A Family Affair: When The Past Comes Back To Haunt You, Sassy Edition
Let me tell you, darling, families are more of a patchwork quilt than a pristine tapestry. And sometimes, those patches clash horribly. Settle in, grab your fave beverage, and let’s dive into this juicy drama, plucked straight from the annals of Reddit.
So sit tight, butterflies, because today’s yarn comes from a spirited 25-year-old lady who we’ll hail as the Proclaimer of Truth (PoT for short). She’s got a beef with her brother, whom we’ll christen Dear Old Bro (DOB). The 30-year-old DOB is tangled up in the web of his past and, oh boy, the knots are giving everyone a headache.
DOB and his high school sweetheart jumped into matrimonial bliss fresh out of graduation, producing an adorable bundle of joy—a 7-year-old girl who we’ll call Little Rebel. All seemed peachy, except DOB’s ex-wife (Haunted Past, HP) held some archaic Grinch-like beliefs around blended families. Santa Claus might as well have been an overstuffed half-brother to her.
HP’s household mantra? Blood reigns supreme. Only purebred family members, thank you very much. Think of her family tree—perhaps more accurately a family twig—as an exclusive club. Blended families, step-relatives, and half-siblings were seen as mere riff-raff.
Fast forward a few debates, shipwrecked friendships and enough drama to fill a whole season of The Bold and the Beautiful, and DOB found himself divorced when Little Rebel was a mere toddler. Enter Current Flame (CF), an enchanting 28-year-old, ensnared by the romantic notions of life with DOB, and who seriously needs a theme song for all the chaos she’s had to face since.
So here’s the plot twist: CF and DOB are on the verge of crossing into holy matrimony, but not without some serious relationship counseling, initiated by CF. Guess what? Little Rebel, indoctrinated by her mother’s pureblood obsession, mostly sees CF as a slightly annoying houseplant. And that stings, folks.
During an agonizing heart-to-heart with PoT, DOB spilled his worries like a coffee cup on a white rug. CF’s hesitation to accept his heart without a prenup of therapy because of Little Rebel’s frosty demeanor is sending him spiraling. PoT, in all her wisdom (and a dash of sass), poses the magical, rhetorical question: why on earth didn’t DOB foresee this mess the minute HP opened her mouth about “real family”? For heaven’s sake, it’s like driving with GPS off and then wondering why you’re in Timbuktu instead of Times Square.
DOB, of course, hit back with the ferocity of a hurt puppy. “How dare you blame me! It’s HP’s brainwashing!” But PoT wouldn’t be PoT if she didn’t stand her ground like a seasoned warrior. You see, she wasn’t blaming him for HP’s spell-casting. Oh no. She was blaming him for watching the potion brew without taking action.
The audacity! The uproar! DOB told her to, and I quote, “f*** off.” Classy, right? Family gatherings must be a riot in their household—pass the popcorn, please.
Roger’s Take on This Family Drama
Darling, let’s pinpoint the golden nugget in this quagmire. If you march into the dragon’s lair every day without bringing a sword, don’t whimper when you get scorched. DOB here knowingly walked into a relationship with a human megaphone against blended families and thought, “Meh, it’ll turn out fine.” Really?
My witty advice to DOB? Dude, own your blunders. If your date’s taste is rainbow sprinkles and you’re serving anchovies, adjust the recipe, pronto. Work harder to counteract HP’s brainwashing before the smoke billows out, not after. This Game of Thrones-esque saga would’ve been an easy fix with a healthy dose of diplomacy, a sprinkle of understanding, and a hearty pour of open dialogue.
CF is a trooper for even considering couples counseling. Juggling the prospect of becoming HP’s worst nightmare for the sake of love? That’s courage, my dear readers. So DOB, next time Amazon delivers a red flag, don’t use it as a tablecloth.
So, the million-dollar question: AITA? No, darling, PoT is just the messenger drenched in brutal honesty. The real heart of the issue is dare I say, DOB’s lack of foresight. Let’s light a candle for him, shall we?
Until our next batch of familial escapades, stay sassy!
Original story
This is a conflict between me (25f) and my brother (30m). My brother has a 7 year old daughter with his ex wife (30f).
Right now he’s “engaged” to his current partner (28f). They’ve been together 2 years.
So my brother and his ex are high school sweethearts who got married right after graduation and they had my niece a few years later. My brother always knew his ex had the “blended family isn’t real family” “stepfamily isn’t real family” “half siblings aren’t real siblings” mindset.
She had a blended family and she did not consider them her family, just bio. She was always very anti step/half in general.
When they were newly married they were asked to leave my aunt and uncle’s house because my uncle is technically my cousins adoptive father (formerly step) and my brother’s ex was spewing that nonsense in their house.
His ex always talked about how her kids would know family is blood, family is real mom, real dad, real siblings, and would never ever have a family relationship with any steps. My brother knew this before they had my niece.
He still had my niece with her and when they broke up when my niece was 2 he never acknowledged the fact it was going to be difficult for him to partner up again and have a decent household when my niece was being raised with those views.
This is where his partner (he calls her fiancée) comes in. They’ve been dating for two years and my niece does not acknowledge her as dad’s girlfriend and is generally kinda hostile to her.
It’s not adult levels but she says a lot of the stuff her mom has taught her. So when my brother proposed his girlfriend said she couldn’t say yes at that moment and she asked for couples counseling.
Apparently she loves my brother but has her doubts about the future with my niece’s views and reluctance to accept her. She said she doesn’t want to make things worse and doesn’t want a household where the child isn’t comfortable with her.
Plus she wants children and knowing how my niece feels it’s a concern for her.
My brother is really starting to worry he will lose her now. He was talking to me about it and I told him he should have considered this when he divorced, because he knew how his ex spoke to their daughter and the views she was teaching her.
He told me that’s not his fault and how dare I blame him for his ex’s decisions. I said I’m not blaming him for her decisions.
I’m blaming him for not taking those into consideration and not counteracting them right away. I told him he started doing it when his ex had already gotten several years of a head start on him and he only started when it was clear my niece was refusing to give his girlfriend a shot which is something his girlfriend was taking note of very clearly.
He told me I am still blaming him for his ex’s decisions and he also told me to fuck off.
AITA?