17-year-old uncle raises his baby niece alone until her mom decides to take over, he accidentally reveals the truth to niece years later: ‘Your mom tried to give you away as a baby’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 20, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Finding out your sibling is having a child should be such an exciting moment. Everyone agrees that being an aunt or uncle is the best thing ever. You get to have all the fun, with none of the responsibility, and you get to come back to a quiet and clean home at the end of the day. There are no downsides to the opportunity your sibling presents you with as soon as they announce they are having a baby.

Except for the huge 'downside' described in the story below.

Apparently, it is not accurate to claim that becoming an uncle or aunt is free of responsibilities, because the uncle in the story below proves that his role in his niece's life might even be more important than her parents. Especially after both of them walked out on her when she was a baby.

So instead of being the fun uncle, this 17-year-old brother found himself raising his sister's baby on his own. And the worst part about it is that 11 years later, after his sister came back, she doesn't seem to appreciate all of the sacrifices he made for her and her daughter.

Keep scrolling to read the full tale.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10531298816
    via Stel Antic

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

  • 02

    AITA For telling my Niece her mother tried to give her away as a baby?

    I (28 M) got into a huge argument with my sister (31 F) last week. The argument had been simmering for a long time, as tension between us has been high for years.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 03
    When I was 17 my sister had an accidental pregnancy, and when she told her boyfriend he left her. Due to our family she kept the baby, but once her daughter was born she panicked.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 04
    She didn't want to go through the legal troubles of adoption, so she asked that me and our mother took care of her kid. There was no legal custody, but it was an agreement made within the family.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 05
    I essentially raised my niece from birth until she was 3. With help from my mother, as she was working to support the new edition to the family. I dropped out of school and took care of her, fed her, changed her and taught her how to walk while my mom was away at work.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 06
    Then, my sister met her now husband, cleaned her life up and suddenly wanted her kid back. No warning, she moves back to home says thanks and starts being a mother.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 07
    My niece is now eleven and doesn't remember all I and her grandmother did. It's been a family agreement to forget this all happened until the argument.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 08
    My sister made a petty comment during a fight, where she implied since I lost my job recently I can't handle responsibility. I snapped and told her she was lucky her daughter was too young to remember how she abandoned her.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 09
    My niece overheard this, and now wants to know what I meant. I outright said that her mother didn't think she could raise her, and left her with me and grandma.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 10
    Now my sister says I tra atised her daughter, and my mom says I should have kept the secret like we agreed. I think this secret couldn't stay kept forever. Am I the a h le?
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10531299072
    via miodrag ignjatovic

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

  • 12
    Edit: hello, I'm here to give some more context and answer a bunch of the most common questions. When the argument happened, I had put my niece to bed hours ago.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 13
    We were at my mothers house, and so no one knew she was going to come in. Secondly, after my niece. was born my sister moved states to get a job.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 14
    Also, she was 20 and I was 17. And finally, in the aftermath I said that we can't go back now since my niece already overheard us all talking, so as a group with her stepfather we should get together to explain it better.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 15
    But since the event (a week ago) my sister has been saying that we should blow over it and that my niece will forget if we don't bring it up again.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 16
    I'm frustrated at this, and at how she's now slating me alongside my mother. My mother believes I'm in the wrong for arguing with my sister in the first place,
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 17
    whereas I say she has no right to criticise me for losing my job when I lost my education to caring for her child. I'm trying to get in contact with my nieces. stepfather to ask him for his opinion.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 18
    Edit 2: yes, I was asked by my mom. to drop out of school and I did so. I didn't go to college later. I had no intention of hurting my niece, but she had already overheard what was said so I felt that keeping it from her now would just cause her confusion.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 19
    I'm now trying to backpedal the best I can with the families assistance, to be able to properly explain the situation to her. But, my sister and my mother both want to just pretend this never happened and hope my niece forgets as she grows up.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 20
    Edit 3: I'm starting to wish I was clearer from the beginning. I said I was 17 when my sister "had" the accidental pregnancy. I meant that I was 17 when the baby was born.
    via supermans_left_t**
  • 21
    Spare-Article-396 Your mom completely socks for allowing you to derail your own life for the sake of a 20 year old woman not wanting to step up. It's shameful.
    via Spare-Article-396
  • 22
    You shouldn't have said what you said, but hoo boy, I can't even begin to understand the resentment you must feel. NTA. Make no mistake; it was an ah thing to do. But I'm giving you a pass.
    via Spare-Article-396
  • 23
    Ancient Yak4019 NTA Firmly believe don't throw stones at someone who could ruin your entire life. She deserves it
    via Ancient_Yak4019
  • 24
    Mr_Ariyeh Well she overheard you both. You didn't tell directly to your niece. And, please go back to schooling for yourself.
    via Mr_Ariyeh
  • 25
    Last-Caterpillar-407 Secrets never stay that way. Especially secrets that should never have been.
    via Last-Caterpillar-407
  • 26
    NTA. Seems most here CANNOT grasp that YOU WERE A TEEN TOO and forced to drop out of school because of your sister's bad decisions. Why?
    via Last-Caterpillar-407
  • 27
    The AH in this scenario is your mother who did not parent and had YOU taking on the responsibility of parent when you were just a kid yourself.
    via Last-Caterpillar-407
  • 28
    Your sister is an AH too because it is not the child she is thinking about. It is herself. She feels guilt. Doesn't want to have to explain this to her child and would rather it be kept swept under a rug.
    via Last-Caterpillar-407

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family drama aita baby kids brother mother siblings niece reddit story parenting uncle family sister newborn Reddit women parents children Father
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