'Dad bought him for me, not her kid': 17-year-old goes no-contact with her mom after she gives away a sentimental heirloom toy from her late father to her 3-year-old half-sister, stepdad threatens to kick her out

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Apr 20, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

This 17-year-old is counting down the days until her 18th birthday after her last memory of her late father was shattered by a dose of toddler drool. More specifically, she'd been treasuring a beloved stuffed Simba plushie since the day of her dad's passing, and somehow her mom missed the memo of the toy's importance. Years went by, and the mom moved on from boyfriend to husband, and finally started a new family with her new beau. 

But the daughter would never forget her dad, especially because of her cherished stuffed animal that he'd given her. 

However, the memory was tarnished when the mom insensitively invaded her teenager's room, driving a wedge between her and her daughter forever. 

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  • My favorite stuffed animal growing up was a Camel plush. In truth, he was just a giant beanie baby, but I slept with this camel toy in my bed throughout my childhood. It comforted me when I had nightmares, was a pillow when mine got lost in the covers, and I brought this stuffed animal to every sleepover until I was a teen. Did I even like camels that much? Not really, but the toy held a special place in my heart anyway. I can't imagine the rage and distrust that would occur if my mom conveniently ‘forgot’ that I loved my camel plush, giving it away in an attempt to help me 'grow up.' 

  • AITA for causing my mom distress by ignoring her because she took my Simba plushy from my bed that my de d dad got me and gave it to my half sister without asking?
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  • My dad bought me a Simba plushy before I (F17) was even born. He was a huge Lion King fan and wanted to share that with me. I used to bring Simba everywhere and I had help keeping it in really
    via AurieMillions
  • good condition. I slept with it every night and when my dad di d I used to wrap some of his clothes around Simba so he'd smell like dad. I slept with Simba in my bed every night, even up until my mom took it.
    via AurieMillions
  • 5 years ago my relationship with mom changed. She had decided to settle down again with the guy she's now married to. After dad it had just been the two of us but she had dated some. She was
    via AurieMillions
  • dating a few guys at the same time when she made the decision to settle down. Two I knew. The guy she's married to and a guy she broke up with to be with her husband. I liked the other guy. We
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  • got along pretty well and he was nice. He respected my space when it came to stuff about dad. I never liked her husband. He's probably not a bad guy but he doesn't respect my space when it
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  • comes to stuff about dad and even when he and mom weren't serious he would try to take on a parental role with stuff like telling me what to do, or trying to say what I should do, and even talking
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  • about classes I should take in high school that he believed were better for the future. My mom knew I didn't really like her husband and liked the other
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  • guy. She told me she liked her husband more and I needed to accept that. Then she told me she wanted me to make it work with him and build a close familial relationship with him. She told me
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  • once they were married there was no space with dad stuff. That he'll be a full functioning member of the household and nothing can be out of bounds for him. Then she told me he'd be my new
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  • functioning father and it didn't make sense to lock him out of my grief. The three of us did therapy together but it made me dislike
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  • him more. He wanted to give away stuff of dad's that mom hung onto and throw the rest in the garbage and said that I had Simba from dad so I didn't need more to cling onto a memory of someone. The
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  • therapist got mom to agree not to. But even the suggestion from him that he could decide what I did and didn't need or should and shouldn't have from dad really p ed me off. My mom told me to
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  • please look at more than that but she knew it made my opinion of her husband worse and it fractured our relationship because she was mad at me and I was disappointed that she couldn't understand.
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  • She had my half sister 3 years ago. That was another point in our relationship where things changed for the worse because I am entirely indifferent to my half sister being born and her birth was not some happy occasion for me.
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  • Almost a month ago I came home from school and my half sister had Simba. My mom said she had gone into my room and taken it off my bed because my half sister wanted him after mom left the
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  • door open and she didn't see the harm because a child will get more out of a toy like him anyway. I told her she gave away the one thing her husband considered fine for me to have from dad. She looked
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  • like I slapped her. I told her Simba had been with me my whole life. Dad bought him for me, not her kid with that a h le she calls a husband. Mom tried to defend her choice but I told her not to talk to me.
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  • She tried talking to me a few times over the next 4 or 5 days but she got no response from me. Then she tried to give me Simba back. He was covered in drool and there was a tear in him. I pointed out the
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  • condition he was in without speaking and refused to engage. Mom started getting really distressed. She had him washed and she took him to someone who closed the tear. But it wasn't enough for me to forgive her or talk to her again.
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  • She sent in my grandma last week to talk to me and ask how long this will continue. I told grandma after what mom did I don't see a point in pretending I still want her in my life. I told her our relationship
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  • changed when she chose her husband and it's been downhill from there. That my mom showed me just how much I mattered to her. I said mom hadn't asked because she knew what I'd say,
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  • she knew that Simba was something I treasured and that given her husband's comments about dads stuff and Simba, she had to know it made her giving it away worse. And I said she made
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  • it worse by trying to give me him back torn and covered in her daughter's slobber. Grandma asked if I'd go to some therapy with my mom to try and work it out or at least let mom talk to me and I said I can't stop her talking but I I don't have to listen.
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  • A few days after that my mom's husband stormed into my room and called me a selfish b who was causing mom so much distress after she's been through every mother's nightmare already
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  • and already suffered so much in her life. He told me I treated his child like a disease by acting so repulsed by her having Simba for a short while. I told him to get out of my room and he told me to get out
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  • of his house. Mom heard and stopped him and said I was not being kicked out. But because I just shut my door he started yelling more about how awful I'm being to mom.
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  • I don't really care what he has to say. But I can see my mom's not doing good. So I want to ask AITA?
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  • AnotherRTFan NTA take Simba back now that he's fixed and hide him somewhere in your room. Tell the therapist what your stepdad said, tell your grandma, tell every trusted adult word for word what he said to you. You don't have to forgive her at all. But for your sake take Simba back and keep him somewhere safe.
    via AnotherRTFan

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family drama dads heirloom famiies drama toddler kids brother siblings stepfather moms half sister parenting dad story family sibling sister stepdad stories parent mom cousins half siblings parents
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