27-year-old refuses to become guardian of his younger half sister after years of no contact and repeated family pressure: 'I didn't hesitate to say no. Repeatedly'

A grown man got voluntold to adopt the half-sister his family spent a decade trying to trick him into bonding with.

In my personal and professional life, I'm all for responsibility. Taking it, dealing with consequences when you don't, the whole shebang. What I don't like, though, is when people try play catch with responsibility. And in the story below, it's pretty much throwing a Hail Mary to a half-brother, without him even running to make the catch.

Because this situation is more about outsourcing responsibility than taking it, a group of relatives looked around, did the mental math, and decided the one person with a stable life should automatically become the emergency exit. Not because that person wanted it, not because it was discussed, but because it was convenient. It's a very specific kind of entitlement, the kind that treats someone else's boundaries as a temporary obstacle, like a closed door that just needs more knocking.

via Jonathan Cooper

^{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
There’s also the emotional sleight of hand. Instead of respecting a clear no, the family tried to engineer a yes through forced closeness. Surprise introductions, awkward setups, little moments designed to create instant bonding on command. That move is always framed as healing, but it’s mostly about control. It asks a kid to audition for love and asks an adult to pretend history never happened. Nobody wins that game, it just produces resentment with better lighting.
AITAH for declining guardianship of a my sister?

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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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Then comes the guilt campaign, which is basically customer service for bad decisions. The language shifts from request to accusation. Heartless, selfish, cold, abandoning family. The words get louder as the family’s own willingness gets quieter. It’s remarkable how many people can type a lecture with one hand while refusing to lift a finger with the other.
Declining guardianship is not the same as wishing harm. It’s acknowledging reality. Taking on a child is not a symbolic gesture or a group project to fix a broken narrative. It’s daily life, years of it, and kids can feel when they’re being raised out of obligation.
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Having a spare room is not a binding contract. It just means there is space in the apartment, not space in the heart for a role someone never agreed to play.
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