The majority of us grew up believing that if a person is within your family circle, you need to accept them as they are.
They could be emotionally and/or physically abusive, you might feel controlled, or perhaps communicating with them is simply causing you emotional distress –whatever it might be, forget the “you don’t choose your family” malarkey because justifying someone’s toxic behavior by kinship is totally not worth it.
Moreover, many folks don’t realize the effects of their family environment until they are well into adulthood, purely because they treat this kind of relationship as the “norm.”
A dysfunctional family dynamic can bring a lot of unnecessary stress into people’s lives, meaning that it would be in your best interest to cut communication – however, not everybody is willing to go through this soul-crushing process.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes family members don’t realize that they’re overstepping the boundaries
Image source: filiadragongurl (not the actual photo)
“AITA for refusing to take my mom on vacation with me and my girlfriend whom I’m planning on proposing to?” – this netizen turned to one of Reddit’s communities to seek advice from its members and to find out if he’s indeed a jerk for refusing to take his mother on vacation where he’s planning to pop the question to his partner. The post has managed to receive over 5K upvotes and 757 comments discussing the situation.
This guy wonders if he’s a jerk for refusing to take his mother on vacation where he’s planning to propose to his girlfriend
Image source: LittleNegotiation561
The author began his story by revealing that he’s been planning to go on vacation to a well-known spot with his significant other ever since they started dating in senior year. The man’s been saving up for years in the hopes of giving him and his girlfriend the best experience possible.
Image source: LittleNegotiation561
The OP finally acquired enough funds to book the trip, and, after some thinking, he also decided that he wanted to propose. He went out and got his soon-to-be fiancée a ring with her birthstone and, of course, some diamonds.
The man put the ring on his dresser, and later saw his mother wearing it. According to the OP, she thought it was a gift, as the ring’s birthstone matched hers.
Naturally, the author took the ring back and explained the whole situation. The woman apologized and said that she was very happy for the OP and his girlfriend. She then started wondering about all the details, asking him for the specific date so she could clear her calendar.
Image source: LittleNegotiation561
After sharing the details of the plan with his mother, the author let the situation go – however, a couple of days ago, the woman started wondering whether he’d booked the trip yet, asking when the plane was leaving and what hotel they were staying at.
The OP unveiled the specifics, and the woman asked if he’d booked her an extra room; he said no and wondered why she would think that he would have. The mother explained that because it was also her birthday month and an important moment, she wanted to be present.
An argument ensued, ending with the woman telling the OP that he didn’t appreciate her, didn’t love her, and that overall, he was just a terrible son.
Image source: LittleNegotiation561
Image source: Sreejith Kulamgarath (not the actual photo)
The woman ended up calling the author’s aunts, one of whom later posted something concerning sons hating their mothers on her social media, where the OP’s mom also commented.
The author is pretty stressed about the whole situation, and although he understands why his mother is so eager to be there, he also just wants to spend time alone with his girlfriend.
Fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts and opinions
