Stepmom sells 16-year-old stepson's music box that his late mother gave him, in order to pay for his half-siblings' medicine: 'Someone bought it off eBay for $2K'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 21, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

She had no right to even touch that music box.

It's all too common for children and teenagers not to be treated like whole human beings. I'm not saying that 12-year-olds should be able to vote or drive a car, but they should be afforded the same empathy and dignity that you would afford literally any adult. You shouldn't take away their right to privacy by unscrewing their bedroom door. It's wrong to take things that belong to them and give them away without asking, even if you, as the parent, see it as "your property" because you bought it. 

Parents often do questionable things in the name of discipline that they wouldn't expect of an adult. They might send their child to bed without dinner if the child refuses to eat what's made for them. You wouldn't do that to an adult who doesn't eat what's served to them at a dinner party. Most adults wouldn't refuse a meal that's made for them because they were taught at a young age that it's bad manners to do so. But even if an adult did that, they have the autonomy to make themselves dinner when they get home, and a kid doesn't always have such liberties. 

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  • A wooden table topped with two boxes filled with toys
    via Karina Syrotiuk

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The kid in this story was gifted a music box by his late mom. The adults in his life don't respect him enough to leave that alone, and they did something truly horrendous in the name of helping his half-sibling with their health struggles.

  • Am I the bad guy for moving out of my dad's house and telling him I want nothing more to do with his wife?

    My dad's not happy about any of this btw but the biggest fight is over the stuff I said to and about his wife and the fact I just left the house.
    via u/Mylooy
  • My mom died when I (M16) was 10. She had this antique music box that she gave to me before she got too sick. It meant a lot to her so I always kept it close and you know I wanted to save it for future kids and to remind me of mom. It was always in my room and I didn't listen to it a lot but just looking at it reminded me of her because she used to dance to the music.
    via u/Mylooy
  • Close up photography of woman dancing beside sunflower field during golden hour
    via Blake Cheek

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My dad remarried 2 years ago and his wife and I got along fine for the most part. It was sorta tense because she thought I'd want a motherly figure and she'd get to do parental stuff. She built it all up in her head and she struggled when that wasn't what I wanted. We kinda figured it out
    via u/Mylooy
  • but didn't get close and then her and my dad had a baby together and my half sibling was her focus so all was fine. Then a couple of weeks ago I got home from school and the music box was missing from my room. When I asked her if she'd seen it she lied and said no. I asked my
    via u/Mylooy
  • dad when he got home from work and he said no. He asked me if I moved it without realizing and I said no. I tore my room up looking for it and I searched other rooms in the house. No music box.
    via u/Mylooy
  • I went to bed that night and heard my dad's wife tell dad she had sold it to pay for medicine for my half sibling. She said someone bought it off ebay for 2k or something and she waited until she was sending it out to take it because she thought I wouldn't notice immediately. When I heard her say that I ran down stairs and yelled at her. My dad told me to calm down and that we could talk
    via u/Mylooy
  • it out. His wife said I needed to understand that my half sibling needed medicine they couldn't afford and the music box sold for money to cover it. She said there was no other way. I told her she had no right and it was mom's before and mine now and she was a thief. She defended her decision and told me I was putting a box before my half sibling's health.
    via u/Mylooy
  • I told her she better get it back and she said she couldn't and wouldn't. So I called her a disgusting POS and I told her she was dead to me, she's not my family and she's worthless trash and I wasn't going to live with her or speak to her again. My dad was still trying to calm us both down.
    via u/Mylooy
  • A bald man sitting on a chair in front of a window
    via Ante Samarzija

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I packed up my stuff and texted my grandpa to come pick me up. My dad's wife started yelling at me for waking my half sibling up. Dad was like sleep it off and we'll talk in the morning and when grandpa pulled up he tried to stop me leaving. I said I wasn't spending the night under the same roof as that (just imagine the insult). My dad was trying to say I couldn't leave but I left anyway.
    via u/Mylooy
  • My dad has tried to get me to go back home ever since. He told me we need to talk about it as a family and I said there is no family anymore, and his wife is dead to me and I won't have anything to do with her again and I used all the insults I did that night and some more. He told me
    via u/Mylooy
  • not to say those things and I need to find a way to forgive. He said he can get his wife to apologize but we need to move on. I refused. He said he's going to fight my grandparents and he'll press charges if and when he can. I said I'll sleep under a bridge, I'll sleep in a shelter or at the park. I said he can't make me go back. I said I want nothing more to do with his wife.
    via u/Mylooy
  • He said I don't need to overreact like this and I owe her an apology too because treating someone like I treated her and talking about her like I am is disgusting and wrong. And he said I can't run away when I don't like what happens. I told him mom's music box is gone because of the (insult) he married which pissed my dad off. AITAH?
    via u/Mylooy
  • Hopeful-Artichoke449 Stay where you are. If they "couldn't afford" meds then they can't afford court costs. Ask your grandparents to help you file a police report.
    via u/Hopeful-Artichoke449
  • maywellflower Oh good, it wasn't just me - Would call out daddy dearest bluff with the only "You got thousands to pay for lawyer in family court to make me return to your fucktwit hellhole, but you ain't got at least $20 for youngest child's medical needs. Mind you, this whole situation is because your thieving ass asshole wife stole my property for $2K because she said you don't have any money for medicine for your other kid. Go fuck yourself, dad."
    via u/maywellflower
  • BoMG1900 NTA! I wouldn't even call him "Dad" anymore... he's just a damn asshole who covers for a criminal! I would report the bitch as soon as possible and demand the return of the music box! Otherwise, I would report her for emotional cruelty and theft. Edit: Ask for the buyer's name (or try to find him) and make it clear to him that he has purchased stolen goods and that you will report them to the police too.
    via u/BoMG1900
  • ljgyver Why didn't she sell her own things? Her rings, her other jewelry?
    via u/ljgyver
  • Autoxquattro And they didn't even ASK him first. She took it for the pictures for the listing, then took it when it sold, and had yo be shipped. she had it planned for DAYS!
    via u/Autoxquattro
  • Fatherofthecentury13 It was YOUR property. And selling for 2k makes it grand theft. YOU can press charges.
    via u/Fatherofthecentury13
  • talithar1 Cannot press charges. He can file a police report and sue in small claims court. The DA can press charges.
    via u/talithar1

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Tags

steal family drama stepmother stolen stealing mother fatherhood stepmom music box stole dad family Reddit mom half siblings Father selling
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