries lingered. Despite the fact that her mother had driven Jane up the metaphorical wall, the sound of her crying planted a seed of guilt. The family hasn’t addressed the incident since—probably because they’re all emotionally constipated. Now, Jane is second-guessing her own actions.
Roger’s Red-Hot Take: Spilling the Tea
Alright, dear readers, hold onto your teacups because Roger’s about to spill some sizzling hot takes. First of all, Jane, honey, you are not the villain in this episode of “Keeping Up with the Dysfunctionals.” Your mother took the liberty of making your well-being and legitimate physical discomfort about her evening. Newsflash: being a parent means sometimes—well, often—putting your kids first, even if it means a slightly dampened night out.
And as for the con? Oh, the audacity! Your mom treating it like you’re a renegade teen on a bender rather than acknowledging your desire to have a harmless and much-needed escape. Let’s talk about manipulation 101: the sweet tone followed by the guilt trip. It’s classic, like a bad sitcom you’ve seen a thousand times but still leaves you wondering why you subjected yourself to it.
So, Jane, was it right to blow up at her? Maybe not the best route for achieving Zen, but let’s not pretend like your explosion came out of nowhere. It was a much-needed burst of pent-up frustration. Guilt? Sure, that’s the fallout of being a decent human being with empathy—a stark contrast to someone who’d rather you suffer through a play than face the reality of your medical needs.
Hold your head high, Jane. Sometimes a good blow-up is the thunderstorm that clears the air, making space for the sunlight of clearer communication. But let’s be real—don’t expect an apology casserole from Moms anytime soon.
Original story
I (17F) have always had a rocky relationship with my mother. Our family has always been on her side so I just assumed I was in the wrong but recently I am no longer sure.
For context I am hard of hearing and wear hearing aids in my day to day life. I am not deaf and I’m able to hear decently without them but I have to focus a lot more and end up missing a lot.
My parents bought tickets for the entire family to see an outside play at a castle. When we arrived at the location I found out my hearing aids did not charge properly so after we sat down I asked my father to give me the train tickets, in case I started to feel unwell during the show.
My mother convinced me to wait for the break in the middle of the show and if I wasn’t feeling well, ask then. I agreed and, like I thought, during the show I could only understand about ¾ of what was being said plus I started to have a headache and feel overwhelmed with the amount of noise and people present.
I waited until the break started and asked my father to give me the tickets, telling my family I wasn’t feeling well. On my way back to the train station my mother called me thanking me for ruining her evening and telling me I would have to return from the con a day earlier.
Me and my mother originally agreed that I would leave early in the morning on the 4th day so I wouldn’t have to travel by train in the late evening of the 3th day.
Now i was angry and tried to call her back but she kept hanging up on me and since by the time they got home i was already asleep and i left early next morning for the con i didn’t speak with my mother before i left. I also rescheduled the train back like she asked.
Now this is the part where i might have been an asshole while at the con my mother called me in a sweet tone asking me why i didn’t call her when i arrived i was really angry so i simply told her i “didn’t want to ruin your day” she was baffled and proceeded to tell me to call her next day and hang up on me.
She then sent me a long text about how i lost the right to leave the con when i wanted to because i left mid way through the show (something we never agreed to) how i didn’t properly clean my room (she herself confirmed my room was clean a day before i left) and how i didn’t properly show her what i was bringing with me (i showed her everything the day before she just left my room pissed off because she kept insisting i bring more shirts despite me telling her i was gonna be in cosplay the entire con so i only needed something to wear on the way back an some pyjamas) now i was livid at this point so i called her and blew up at her yelling about every one of these points not letting her get a word in edgewise she tried to weakly argue back but i didn’t let her speak.
By the end she basically just repeated the same point again at which point I hung up on her. Looking back, I remember hearing her cry on the other end of the line and while she hasn’t acknowledged what happened since, I still feel guilty about it.