Raising children can be a challenge, but as long as you do your best to love them all and treat them well, things generally work out.

What happens when a father and stepmother dote on three of the kids, but treat the fourth like a leper?

This girl wanted out, but when she turned to her aunt, she got called a liar.

Read on to find out the details and make a decision for yourself.

AITA for telling my aunt she can’t call me a liar and swoop in years later and expect to be my hero?

So my dad had me (17f) and my brother (15m).

Our mom died when we were 2 and 4 months old.

It’s a little fast, but ok.

A year later he met Mel and they got married.

Mel had two daughters (23f and 22f).

I’m not sure if their dad died or if he just wasn’t around.

But they lived with us 100% of the time.

I don’t remember a time before Mel and my stepsisters.

Mel was so happy with my brother and he became her son and her pride and joy.

How can a parent do something like this?

She never cared about me and never expressed an interest in me.

My dad was very similar.

He basically forgot about me being his daughter.

Mel still showed an interest in her daughters but they hated the fact she claimed my brother as her son and showed so much obsession about having a boy and I get it because she was all they had before.

They hated me.

They hated my brother too, and wanted nothing to do with him, but he was so good having two parents that he never cared about siblings.

He calls himself an only child.

I’d hoped to be close to my stepsisters but they bullied me and said I would never be their family.

At least someone is trying to help.

My grandparents noticed that I was left out of a lot, noticed the bullying and the rejections.

They live out of state and when they’d come to visit and we’d all go out I was left behind with them while my dad and Mel took the other three out to amusement parks and stuff.

Mel would tell me to my face in front of them that she’s not my mom and yet beam when my brother called her mom.

They also noticed that when my brother and stepsisters got treats I rarely, if ever, did.

They brought it up a few times and were basically ignored.

I know they had this big talk with dad about it and he denied anything was going on.

I also know they asked my aunt, who lived close by and saw us a lot, to keep an eye on me.

She didn’t.

Who wouldn’t be depressed in that situation?

Two years ago I’d gotten really depressed after being stuck with dad, Mel and my brother during Covid and being ignored, that I told my aunt about everything and asked if I could live with her.

She got pissed on my dad’s behalf and she called me a liar and told me not to be so jealous, that I wasn’t a kid anymore.

And no, I couldn’t live with her.

She was so mad at me that I avoided seeing her for months.

I was so afraid she would ridicule me in front of them.

For some reason she realized a couple of weeks ago that I wasn’t lying.

She came and told me I could live with her now and she told me it was awful what my dad let happen and that I shouldn’t be there anymore but she would get me out and she’d protect me.

I was shocked. It came out of literal nowhere.

She didn’t apologize for what she said before though.

The Aunt is wrong, but it still might be better to go with her.

And so I told her I’d stay.

That I didn’t think living with her was a better idea anymore.

She got mad and asked me why not and I told her because she can’t call me a liar and then expect to swoop in and for me to see her as a hero.

She told me I got so hung up on nothing.

AITA?

What a horrible situation for this young lady.

Let’s take a look at the comments to see if they have any advice.

Perfect is the enemy of good.

Very practical advice right here.

This would really make sense.

Good thought, it might be all about the money.

Good advice, she needs to find a safe place to live.

Someone needs to step up and take care of this young lady!

But sometimes I guess you just have to take care of yourself.

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.