'They resent them for being born’: Teen daughters refuse to accept young half-siblings as family after mom reveals she only divorced their dad so she could have more kids

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 17, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Having a big family has advantages and disadvantages, and that comes to no one's surprise.

On one hand, when you grow up with a lot of siblings, you always have someone to lean on. You're never alone, always have friends, and you take care of each other, make sure no one gets left behind. In large families, this comradery is irreplaceable and extremely unique, so you learn to appreciate it.

On the other hand, the bigger the family, the harder it is for you to feel special, or appreciated. It's easy to get lost among all your siblings and feel like you're not really getting the attention you deserve, especially from your parents. There's also an extra level of challenge for the older siblings in large families because they are often forced to take on a more parental role and help their parents by raising their own siblings.

That's why I firmly believe that when parents want to grow their family, the older children should get a say in the matter, something the daughters in the story below did not get.

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  • The mom in this story had two daughters before she decided to divorce their father. The reason she did so was because she wanted a bigger family, and he wasn't on board. Instead, she found someone else, got remarried and had three more children with him.

    The daughters, who were very aware of their mother's choices, were not on board with this new family, and they made sure everyone knew it, including their young half-siblings.

    Keep scrolling to read the full story.

  • Cheezburger Image 10481146112
    via Photo By: Kaboompics.com

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "AITA for telling my brother to stop crying to me because he ignored the red flags and my warnings and start figuring out what's best for his kids?"

    My brother met his wife 6.5 years ago. She was semi- recently divorced with two daughters (8 and 6 at the time). She was honest about the fact she wanted more kids and it was the reason behind her divorce.
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • It was also clear while my brother was dating her that her daughters knew the reason and resented her and him for it. He told me she wanted a large family of six or more kids. I told him
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • that there were a lot of red flags and what about the daughters she already had. I asked him if he thought they'd accept half siblings born when to them when it was clear they see the
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • situation as they weren't good enough or just plain enough for their mom and she blew up the family to have more kids. He told me kids come around in time and if they had kids quickly
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • the age gap would be small enough for a good relationship to form. I told him he should really consider whether this was the makings of a happy family or of a fractured one.
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • He told me I was being overly negative. Right now my brother has a 5 year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old with his wife. And her daughters do not
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • claim any of them as siblings. The best they can offer is completely ignoring their half siblings but that doesn't happen as much as them getting mad at their younger half siblings. It's
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • clear they resent them for being born. They hate my brother and speak to him like he's trash they found on the bottom of their shoes. Their relationship with their mom seems to be
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • more fights than anything else. I had a front row seat to several fights between them and have heard the comments the girls make about the younger kids.
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • Now my brother has tried crying to me about it because his oldest is sad that the girls ignore her. She doesn't understand and she wants to sit with her older sisters and watch TV
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  • with them or play dolls but either they ignore her or they yell at her and tell her she's not their sister. The three kids have witnessed fights between their mom and older sisters. They've
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • heard their older sisters say incredibly angry and hurtful things and the oldest is able to repeat stuff more. It upsets my brother. He "doesn't understand" how the girls can reject the kids
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • so easily and how they truly don't seem to have any sibling or familial affection for them. He told me he hates it, it makes him depressed and he's not sure what's going to happen and he feels this and that. His
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • focus was on him and I wasn't here for it. I told him to stop crying to me when I was the person who warned him about this, who pointed out the red flags and he ignored it. I told him
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • instead he needs to get his sh together and figure out what's best for his kids and how he can do the best by his kids now that he has helped to create this clusterf ... AITA?
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • Beatrice Tantalizing NTA. Your brother played himself. He saw the warning signs in 4K, ignored them, and now wants to act surprised when things turned out exactly how you said they would. The man
    via BeatriceTantalizing
  • thought he was building a blended Brady Bunch and ended up in a Maury episode. Crying to you won't change the fact that those older girls are never gonna see his kids as siblings. He needs to step
    via BeatriceTantalizing
  • up and figure out how to protect his kids from growing up in this mess instead of whining about it like he didn't sign up for the chaos himself.
    via BeatriceTantalizing
  • Cheezburger Image 10481147904
    via MivPiv

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • CakeZealousideal1820 NTA. Everyone is worried about the "new" kids and their feelings and the older kids are being dismissed yet again. What a sh show. Now there's
    via CakeZealousideal1820
  • going to be 5 kids that grow up to be 5 adults with a host of issues because the adults in their life are selfish
    via CakeZealousideal1820
  • Ihoneymissl NTA. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is hold up a mirror. He ignored your warnings, and now he's stuck dealing with the mess. Crying about it to you won't fix anything, so it's fair to tell him to step up and figure out a solution.
    via Ihoneymissl
  • GarabostGal Tbh, the mother sounds like an idiot, not even divorced and starts firing out kids to the next man, no thought for her existing kids. Does she work?
    via GarabostGal
  • Beginning Brain_8092 OP Yes, she's actually got a pretty successful career.
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • New-Number-7810 NTA. Your brother was selfish. His wife was selfish. Even now his grief is a selfish grief; he does not true or care how his kids or step-kids are feeling, only how it affects him. All those kids are in for a rough time, because the adults in their lives are selfish.
    via New-Number-7810
  • Wise_Entertainer_970 NTA. Do the girls stay with their father as well?
    via Wise_Entertainer_970
  • Beginning Brain_8092 OP Yep. They split time between their parents.
    via Beginning_Brain_8092
  • Historical Pitch_892 NTA. I hope they all get into therapy. It's annoying to listen to someone complain about something when you specifically warned them about that exact thing.
    via Historica_Pitch_892

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