21-year-old's car breaks down, parents fix it and give it to 17-year-old brother instead: 'Somehow he deserves my car more than I do'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 20, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Is parental favoritism something that adult children should just put up with?

There are plenty of people who like to claim that all parents have favorites, and this becomes an issue when this favoritism becomes blatantly obvious. Having more than one kid is always going to be a balancing act of making sure everybody gets the same amount of positive attention, but some moms and dads are more than happy to completely ignore this issue.

Naturally, this is something that children can pick up on from a young age. The issue only gets more pressing as they get older and realize just how unfair it can be when parents blatantly favor one kid and disparage another. At its worst, the best way to deal with it as a non-favored child is to disengage with this behavior as much as possible. It is not good for anybody's mental health.

That being said, it is sometimes difficult to get away from a situation like this, no matter how much somebody might want to. Waiting it out can be painful, but there are times when it turns out to be the only way forward. It is upsetting to deal with in the meantime.

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  • A teenage boy holds a video game controller while sitting in front of a computer in a dark room
    via Jonny Gios (Unsplash+)

    A teenage boy holds a video game controller while sitting in front of a computer in a dark room

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

  • In this story, a young woman called her mom and stepdad after her car broke down. The vehicle was towed and taken to a mechanic run by her dad's friend. 

    Immediately after this, her parents began to pressure her to buy a new vehicle. They reasoned that the current car, which was in her stepdad's name despite being bought with her money, would be given to her brother when it was fixed.

    Things only got worse when her mom refused to let her go to the funeral of a neighbor, whom she had been very close to. She wanted to get herself out of this situation.

  • My parents are trying to take my car and give it to my brother, and now they’re controlling every part of my life.

    I (21F) honestly feel like I'm losing my mind. My parents have always favored my brother (17M). He's their only biological kid, and it shows. I live with my bio mom and stepdad, and the favoritism has been obvious my whole life—but this situation has pushed me to my breaking point.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • Last Monday my car broke down. I called my parents before getting a tow because I hoped it was something simple. It wasn't.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • My car started smoking while I was driving. I paid $160 for a tow and had it taken to my dad's buddy's shop. But nobody will tell me what's actually wrong with it. My dad immediately asked how much money I had saved and said I "needed a new car."
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • Before the tow, I crawled under the car myself and didn't see anything broken. Suddenly my dad claims something is "hanging" and "broken," but refuses to show me. He even "joked" to his buddy that I destroyed my car. It didn't feel like a joke.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • The only thing I know for sure is that my rear tires had to be manually unlocked because the parking brake somehow turned on by itself.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • As soon as we left the shop, my parents started showing me old cars from 2005-2010... while I currently drive a 2017 Titanium Escape that I worked two waitressing jobs for three years to afford.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • When I asked what about my car, they said they'd "fix it up and give it to my brother."
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  • My dad claims he gets to decide because he once put $6,000 toward the car after a government shutdown — and because I get paid to go to school due to his 100% military dis lity. So suddenly it's "his" money and "his” car. They refuse to put the car in my name. They want me to buy a new one... in his name again.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • A woman wearing glasses sits in the driver's seat of a car with the window open
    via Thibaut Santy

    A woman wearing glasses sits in the driver's seat of a car with the window open

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

  • My brother has never had a job. He plays video games all day. Doesn't help around the house. Eats everything. Barely passes high school. They can't even trust him to wake up on time. But somehow he "deserves" my car more than I do.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • Since my car broke down, I'm not allowed to walk anywhere in town — not even to the IGA or Dollar General. I feel like a hostage in my own home.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • I've been depr sed about the car, and my mom cornered me in my room demanding to know why I was "acting depr sed." When I said it was my car, she told me: "You need to stop being depr sed because you're making me depr sed."
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • I finally told her I'm on anxiety meds and trying to get therapy. She said she doesn't know why I'm like this because I "have life made."
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • This part hurts the most though. My elderly neighbor — who was like a grandmother to me — passed away a few days before Mother's Day. Her husband told my parents I was absolutely invited to the funeral and so were they.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • My mom decided for me that I wasn't going. It was down the road. But because I don't have a car (at the time), I'm "not allowed to walk anywhere."
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • She prioritized my sister's monthly - meeting instead — a meeting that isn't even important.
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  • My parents are suddenly talking about buying the trailer next door and "moving me out there," maybe even hinting my boyfriend could move too. But I'm not getting my hopes up - it feels like bait to make me drop my guard.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • I've gone cold and distant. They notice, but I don't care. I'm tired of being their maid, their emotional dumping ground, and their afterthought.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • I've decided to give up the car. If they want to hand it to my brother, fine. I'll probably a Toyota get a new one RAV4 or Honda Civic and I will not pay a dime if my stepdad insists it must be in his name.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911
  • I'm just done. Done being controlled. Done being guilt-tripped. Done being treated like I don't matter.
    via Comfortable_Pay3911

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Tags

family drama teenager brother car driving favoritism family stepdad mom
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