A single mother of three is seeking support on Reddit's 'Am I the [Jerk]?' community after an argument with her eldest daughter, Polly. The woman had to take her son, Trevor, to the ER and asked Polly to watch her younger sister, Cassie.
However, the teenager ultimately decided to place the burden on someone else and go out to blow off steam instead. The mother was furious upon discovering what had happened and the two of them quickly got into a fight.
This single mom is trying to raise three kids
Image credits: Elina Fairytale (not the actual photo)
And she wants her oldest daughter to commit more to the family, but the teen is having none of it
Image credits: Lisa Fotios (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: dratonallthings
Judging from the post, it doesn't sound that the mom and her teen are understanding each other
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
Sadly, this post is an example of a broader problem. A 2019 Pew Research Center study of 130 countries and territories revealed that the U.S. has the world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households.
Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%). Interestingly, the study, which also looked at how people's living arrangements differ by religion, found that U.S. children from Christian and religiously unaffiliated families are about equally likely to live in this type of arrangement.
For comparison, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria, and 15% of children in neighboring Canada live in single-parent households.
But family conflicts with a teenager growing up are nothing out of the ordinary
Image credits: RODNAE Productions (not the actual photo)
While it's difficult to give Polly a pass for her behavior, we can't forget that the teen years pose some of the most difficult challenges. Dealing with hormonal changes and an ever-complex world might make you think that no one can understand your feelings. Especially parents. As a result, teens can find themselves angry, alone, and confused in the face of complicated issues about identity, peers, sexual behavior, drinking, and drugs.
Parents are also often frustrated and angry that the teen seems to no longer respect their authority. Methods of discipline that worked well in earlier years may no longer have an effect, and parents may feel frightened and helpless about the choices their teen is making.
The teen years are ripe for producing conflict in the family. Let's hope this one finds a solution for theirs.
As the story went viral, its author provided more details
People have been having strong reactions to the family drama
