Parents aren’t supposed to have a favorite child, but often times there’s preference shown to one sibling over the other.

This story from Reddit illustrates one such case, and how the second-place sister finally stood up for herself.

The details will make you want to stand up and cheer.

AITA for Confronting My Family About My Brother Being Praised for the Bare Minimum?

I (21F) am having a major issue with my family, especially my mom, over my brother (23M).

To give some context, my brother and I have always been treated differently, but it’s really started to bother me more as I’ve gotten older.

It gets pretty obvious that the mom has a favorite child.

Growing up, I was expected to help out around the house, get good grades, and be involved in extracurricular activities.

My brother, on the other hand, was never held to the same standards. He would get praised for doing the absolute bare minimum – like taking out the trash once in a blue moon or managing to get a C on a test he barely studied for.

Recently, things have escalated.

My brother dropped out of college last year and has been living at home, working part-time.

My parents, particularly my mom, treat him like he’s some kind of hero for even having a job, despite the fact that he contributes almost nothing to the household.

He’s doing the bare minimum, while she has a very full plate.

Meanwhile, I’m juggling a full-time university schedule, a part-time job, and volunteer work to help me get into med school.

And yet, any accomplishment of mine is met with a “good job” at best.

Last night was the final straw.

My brother came home with groceries – something he has never done before – and my mom acted like he’d just donated a kidney to a dying child.

She went on about how “helpful” and “thoughtful” he is.

I snapped and asked her why she always praises him for doing the bare minimum while ignoring everything I do.

She got defensive and told me that my brother is “trying his best.”

She isn’t going to just stand there and take it, though.

I pointed out that I’ve been trying my best for years without any of the praise he gets, and she exploded, saying I was being disrespectful and causing drama.

My dad and brother both told me to drop it and apologize, but I refused.

I ended up leaving the house to cool off, but things have been tense ever since.

The daughter wonders if there’s something deeper going on.

I can’t help but feel that there’s some underlying misogyny here. It seems like my mom has different expectations for me because I’m a woman, and that my brother gets a free pass because he’s a man.

My friends agree with me, but my family thinks I’m overreacting and being unfair to my brother.

So, AITA for confronting my family about this?

Is it favoritism, misogyny, or something else?

Reddit has opinions, of that you can be sure.

Top comment says remember the long game – the author will certainly win in the end.

There’s no doubt sexism plays into the double standard, says this commenter.

Another commenter said to give the mom a taste of her own medicine!

This comment says it might not be full on misogyny, just basic favoritism.

Lastly, this commenter says just survive and advance.

It’s not often that the doctor in the family isn’t the one getting special treatment!

These parents are a special brand of cringe.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.