18-year-old daughter ‘abandons’ mother after 10+ years of emotional neglect from her mom, stepfather, and stepsiblings: ‘I know I'm not wanted by the majority of people there and I don't need to expose myself to that anymore’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Apr 1, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

A child deserves food, water, emotional support, a roof over their head, and everything in between. When you decide to bring another life into this world, it's up to you to give them all of the tools they need to live a happy and healthy life.

Without you, their parent, they may be subjected to physical and emotional misgivings. If you neglect them purposely, they will spend a lifetime wondering why their parent chose to subject them to what a child should never go through. Emotional neglect is the gift that just keeps on giving.

The 18-year-old daughter in this next story dealt with 10+ years of emotional neglect when her mother remarried and her biological father abandoned her. Her new stepfather's children, her stepsiblings, never treated her like family—they actually made a point to let her know that she isn't. The stepsiblings are older than her and still decided to take their anguish out on a child who had nothing to do with either of their parents remarrying. Now, the daughter refuses to cater to her mother's wishes and exists in an environment where she's unwelcome. Her mother tries to turn the tables as a result…

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  • Cheezburger Image 10486898688
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "AITA for abandoning my mom leaving her with just her husband and his adult kids?"

    My mom and I (18f) have a strained relationship and I don't see that changing in the future. She got married to Mike when I was only 4 or 5. Prior to that she raised me solo and didn't have a
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  • partner after my dad abandoned us both while she was 8 months pregnant. She met Mike who was also a single parent because he lost his first wife. His kids were older than me by a few years and he was close with his late wife's family.
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  • So we saw his first wife's extended family a lot. And we were not welcome. H I, we weren't welcome by Mike's kids either. They had a distain for my mom as their dad's new wife and
    via ImprovementLoud681
  • they made it clear they didn't like either of us for that reason. It wasn't easy growing up like that and living with their hatred for us. Any chance they got to snub us they took it. Any chance they got
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  • to be mean they also took and my mom stayed with Mike through it all and would tell me how we were a family and sometimes families were mean but we stay for the good stuff.
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  • I never experienced any good stuff with this "family" and it got worse the older Mike's kids got and the more they could make it a point that we were never a family.
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  • Two days before my 18th birthday I went to stay with a friend and her family because I knew there would be some sh if I was at my mom and Mike's house to celebrate my 18th. Mom was
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  • super upset and begged me to move back in and she told me I weeks of high school left (at that point). But I stayed gone. I moved with my friend for college in the summer and we live a few hours from our home town.
    via ImprovementLoud681
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I went home with my friend for Christmas and didn't visit my mom and Mike at all. I ignore any invites from Mike to join him and his late wife's family for stuff. I know I'm not wanted by the majority of people there and I don't need to expose myself to that anymore.
    via ImprovementLoud681
  • But mom feels like I abandoned her. She cried on the phone a few times that I left her alone at Christmas and other stuff when I know how Mike's ILs are and stuff. My mom isn't close to her
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  • family. Not sure Mike even met them. So she's basically on her own now in a way. But she has Mike and since she talks about the good parts, she has his kids
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  • as well, I guess. But she made a big deal about not having me and how we're a team and we stick together and blah blah blah. AITA?
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  • Cheezburger Image 10486899712
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • Becalmandkind NTA. Your mom didn't protect you from Mike's family's hostility. She had many years to do things differently and she made her choices. She abandoned you long, long before you moved out.
    via Becalmandkind
  • SweetiePlush43 NTA. You didn't 'abandon' her-she has a whole household of people she chose to prioritize. If she wanted you to stay, she should have made you feel like part of the family, not an outsider. You're just setting boundaries, and that's healthy.
    via SweetiePlush43
  • Ford Warrier The next time Mike issues an invitation just tell him the truth. "Hey Mike, the next time I get an uncontrollable urge to be treated like sh for several hours I'll give you a call. Otherwise no thanks."
    via FordWarrier
  • Fairy tDaydreams NTA tell your mom "You abandoned me to the neglect from Mikes family long ago. As an adult I get to prioritize my mental health and safety and no longer have to hang out with toxic people"
    via FairyF**tDaydreams
  • stillfreshet NTA. She put herself first, deliberately self-deluding and ignoring reality to do so, allowing you to be the main one to suffer and pay for her choices. Now you can put yourself first, and SHE can pay for her choices.
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  • You and she were never in any way a team, or your needs and your suffering would not have been ignored; teammates don't do that to each other. If she really believes you were ever a team, she is genuinely delusional.
    via stillfreshet
  • Cybermagetx Nta. Tell mom she abandoned you first as a kid.
    via Cybermagetx

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family drama entitled parents mother sibling rivalry siblings reddit story family feud parenting neglect family stepdad reddit thread Reddit Parenting Fail parents entitled people Parenting FAILS
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