17-year-old brother withholds birthday gift from golden child 15-year-old sister as revenge, his parents demand he give it to her: "You did it maliciously"

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Jun 29, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen of the internet. Everyone wants to feel loved, appreciated, and supported. When were young children, the nascent years of our lives play a huge role in our neuropathways and brain development. The circuits that run our moods, coping mechanisms, perspectives and emotions are all being wired when we're too young to even understand it all. Having good parents that provide a healthy and loving relationship to you will benefit anyone. 
 

It's hard to see life's knocks on someone so young, and even harder to see someone grow into a spoiled brat because their life was too good. It's impossible to choose which is worse. I once had an ex who had it so good, with the best, most loving parents that he really just grew into a narcissist and spoiled adult. Neither is easy to see. 
 

In the story below, the protagonist is an older brother who's fed up with his younger sister's treatment. His parents actually named her the "pampered princess" and "light of our lives." 

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  • 01

    AITA for telling my family I kept the gift I was going to give my sister since we're allowed to do that?

    Cheezburger Image 10523321088
    via Rido / Canva

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

  • 02
    My sister (15F) is the favorite, the golden child, the pampered princess (a title our parents gave her) and the light of our lives (another title from our parents).
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  • These parents are creating a monster. She's going to grow up totally spoiled, having no understanding of how to treat people, or how the rest of the world functions. Who takes back gifts anyway? It's a gift for someone else, just let them have it, or don't bother getting it in the first place. 

  • 03
    When we were younger it wasn't so bad. She was easy to be around and we were close. I (17M) loved her and even when she annoyed me it was more
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    normal stuff and I could get over being annoyed quickly. But when she turned 8 it was like a different kid emerged. It all started with my parents helping her buy me a gift
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    for Christmas and then they let her keep/claim it instead and I just got one less gift and she got one more gift for Christmas. She started doing that all the time and it wasn't just to me.
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  • 06
    There was a big fight at her old BFFs 10th party because my sister regretted giving her friend the birthday gift my parents helped her get. So she took it back. The
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    birthday girl and her parents tried to stop her but our parents told them that it was their money that bought the gift and the birthday girl hadn't opened it yet so they
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    46
    via kirin_photo from Getty Images Signature / Canva

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

  • 09
    could decide to keep it. That ended the friendship and my sister was forever blacklisted from several kids birthday parties and even their houses after that. Any
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    time she made a new friend the same thing happened and even at sleepovers she'd pull the crop of getting food for just her with the money our parents left for the two or three of them.
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    I talked to her about that stuff a few times but she ignored me. One time I told her and she started crying and saying she didn't get why I hated her. I told
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    her to stop being such a baby and got in big trouble. When I told our parents they were making her the worst to be around they told me we both get
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    treated equally and any perceived favoritism was insecurity on my part and not actually favoritism.
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    Our relationship got way worse and then on my birthday last year my sister told me she'd prove she still knew me and we could be close and she chose the right gift
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    for me. But she kept it for herself because she wanted it and then she claimed like four gifts I got at Christmas. And because of my
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    attitude both times my parents didn't give me gifts at all because they said I should be grateful for the thought.
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    Cheezburger Image 10523320320
    via Margaryta Basarab from Getty Images Pro / Canva

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

  • 18
    this time. My So I was like f sister's birthday wasn't too long ago and I decided to just buy myself something and I got it for me even though I knew she'd like
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    it (but not just for that reason). Ever since I got a PT job my parents have insisted I buy gifts for them and my sister out of the money I earn. And I wasn't doing
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    that. So on her birthday I told them I decided to keep the gift I got for her since we're allowed to do that. My sister cried and asked me why and basically whined that
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    she really wanted to play the game I got and she didn't know why I was such aj. My parents got so mad I thought they'd pass
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    out. They told me I was being such a bu y and for a boy to buy a girl is incomprehensible but my victim being my own sister made it worse. I told them I was just
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    doing what she's allowed to do. And I didn't see why it was bu ying when I do it but not when she does it. They told me I did it maliciously but she just got
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    excited for the gifts. Then they said she's younger so she's not expected to be on my level.#
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    I was grounded for a while but I was able to stop them accessing the game so it's still mine. And I hid my money so they couldn't take it and make the purchase on
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    my behalf. My sister asked me if I hated her like mid-way through my punishment and I told her I didn't need to answer her and
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    didn't want to speak to her. I told her she needed to leave me the f alone. It p ed my parents off more, they brought up the
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    birthday stuff and said I'm punishing my sister for being young. AITA?
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