A Reddit post titled ‘AITA for forcing my daughter to interact with her aunt’ has raised serious concerns for the teenager involved in the situation, despite her mother apologizing publicly for her actions.
Reddit posts about relationship and family dynamics often leave social media users divided over what’s right and what isn’t. However, one specific story about an unaware mother forcing her daughter to spend time with her aunt, Helen, has prompted angry responses from social media users, who are worried about what the 16-year-old must have gone through.
The ‘AITA for forcing my daughter to interact’ Reddit story
The viral Reddit post from three years ago has re-ignited conversations about parenting methods as a mother admits to forcing her teen daughter to interact with her aunt.
The Reddit user writes that her sister, Helen, would come home twice a week, and always during her visitation, her teen daughter, Amy, would make excuses to “avoid her aunt like she’s the plague.” on those two days – Monday and Thursday. Amy would apparently either go to her friend’s or boyfriend’s and only come back at around 10:30 p.m, before her curfew.
She claims her sister loved her daughter and she couldn’t understand why the teenager would avoid her. But, when the lady confronted Amy about her behavior, she “blew up” at her and said her aunt Helen was “horrible” to her and always made her feel like “crap”.
Amy claimed her aunt was “mentally abusive” and even called her a “gaslighter”. But, at the given moment, her mother still believed her daughter was being a brat and proceeded to confiscate her phone and electronics.
Her husband called her out for going overboard with Amy’s punishment, but Helen apparently thanked her for making sure her daughter stayed home in her presence.
Mother apologizes for her extreme actions
In the updates shared under the original post, Amy’s mother has publicly apologized for being too hard on her daughter. She was unaware of what had happened between the two in the past.
She said Amy told her what a horrible person Helen had been to her growing up as she was forced to eat more than her stomach could take when she was a kid and spent more time with her aunt.
There were things Amy refused to share with her mother about her aunt, while Helen admitted to her “wrongdoings” and was willing to sit down and speak to the teenager. However, Amy wasn’t ready and her mother decided to not confront her daughter until she was.
The Reddit user said she told Helen to not come over for the next few weeks and when the latter asked for the reason, Amy’s mother said she “didn’t give her an answer.”
“I don’t want to confront Helen with anything until Amy feels it’s okay. After all, Amy is the one who suffered the most,” the mother wrote at the end of her post.
Internet users are worried about the teenager
Despite the apology issued by Amy’s mother, Internet users are concerned about the teenager and what could have possibly happened between her and her aunt.
“I can’t imagine what Amy must have gone through. You’re the parent and when your kid isn’t comfortable with someone, trust their instincts,” wrote one user.
Another said: “Children don’t avoid family members for no reason. It’s your responsibility as a parent to check on them. Amy deserves justice if she was really abused.”
“Your daughter expressed her boundaries and you still crossed it. I am more worried for the 16-year-old girl.”
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