Group therapy can be highly beneficial for families that are struggling communicating with each other.

Having someone regulate tempers that normally flare, or encouraging quieter family members to share something they otherwise would be scared to.

But apparently not every session is as effective as one would hope, especially when the emotions they coax out of people are anything but positive!

This user learned that firsthand in a group therapy session when he was brutally honest with how he felt towards his step-siblings, which caused his dad and step-mom to discuss kicking him out!

Was he wrong for being so honest with his family? Decide for yourself!

AITA for being brutally honest in therapy and then saying my dad can send me somewhere else if that’s what they decide?

I (16m) live with my dad, my younger brother (13m) and sister (12f) and my dad’s wife Gwen and her kids (7f) and (5m).

My dad and Gwen got married 2 years ago. They had known each other/were dating for a year prior to that. My mom died 7 years ago.

Gwen’s ex took off when she was pregnant with her son and neither kid knows him or has memories of him.

But OP said just because he lived with his step-siblings didn’t mean he considered them family.

Gwen’s kids are not my siblings. I do not love them or feel the same big brother protectiveness. My relationship with them is very different than the one with my actual siblings.

When we were younger I used to let them crawl into my bed if they had a nightmare and dad was working nights and we had a babysitter.

I would still let them sleep on the floor of my room if they wanted to for some reason. My brother did it once in the last year because he was being bullied at school.

I hug my siblings and I will ruffle their hair and stuff. But I don’t do those things with my step-siblings and I wouldn’t be comfortable with physical affection toward them.

And while OP wasn’t opposed to spending time with you, he also wasn’t going to initiate that on his own…

I speak to them. I won’t leave the room or refuse to let them join me if I’m watching something.

But I’m not going to cuddle them on the couch (which they have asked) and I don’t play with them in my spare time.

The kids have felt less loved because of this so my dad and Gwen wanted the three of us to talk things through in therapy.

They said I have four siblings now and not just two and all four should be treated the same.

Unfortunately Gwen and OP’s Dad didn’t exactly get the breakthrough they were hoping for from OP…

I told them it wasn’t going to happen because I don’t love my step-siblings or feel comfortable being that close to them or showing them affection.

I said I will be nice, I won’t ignore them or be mean to them. But that my relationship with my actual siblings is always going to be different to whatever develops between us in the future.

Gwen snapped that I should say siblings for all four instead of saying step-siblings. I told her they aren’t siblings and I don’t think I’ll ever think of them as actual siblings.

She asked what about her and where she fits in. I said she’s my dad’s wife. Then she was like “so I won’t be mentioned as your parent when you graduate” and I said no.

With everyone now being brutally honesty, the therapist quickly lost control of the session!

The conversation turned to Gwen not wanting her kids around such different treatment and discussions of if I should leave.

The therapist was like woah, stop talking like that, but they ignored the therapist and continued to discuss this in therapy, in front of us.

The therapist told them we should be figuring out ways to live together with less hurt feelings, and she mentioned talking to Gwen’s kids.

Gwen said she didn’t want me in the house and dad said he understood. So I said dad could send me somewhere else if he wants and I won’t fight that.

But even though OP’s Dad didn’t want OP’s attitude in the house, he also didn’t want OP out of the house!

Dad was pissed off that I would prefer him to send me away than embrace Gwen and the kids as my real family.

He told me it’s not what mom would have wanted and she would be ashamed of me.

I pointed out mom never had a close relationship with her step relatives either and saw them differently to her real family.

AITA?

What a terrible situation to be caught in the middle of. When are parents gonna learn they can’t force their children to accept their partners families?

Reddit assured OP that he was allowed to feel however he wanted, and many who grew up with step-siblings assured him that this was normal.

This user thought OP’s Dad was looking to start a new family, but had forgotten the one he already had.

Others were appalled that OP’s Dad would openly discussing tossing him out like yesterday’s trash.

Finally, this user thought that kicking OP out would only hurt the siblings he was close with!

It’s safe to say this was one pretty unproductive therapy session!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.