Growing up in a blended family with a stepparent and stepsiblings is hard for any kid. It would be easier for them to accept and adapt to the situation if their parents cared and treated them with kindness and love. By contrast, selfish and indifferent parents would make the family nightmare for the children.
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Recently, a 17-year-old girl posted her terrible family conflict on the popular
AITA subreddit and won the backing of the internet.
The teenager’s mother passed away when she was 8, and her father married another woman 2 years after. Her stepmother had a 7-year-old daughter, who struggled with Down Syndrome, and a 5-year-old son. Since they moved in under a roof, the poster's parents convinced her to take care of her stepsister, which was against her will.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
Since then, the Redditor has been playing the role of her sister’s parent. She had to deal with every problem relating to her sick sister. Though she felt sympathetic with her poor sister, she couldn’t stop hating the babysitting task. She tried to get rid of that, but her parents never let her quit. After 7 years, the sister became closer to the poster than any other member of the family.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
The teenager grew up now, so she determined to move out of her house asap. Her parents were aware of her plan, so they strived to make her stay near them to look after her stepsister. The Reddit user ended up spending most of her weekends in the last two months babysitting.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
The teen couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to stand up for herself. She confronted her parents and asserted that she hated her responsibility so much that she wanted to leave immediately without hesitation.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
Her father raged at her for not caring for her sister and her family. Her family war continued, and even the sick girl was upset by the oppressive atmosphere in the house.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
Under the post, the public pointed out that the poster was a victim of parentification, which happened when a child was obliged to act as a parent of their own parents or sibling.
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Netizens supported the teenager’s plan and encouraged her to steer clear of her family. They suggested the Redditor call for help from the police if her parents left her with her sister. On the other hand, they roasted the parents for being so cruel to their children. Some commented that the teen's parents intentionally tasked her to be responsible for their sick child, which explained why her stepsister felt more attached to the poster than her mother.
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Have you ever heard of parentification? Do you know any case similar to this Reddit thread? What advice can you give the poster to help her handle the issue? Please share your views with us in the comment section below!