If you have siblings, there’s a chance you’ve enjoyed pulling a few pranks on them over the years. Squeezing toothpaste in between two Oreo cookies, tying clear string across their doorway to trip them, bake them cupcakes that have salt instead of sugar, or hiding an alarm clock in their room that will start beeping at random times. When playing a trick on a loved one, it’s important that you prioritize choosing something harmless that might annoy them for a few minutes, but won’t permanently damage your relationship.
Unfortunately for one teenager, however, her sister had no concept of what was appropriate and decided to create a "test" that resulted in actual trauma. Below, you’ll find a story that was posted on the “Am I the [Jerk]?” subreddit earlier this week detailing how one sister went way too far trying to get her sibling’s attention, as well as a conversation with the sister who shared the story and some of the responses from concerned readers.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article featuring toxic family members that needed to be cut off, check out this story next!
After her sister cruelly faked her own death, this teenager reached out online to get some perspective on the situation
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Charlotte May (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Stock_Health_1033
To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the sister who shared this story, Reddit user Stock_Health_1033, and she was kind enough to have a conversation with Bored Panda. We first asked if there had been any updates on the situation, and she shared, “I haven’t been contacted in a few days from either my sister or my mother.”
“I have made the decision to go full no-contact with both of them, including my sister’s boyfriend, permanently for my own mental well being,” she said. “I didn’t inform them of that because I quite frankly don’t think they deserve it for what they put me through.”
We also asked if she had been able to enjoy any of this time with her boyfriend, despite all of the chaos of this situation. “I unfortunately had a really rough few days after the whole thing, but my boyfriend stayed with me through them and we tried to enjoy ourselves,” Stock_Health_1033 told Bored Panda. “My dad offered to send me back home with him as a way to escape the whole thing, and I am now here with him.”
“I felt bad for leaving, but I couldn’t let one good thing be ruined by the stunt,” she shared. “Me and my dad call everyday and talk about it. Although he is not as distraught as I am, I can tell it had put him in a panic to hear the story and then face what my sister had turned into.”
We also asked Stock_Health_1033 if she had been reading the kind words people had been sharing for her on Reddit. “The responses were super validating and gave me confidence in my anger and reaction to it,” she told Bored Panda. “It made me realize that I was never really cared for in the mental realm and that I could’ve easily turned out like that, but I didn’t. I’m thankful to my dad’s influence and the lessons in me for that.”
The girl later responded to a few readers and provided more background information
Stock_Health_1033 went on to share that, although there was previously a rift driven between her and her father, wedged by her mother, they have an amazing relationship now that they live together. “Having a father that doesn’t put me down for my anger and emotions has made me a better person within months of living with him,” she shared. “Talking with him through this has helped a lot, and I know being there for him and him being there for me is making it all go over a little better. We are both still angry and bitter towards my sister and mom, but we have each other, and it makes it hell of a lot better to get through things.”
The sister also shared that, although she is doing better, “This whole situation is definitely a call for a few or more therapy sessions.”
Losing a family member is one of the most painful things any of us can experience, so most people can usually agree that joking about death is crossing a line. Regardless of the drama or conflicts that your family is currently dealing with, a fake tragedy is never something we expect to have to navigate. The death of a loved one is extremely traumatic, and although this fictionalized scenario only lasted about 7 hours, the effects of it could linger for much, much longer.
When it comes to how our bodies respond to traumatic events, like the death of a sibling, we can’t suddenly turn those emotions off. And while this woman is actually alive and well (physically well anyway), the fear and anxiety that lived in her sister’s body for at least 7 hours while she thought she had died was incredibly real. It doesn’t matter that her sister was alive, what matters is that, in her body’s reality, she was dead. Manipulative pranks like this can be a form of psychological and emotional abuse, according to Stephanie A. Sarkis PhD.
“Pranks can trigger past trauma, cause hypervigilance, or an erosion of trust in a relationship. They can also humiliate,” Dr. Sarkis writes for Psychology Today. “Pranks can be how a person attempts to gain control over their partner, family members, or friends. Pranks can invoke fear and give the perpetrator a feeling of power over others. If you are constantly feeling off-kilter, or walking on eggshells (hypervigilance) due to a prank, consider that these pranks are a form of abusive behavior. If a behavior upsets you, it’s a valid feeling.”
After the sudden loss of a loved one, family members may even develop PTSD. And while this teen did not actually lose her sister, experiencing the stress and rollercoaster of emotions from that night could still be enough to trigger PTSD. She might now be wondering when she will lose a loved one and start to sense danger around every corner. She might develop trust issues after experiencing manipulation like this.
“Experiencing trauma can often shake your assumptions about life, your sense of control, feeling safe and trust in others,” psychologist Abby Stanislaw writes for Allina Health. “Losing those fundamental feelings of safety and trust can lead to anxiety and fear. You may even feel like the world is unsafe and unpredictable or question your faith. The overwhelming stress can lead to long-term psychological trauma, and in more severe cases, post-traumatic stress disorder. Any form of psychological trauma can interfere with your ability to maintain relationships, perform day-to-day activities and enjoy your life.”
There’s no question that this older sister’s “test” was cruel and uncalled for. But I'm so happy to hear that the younger sister has her father and boyfriend to lean on for support and that she has made taking care of her mental health a priority. We would love to hear your thoughts on this painful situation in the comments, pandas, and then if you’re interested in reading another article about cutting off toxic family members, look no further than right here.
Readers assured the teen that she did nothing wrong and urged her to completely cut off contact with her sister and mother
