Family relationships among stepparents and stepsiblings can be complicated… sometimes, messy.
This young lady feels as if she never gets to eat where she wants because her parents prioritize her stepsiblings, who have food allergies.
So when it was her birthday and her uncle was choosing, she picked a place she really wanted to go.
Her dad and stepmom think she was selfish to do so, because her stepsiblings weren’t able to eat.
Check it out.
AITA for picking a restaurant my stepsiblings couldn’t eat at?
My uncle brought me out to eat on Saturday, because he wasn’t here for my 16th birthday three weeks ago.
He had to take my stepsiblings (13F, 11M) with us.
He’s not their stepuncle, by the way. He’s my mom’s brother.
Stepsiblings are my dad’s stepkids.
This girl would bring her stepsiblings with her sometimes.
My uncle and dad used to be best friends, but their friendship ended when my mom passed 7 years ago.
Things are messy because my uncle still wants to see me, and I want to see him.
But dad doesn’t want my stepsiblings left out, so they get dragged around sometimes.
They have food allergies, so going out to eat can be tricky.
Something kinda relevant is that my stepsiblings have (not-anaphylactic kind) food allergies.
Their allergies are different from each other, and they get rashes and puking and stuff from eating foods they’re allergic to.
This has become such a focus for my dad and their mom that I don’t get to eat at places I like, even when my stepsiblings aren’t there, because it’s not fair.
Her restaurant choices were never an option when they go out.
I’m also the only person in the “family” (I think it’s more a burden than a family) who never gets to have my favorite restaurant on rotation for eating out.
My dad, his wife, and both my stepsiblings get their #1 choice, but because mine doesn’t easily accommodate my stepsiblings, I can’t have it.
She hates this kind of setup.
All of my top 5 are out.
Even for stuff like my birthday.
I hate it. I resent it.
I don’t have the family affection or mushiness for them to make it easier.
I just basically suck it up.
So when her uncle took her out, they went to her favorite restaurant.
But when my uncle was taking me, I chose my top choice. And he took us.
My stepsiblings didn’t eat.
I didn’t even feel bad because their needs are always put first, and they shouldn’t have been tagging along anyway.
Her dad and stepmom were furious.
Their mom was so mad when my uncle dropped me off, and dad was disappointed in me.
He asked me why I chose it, and I told him it’s my favorite restaurant.
And it’s been almost 6 years since I got to eat there because they decided I can never have it while I live with them.
She explained her side.
I told him it was meant to be celebrating my birthday.
And since I get screwed over when they “celebrate” me because of my stepsiblings, I didn’t see why I had to do it when my uncle was taking me.
I told him they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
I didn’t want them there.
But they’re still upset with her.
His wife heard me say her kids shouldn’t have been there.
She asked where my compassion is and where my sibling bond went, and I told her I never had one.
My stepsiblings were really upset they’d been forced to watch two of us eat, and that made their mom more angry at me.
And dad got more upset with me, especially because I didn’t feel bad about it.
AITA?
Let’s find out what others have to say about this.
Here’s a valid point from this user.
It’s crazy, says this one.
People are calling out her dad and stepmom.
Here’s another one for the dad.
While this user commends the uncle.
It’s her birthday!
Of course, you can choose where you want to eat.
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.