Hello, my dear scandal enthusiasts and drama devotees! Your main man Roger here, spinning another yarn from the vast, eclectic web of Reddit, where real people air their real grievances. And honey, do I have a spicy meatball of a story for you today. This one’s got family drama, identity crises, and a dash of teenage rebellion – it’s like an episode of a prime-time soap opera, but with less botox and more heart.
So, gather round as I tell you about an 18-year-old whose high school graduation invite list has caused a bigger family rift than when Aunt Mabel confessed at Thanksgiving dinner that she’s been secretly vegan for years. Our protagonist, an openly adopted darling, was poised at the precipice of adulthood, about to don that cap and gown and strut across the stage. But here’s the rub: he decided to only invite his adoptive family, snubbing his birth family faster than a cat fleeing a bath.
Now, to give this tale its due, our hero wasn’t just throwing shade for the fun of it. This young man was raised in a loving nest with five siblings whom he was thick as thieves with, while his ‘birth’ family – a unit he occasionally visited – forged a tale of jealousy, misplaced expectations, and the kind of angst that would make Hamlet go, ‘Whoa, chill!’. These visits, once innocent endeavors, metamorphosed into a theater of the absurd. Imagine having your biological siblings demand a closeness that simply wasn’t there, insisting on a familial bond that felt forced at best and delusional at worst. Picture being veiled in guilt for feeling more connected to the people who changed your diapers, taught you to ride a bike, and were present for every mundane to monumental moment of your life.
So, when graduation loomed like a beacon of achievement, our protagonist had a decision to make. In a move that can only be described as both brave and boundary-setting, he chose to invite only his adoptive family. Cue the violins and the rain of angry texts and accusations from his birth family, lamenting the unceremonious snub as if it were a personal affront of soap opera proportions.
Now, darlings, it’s time for Roger’s Hot Take™. The question on everyone’s glossy lips: Is our graduation hero the asshole? In the opulent words of the late, great Whitney Houston, ‘Hell to the no!’ This young man, at the tender threshold of adulthood, displayed a maturity that some of us can only aspire to. Choosing one’s own well-being and peace over guilt and obligation is not just commendable; it’s essential. In the grand scheme of life’s endless pageant, the ability to set boundaries and prioritize emotional health is a superpower. And for our protagonist, that power is just beginning to unfurl.
So, let me leave you with this, dear readers: In the telenovela of life, sometimes you have to write your own script, close the curtain on toxic relationships, and, yes, choose your own cast for the milestone episodes. Our 18-year-old friend isn’t just stepping into adulthood; he’s sashaying into it with the kind of discernment that deserves a standing ovation.
Until next time, keep your drama tasty and your takes hot. Roger out.
Original story
I (18m) was openly adopted at birth. That means I grew up having visits with my birth family but I was raised by my parents and alongside my five siblings. I love my family. My parents are amazing and I’m so glad they had the chance to raise me. I’m also tight with my siblings and we grew up very very close. Two of us had contact with our birth families while the others did not.
My relationship with my birth family is difficult. My birth parents had a child less than a year after me and they kept her. They kept their son a year after her as well and a few years later they had two more kids. It always made me feel weird as a kid. I went through a period where I was jealous and upset that I was given up but the others weren’t and then my birth parents would sometimes make me feel like I should be calling them mom and dad, which I never did. After a few years I stopped enjoying the visits with them but everyone around us said it was beneficial to me, and maybe in some ways it was.
Today the relationship is stressful and nothing else. Especially with my birth siblings. They are crazy jealous of my siblings. They want us to be closer than we are and they want us to be closer than my siblings I was raised with. They also talk about “our parents” when they mean their parents and when I correct them they tell me “our parents” are my real parents and I always belonged to them. It’s worse with the two who are so close in age to me because they expect a really deep bond between the three of us and they expected me to move in with them a few times. I remember during one of my birth family’s visits, my birth siblings saw me and two of my siblings goofing off as we were walking home and my birth family pulled over and asked me if I wanted a ride with them. My siblings were right there and were ignored and because I said no, the older two birth siblings called me on it after and said I never hang out with them like that and why do I act like “those guys” are my real siblings and not them. I said because my siblings are my real siblings and I have been raised with them my whole life and will always have a tighter bond with them. Cue the “it’s not fair” shit.
With graduation this year I made a decision. I spoke to my parents about it first. They were supportive and I think a little sad that my ongoing relationship with my birth family was in such a bad state. Then I told my birth parents. Birth family were not invited and would not get tickets. I felt it was for the best. My birth family are so angry and it’s been weeks since I first brought it up. My birth parents are saying my parents went back on the open adoption but that no longer means anything because I make the decisions now. But the whole thing is such a clusterfuck and I keep getting texts and stuff from them and my birth siblings about how shitty I’ll be for not inviting them and how they should be there over my family.
AITA?