Growing up, whenever we come across challenging situations, parents are our safe space to vent. But the stars don’t shine down on everyone, as some people have quite toxic mothers and fathers. When they don’t even have this basic support, what are they to do but cut contact?
The unfortunate Reddit user SensitiveSparkle0909 is stuck with parents who always favored her other two triplets, who are identical, while she’s fraternal. Despite multiple tries, they always shrugged off her concern that they treat her differently, and there’s only so much a person can bear. Here’s what she did next…
More info: Reddit
The most painful stab in the back is when parents favor some kids over others
Image credits: Vladislav Nahorny / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster, a triplet from 3 sisters, always feels that her parents favor the identical ones over her, as she is the fraternal one
Image credits: SensitiveSparkle0909
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Her sisters are always holed up together, while she's just there, and anyone barely even knows that they are triplets
Image credits: SensitiveSparkle0909
Image generated by Bored Panda using ChatGPT
When she tried to express how she always felt left out, her parents and sisters shrugged off her concerns as "silly"
Image credits: SensitiveSparkle0909
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Now that she's in college, the poster refuses to go home for Christmas, and the family is only just noticing
Image credits: SensitiveSparkle0909
They only just realized she is distancing herself, so they labeled her 'childish,' while completely ignoring how she has felt all these years
Today, we dive into a story that’s quite tragic in the beginning, but trust me, it definitely has a happy (or at least satisfying) end. It all started when the original poster (OP) was born as a fraternal triplet, while her two sisters were born identical. The problem began as soon as the parents started dressing the ‘twins’ similarly, while OP was dressed completely differently.
Forget clothes, even the treatment she received from them and other people was that she was the other sister, while they were the twins. She felt completely isolated from them, and it persisted throughout their lives. Even her sisters are no comfort, for they always shared a bond that left her out of everything, or she was just dragged along with them.
She tried telling the whole family how she constantly felt lonely because of them, but it all fell on deaf ears as they dismissed her as “silly.” When it came time to pick a college, the ‘twins’ never involved her in their plans, so she went to a separate college from theirs. Ironically, it’s this time apart from them that changed her life for the better.
She was thrilled to find friends who actually care and involve her, unlike her whole family, and she decided that enough is enough. She started distancing herself from the whole toxic bunch, and they’ve only recently noticed. Then the barrage of texts and calls started, but this time, she stood her ground and called out their behavior.
Of course, their small egos couldn’t handle it, so they are calling her childish and vindictive. Probably confused by everything, she vented online, and folks instantly sided with her while calling out her toxic family.
Image credits: Adolfo Félix / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
It actually broke my heart to read all the challenges the poster had to go through in her life. What should have been a fun and happy thing (being born a triplet!) turned into one of the most traumatizing events for her. And I completely agree with netizens that her parents are to blame for it all, considering how they influence children’s development.
It’s pretty obvious from the story that the so-called ‘twins’ internalized their parents’ behavior as kids and started treating the poster the same way as they did. It has been observed that when parents play favorites, it can have lasting effects on the unfavored kids, while also increasing sibling tension. That’s exactly what happened in OP’s life, isn't it?
However, here’s the thing, while the parents have scarred the poster for a lifetime, let’s not forget that the other two sisters might also suffer. Research suggests that being the favored child also comes with pain and consequences in the later stages of life. Basically, the couple has literally cast an evil spell on all their children, unknowingly.
What’s worse is how they constantly dismissed the poster’s feelings and concerns as “silly.” Studies have shown that when parents fail to validate their children’s emotions, dismissing or minimizing their feelings, it can even lead to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD). If that happens to OP, I’m pretty sure she’s going to need therapy to function properly in the future.
However, I truly hope that her family members come to their senses and talk about this, as she mentions she would actually love that. What would you do in her shoes? Let us know in the comments!
Peeps online showered her with sympathy, but also applauded the fact that she finally took a stand for herself
