- A teenager wondered if he was wrong after he refused to promise to look after his disabled half-sister, who he says he barely knows, in a post on the Reddit forum “Am I A—”
- The teenager, 17, said his father and stepmother called him a “callous monster” after he refused to promise to look after his half-sister – who has a trust fund for her – after their deaths
- Most Redditors sided with the boy, telling him “you’re a minor” and that his father and stepmother “should be ashamed of themselves.”
A teenager says his father and stepmother called him a “heartless monster” after he refused to promise to look after his disabled half-sister.
The boy, 17, said his father and stepmother asked him to promise to take over for his stepsister, now 7, in a Dec. 18 post on the “Am I A—hole” Reddit subreddit, where users ask questions and let other Redditors comment on whether they were right or wrong.
He said that his half-sister Yazmin is “severely disabled. She can’t speak or do things for herself,” he wrote, adding “I don’t know much about her condition in general. I never spent much time with [stepmother] Rebecca or her.”
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The teenager explained that he does not have a special relationship with his father and that he mostly lives with his mother. But when his father asked him to spend the day with him and have dinner with him, Rebecca and Yazmin, he agreed.
But, he explained, “He didn’t really want to have dinner with me.” Instead, the point of the dinner was to ask him to promise to take care of Yazmin when they died.
“They asked me to look after Yazmin and be her big brother when they left. To make sure she is taken care of at home and to take care of her myself if needed. They said she’s my sister now and we may not be blood, but she’s my family and she needs me.”
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As he explained, “I said no. I told them I don’t take responsibility for her. Dad told me that I should, for his sake and that he doesn’t ask for much. I admit that I told him that he never gives me much. He said it wasn’t fair and I shouldn’t punish Yazmin for it. He told me that I have to step up and be a bigger man than I act.”
He shared that his stepmother asked him why he didn’t want to protect “her sweet girl,” to which he said, “I’ve barely been around Yazmin and I don’t feel a family bond or loyalty to her and I said they’re not going to bully me into that .”
He also said that there is a fund set aside for his half-sister’s future care, into which his father pays. “He’s invested more in her future than he ever did in mine, which is a sore point for me, but I know she needs more of that and everything.”
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After refusing to promise to take care of her in the event of their deaths, the 17-year-old said his father and stepmother “say I’m a heartless monster because I say no.”
They also reached out to his mother, who sided with the teenager and told his father, “to never talk to me the way he tried because I don’t owe him peace of mind in taking care of his stepson when he dies. She really stood up for me.”
So did most of the Redditors who read the teen’s story: StrangledInMoonlight wrote, “In order to build a sense of family, a parent has to actually be a parent and be in their child’s life. OP’s dad didn’t mind, OP’s stepmother didn’t mind even now [they] citing OP’s family commitments, they wonder why OP feels no attraction, no connections.”
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Another commenter, Orphen_1989, added: “Your dad and stepmom are horrible…they should NEVER have asked you this…you’re 17, you can’t make promises like that. You are a minor.”
Others praised his mother, as Hayclau wrote: “I’m glad your mom has your back. If your dad [brings] Again, please consider telling him that if he doesn’t listen and respect your feelings about this situation, you may not be in contact with him at all.”
The poster said that the plan was to place her in a home, but “they want me to take responsibility and make sure that I step in and fix it and stuff, if it’s not going so well at that point. But I really don’t want that job.”
This prompted the others to remind him that Yazmin had a father who was not involved in her life. “Her concern is none of your business, let alone your responsibility. It’s called parental responsibility for a reason,” said Beth21286. “They should tell him to step up, but they’re too lazy because they think it’s easier to manipulate you. They are lazy parents and should be ashamed of themselves.”
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Source: HIS Education