Hosting family events is no small thing. Letting people into your intimate space who you have a close and (possibly) troubled history with, resulting from problematic relationship dynamics, presents all sorts of problems. It's basically like opening a Pandora's box of sorts of complex family trauma. Usually, the problematic ones will be rogue cousins or uncles who you just don't see eye to eye with, but occasionally, it will be your own problematic parents. This woman found herself at a breakin…

This stepmother has been really struggling to develop a closer relationship with her stepdaughter At 18, you are an “adult” in every sense of the word. Sure, your frontal lobe hasn't fully developed, and you're going to make a whole lot of bad choices over the next seven or so years, but the difference between 17 and 18 is that you're going to be solely responsible—and accountable—for those decisions. That means the way you engage your peersonal relationships. If you're fortunate and privileged…

"She believes that since she’s the eldest cousin, it’s technically hers by ‘right.’"

We're often taught that you have an obligation to love your family and that “blood is thicker than water” and all of that

Hosting events is a lot of work; there's a house to be cleaned, food to be prepped, and a lot of general setup that needs to be taken care of. When it's family, it's even more so to do—it's probably a good idea to hide the things your family won't approve of and save yourself the judgment. Family hosting schedules help to ease the burden of any one person having to host too often, and the reality is that for a member of the family to drop from hosting duties places a disproportionate amount of…

Your glass should never be empty when the in-laws visit

Let's face it: a lot of us were miserable about stuff when we were kids and teenagers that we would later go on to regret. Even if you have the most positive home environment, it's a confusing and difficult time in your development. Even still, I know there were times when I caused a stink about something only to go on to have the best day, leaving me with lifelong regret for making it difficult for my parents in the first place. But, when you're a teen , there's a high likelihood that you're g…

This uncle is wondering if he taught his child and nephew the right lessons. After all, teaching your child right from wrong is an ongoing lesson throughout their life. The ways that most kids learn what to do and not to do is by watching how the adults in their lives act. That's why u/Some_Addition_9752 headed to r/AITAH to ask a larger audience if they were right for the way they encouraged their child to act. As a parent, it's frustrating to buy your kids expensive toys knowing they could qu…

Sisters, can't live with ‘em and—can’t live with ‘em… When it comes to siblings, disagreements, spats, and petty arguments are just part of the bargain, and even if you grow up to be best of friends, there will be points when you’re growing up where you just want to tear each other's hair out. None of this is helped at all by sibling rivalries, the other complex family dynamics, and the topsy-turvy changes of adolescence. Still, things aren't quite even that simple or straightforward when narci…

There's one thing worse than not getting someone a gift for their birthday or any other situation where gift-giving is an expected social norm, and that's getting them a “gift” that is actually for yourself and serves your own wants and needs. Doing this surpasses the thoughtlessness of not getting a gift and strays into the territory of showing them that you put thought into it and then settled on something for yourself instead.

"How is it my fault you had a debt that I covered?"

These family members are upset after rejecting a vacation, only to learn it was going to be way better than they expected. The job of planning a vacation goes to u/Ok_Clue_6722, as they explained to r/AmItheA******. Yet somehow, he's the one who planned an entire trip, only to leave out two family members in a less-than-subtle jab at them. Up next, these anonymous people online had some incredibly silly suggestions to make hospitals better, like one person who suggested that we should “ Call al…

Everyone likes to think that they're the exception to a rule, usually because they're so certain that they're so much better and smarter than everybody. The reality of the situation couldn't be further from the truth, and the truth is this: If you think you're the exception, the rule exists for you. This couldn't be truer than when it comes to parents who think that their kids should be an exception to “child-free” events, either bringing them anyway without saying anything or making some drama…

It's a tricky thing to make someone feel something that they don't feel. And when you're a teen there's so much changing emotionally that it's sometimes hard to make sense of the things you're actually feeling without trying to force it—or having someone gaslighting you and saying that you said something that you never said. When that person is your parent, it makes things a whole lot more complicated; this is the person who is supposed to be showing you the way, and while they probably think t…

"When asked for it, we asked how we could pay it back, and they said just show us a fun time when we come to visit."

Money between family and friends is a tricky thing, but giving money to help out can be a huge blessing when times are tough. Still, it's often said in these situations that you should never lend money that you expect to see back, essentially considering it to be a gift. When that money comes from the loss of not one but two close and important family members, it really shouldn't be treated like a bonus that needs to be burned, and it's not an “easy come, easy go” type of situation. That money…