18-year-old leaves stepfather, mother, and siblings at the airport and takes flight alone: 'I boarded anyway and left them all behind'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 4, 2025 5:00 PM EST

Teens act out in all sorts of strange ways, and this 18-year-old is no exception. Teens truly are an unpredictable bunch. As they near adulthood, they want all the perks of being a grown-up, though they're often still immature and impulsive. It's a difficult balance for a parent to find when they're navigating their child's teen years. How much should the kid be allowed to get away with before facing a punishment? Once they're 18, can their parents still tell them what to do? 

This teen was faced with an odd dilemma with her own family. She decided to leave her family at the airport! That's such a startling thing to do. Don't we all get scared during takeoff and landing and need to hold the hand of the family member sitting next to us? No? Just me? Well, even so… it says a lot about how this woman feels about her family that she was so quick to leave them behind. 

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  • As commenters noted, the family here was acting pretty odd. There's a reason you have to arrive at the airport hours before your flight. Imagine waiting around just to duck out of the gate while the flight is boarding! It's a bizarre situation for sure. 

    Up next, read about the couple who dropped a big announcement during their brother's wedding ceremony, saying that “I was… taking attention away from my brother.” 

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    Cheezburger Image 10450265600
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITAH for boarding a flight without my family?
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    I'm 18f and in highschool, currently traveling for the holidays. I was supposed to fly down with my mom, her husband Phil, and my young half siblings (3 and 6 years old) to spend Christmas with my maternal grandparents. We live in California and my grandparents
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    live in Wisconsin, so we don't see them very often, and when we do we fly. This was my half siblings' first time flying, and they didn't handle the airport well at all, and my mom and Phil handled them even worse.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    They screamed and cried the whole time, and I was basically expected to take over my mom's part of the parenting because she's pregnant, which I mostly did without complaint. Right before our boarding group was called (the last boarding group since we're not rich Imao) my mom ran off to use the bathroom.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    I waited with Phil and the kids until last call, but my mom still wasn't back, so I left them behind and boarded. I offered to take the kids with me if Phil wanted to stay back for my mom, but he insisted that the family had to stay together. I went to board but he grabbed my arm and took this fatherly tone that he freaking
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    knows I hate, and basically ordered me to stay with him and the kids. I boarded anyway and left them all behind. I was really looking forward to spending time with my grandparents, and I honestly couldn't care less what Phil tells me to do, he's not my dad.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 08
    Anyway when I landed and got service back, I had a ton of texts voicemails, but I only listened to a couple of them since they were basically all either Phil and the kids saying how much they miss me or my mom crying about how abandoned and she feels. I'm at my grandparents' house now and they've invited me to stay for the
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    rest of winter break and said they'd pay for my flight home. I really want to accept since a week without little kids around sounds really nice, but I know my mom and Phil will be ped at me if I do. I also know that they're
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    were relying on me to look after the kids when they both have to go back to work, and if I stay here in Wisconsin they'd have to take unpaid time off or use up precious sick days, or hire a babysitter, and I know they hate doing that.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 11
    This whole situation has made me feel rotten, like a daughter and sister, but I can't really talk to anyone irl about it since my friends are back in California spending Christmas Eve with their families. I guess I just wanted to get this off my chest anonymously/ask if I'm in the wrong here.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    " "F " INFIR INFIR INFIR 10000 RIP CURACA AI'AIRP A A A partures OD ARR +-+- e GROP WORD GOOD CUR CORDO CO - wwwww ORD GOOD s 00000 om com 00.00 + 0000000 009 OP 0000 H Dépa artures Départs-
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 13
    J. You're 18. Better to break the cycle now. You aren't responsible for their choices to have kids. Fortunately the cost of living in Wisconsin is much cheaper. This is a hard situation but you are clearly NTA. You should probably get out of that house sooner rather than later before you wake up at 28 as a full time caregiver.
    via u/JoelPMMichaels
  • 14

    Commenters sided with this 18-year-old, saying that her siblings weren't her responsibilities

    [deleted] um do not feel bad...you didnt get your mom pregnant. and why in the h | are they having so many kids if they cant handle the 2 they have already? look its great youre helping. take care of your younger siblings but its not your duty to do so.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    so nta, and kinda for mom & phil to expect you too. stay at your grandparents and let yer mom be pissy.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    Stay in Wisconsin. You deserve a vacation away from your family. Why is your mother pregnant AGAIN? That's her choice, and not your problem. Rest and relax with your grandparents. Don't let your family guilt you into leaving until you're good and ready...which they were not when it counted at the airport.
    via u/Actavisian
  • 17
    Have a great time! (And turn off your phone!)
    via u/Actavisian

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Tags

family drama aita kids mother airport siblings family feud in laws high school family grandparents mom Father teens teenagers daughter
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