Ah, family dynamics – the gift that keeps on giving, especially in the Reddit sphere where tales of familial woe and wonder never cease to amaze. Today’s dive into the domestic deep end brings us a story so juicy, so filled with emotional angst, that you, my dear readers, might need to brace yourselves. This isn’t just a tale; it’s a saga featuring a real person’s experiences that have been generously shared with the internet masses (and now, with you, through the ever-sassy lens of me, Roger, your guide in navigating the dramatic seas of Reddit revelations).
Our protagonist, a 16-year-old glass child, lives in the shadow of his sister’s chronic health issues and physical disability. Now, don’t get me wrong, compassion for those struggling is essential, but this story highlights a narrative not often discussed: the invisible siblings, the forgotten children, the ones who watch from the sidelines as their needs and milestones dissolve into the background noise of their siblings’ crises.
Imagine, dear readers, being left behind for concerts, birthdays forgotten not once, but twice, as your parents pour all their energy and resources into your sibling. Our glass child spent these formative years not with parental figures, but with grandparents, one of whom has since passed away, the other residing in a nursing home. The term ‘lonely’ doesn’t quite cut it, does it?
Fast forward to COVID times – the ultimate test of familial bonds. When tensions ran high, our glass child found his gaming gear demolished by a sister-led tantrum, with nary an acknowledgment from the parental units. An attempt at communication led to family therapy but ended with the sister’s meltdown over shared parental attention, pushing our narrator further into the realm of invisibility.
The twist? An offer for new-all-inclusive family therapy was made, a beacon of hope, perhaps? Wrong. Our glass child, beaten down by years of neglect, chose to refuse. The reason? A lifetime of playing second fiddle, of being made to feel like an afterthought, and a realization that some wounds are too deep for a few therapy sessions to heal.
And here we arrive at the burning question du jour: **Is our glass child the antagonist in this familial opera for refusing therapy and turning a cold shoulder to his parents’ late-stage pleas for emotional reconciliation?**
*Drumroll, please…*
**Roger’s Hot Take:** Not. Even. Close. Being the sibling of a child with chronic illness undoubtedly places one in a complex emotional landscape. Still, it does not excuse the complete neglect of a child’s emotional well-being. Our glass child is not the villain for setting boundaries; he’s merely responding to a lifetime of emotional desertion. The real question here should be, why did it take so long for the parents to notice the collateral damage?
In a world where love and attention are viewed as finite resources, our glass child reminded us that recognizing everyone’s needs within a family isn’t an optional parenting strategy but an essential one. So, to the parents out there, let this be a reminder: your children’s emotional landscapes are as diverse and needy as a tropical rainforest – neglect them, and you risk the foundation of your family unit crumbling.
And to our glass child, wherever you are, know that your feelings are valid, your hurt is real, and your choice to protect your emotional well-being is not just understandable, it’s commendable.
Until the next hot take, this is Roger, signing off with a sassy wink and a reminder that sometimes, the best therapy is choosing yourself.
Original story
I’m (16m) a glass child. My sister (15f) was born with chronic health problems and a physical disability. Her life hasn’t been easy and she’s pretty often in pain and limited in what she can and can’t do. It meant our parents were always making special time for her and doing what they could to let her enjoy being a kid. It also meant my parents weren’t really my parents. They would take her places and leave me behind at home or with someone else in the family. I never got that same time with them. They even missed two of my birthdays completely because they had focused so much on bringing my sister to concerts she wanted to go to that they forgot my birthday and didn’t even get me something small like a $5 gift card which they did a few times when their money was more focused on my sister.
I spent most of my time with my paternal grandparents when I was younger. But grandma died 3 years ago and grandpa lives in a nursing home in another city so I don’t have them anymore and that made it more difficult.
Covid was also super lonely because I felt lonely and like my parents and sister were a family and I was the intruding roommate. My sister actually had a temper tantrum in April of 2020 and broke some of my gaming stuff and not only was it never acknowledged at all but it wasn’t replaced either. They only focused on the fact my sister was so upset that she did it.
A few months ago I decided I needed to talk to my parents to see if it could get better. They decided we needed therapy together. In therapy it was recommended we spend more time together like they do with my sister. So we did that once a week. They still spent the rest of the week focused on my sister. It only just started when my sister got so jealous and had a meltdown over them focusing on me and she accused our parents of preferring me to her. My parents asked me then if I could be understanding and give more time before we focus on us because my sister really needed them and couldn’t deal with sharing them at that point. I was so mad and hurt but I also felt so done. So I told my parents not to bother because their only child clearly needs them and I’ll be out of their hair as soon as I can be. They went back to my sister being their only focus and I stopped caring. This made them suggest all four of us to go to therapy, but with someone new since the old place we went to would not be happy with them ignoring the advice. They told me it’s all that will work now. I said no. They told me this is how we work on things all together and fix things. I told them it was too late. That I didn’t have them being my parents for 15 years and I’m expected to be okay with that until my sister feels okay about sharing. I told them they made the choice of whose feelings mattered more and just like always they put her first so I was done and I didn’t want to fix it.
They have begged me a few times since and they told me they’re willing to work on it so I need to be reasonable.
AITA?