Family relationships can become difficult when parents prefer one of their kids over the other. OP (Designchick84) felt the same way since her parents always preferred her brother. She was the responsible one, always trying to maintain order and do the right thing. But as time passed, it grew more difficult for her to deal with.
OP reveals that her brother married into an extremely rude and mean family. Although the OP and her husband did not really enjoy the Thanksgiving festivities hosted by her brother’s in-laws, they went to make her parents happy.
The problem was made worse when OP’s kid was mistreated by her sister-in-law’s father over the holidays. To protect her family, OP threatened to stop attending if the inappropriate behavior continued. When it came time for Thanksgiving again, OP and her husband arranged a vacation and asked her parents and brother’s family, but they declined. OP’s parents siding with her brother once more.
Against her family’s anger, OP and her husband stuck to their choice and went on the trip in order to avoid another disappointing Thanksgiving. Her parents and brother were furious when she told them about their travel plans, even though she had been planning the trip with them for months. They appeared to expect that because they were not going, OP would cancel the trip. She now worries if she is making the wrong decision by protecting her family from toxic surroundings.
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Source: Designchick84
1. Let’s find out
2. OP’s family always favored her brother. She never placed them in an awkward situation to choose between them. This helped maintain the family in peace and harmony.
3. Things became more tough when OP’s brother married into a mean and rude family. They always hosted Thanksgiving, and OP attended to keep her parents happy. Her sister-in-law’s father has mistreated her child for two years, OP stated that they would quit coming if this happened again.
4. This year for Thanksgiving, OP and her husband had arranged a local trip for the family. OP invited both her parents and her brother’s family. Everyone liked the idea but said no. Because her brother declined, their parents chose to stay with him. The OP already knew this and did not mind.
5. OP and her husband planned their trip to make sure that their children had a memorable Thanksgiving experience. When OP informed her family about the trip, they were unhappy and shocked. They assumed she wouldn’t be going because they had said no.
Let’s see what the AITA community said about this story:
6. By DesertSong-LaLa: OP should put her family first and enjoy the trip because her parents’ decisions affect them, not her.
7. By oofthissucksman: OP should enjoy her trip because she has nothing to owe to anyone. Her child is going to love spending time with their parents rather than attending a family celebration where they will be mistreated. If her family is unhappy, that is their concern.
8. By Late_Boss_5283: OP’s family doesn’t value her points of view or boundaries. They expected her to join them even though they said no.
9. By JoffreeBaratheon: NTA. OP should protect her daughter even more and not put off dealing with difficulties till later. Instead of reaching out after the second offense, she should confront her sister-in-law’s father the very first time he acts rudely.
10. By Ancient_Solution_420: OP is not at fault. She made an excellent decision and can start a new tradition. It’s both painful and humorous that her parents remark “We can’t pick between families,” even though they do. OP should have a good time on her trip.
