Parents are supposed to be a constant presence, but when they walk out the door, it leaves a lasting impression.

When one absent father returns to build a new family, his first child is left wondering if they were just a rough draft for his second attempt.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for telling my mother that I’ll never fully love my sister?

My parents had me when they were in high school.

Personally, I don’t think that they were prepared for a child, but they decided to keep me.

So their parenting was shaky to say the least.

When I was young, my father left our lives, and I still don’t fully know why.

I just know it was a mutual understanding, and there was no court involvement, so I’ve never had much closure.

But then one day, things changed in a way they never expected.

Then, 13 years later, he suddenly comes back into the picture.

I was obviously confused and felt like it was too late.

I’d been fine without him, and I didn’t need him, but I eventually accepted him.

Then something even more surprising happened.

Shortly after, my parents got back together, and my mom had another baby with him — a girl.

I love her. She’s sweet, innocent, and I want the best for her.

But deep down, I can’t shake this resentment about the circumstances of her birth.

This has them wondering why this new child was good enough to come back for but they weren’t.

I feel like my father came back into my life just to start over with her.

What about me? He’s just going to waltz back into my life and then get a retry with a new kid?

What about me?

That’s why I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have a “normal” relationship with my sister, because I can’t escape those feelings of resentment and anger toward my father.

They tried to bring these concerns to their mother, but she had a meltdown.

Tonight, I tried to talk to my mom about how I was feeling.

I wanted her to understand that my feelings aren’t about my sister — I love her, but the situation just feels so complicated.

Instead of hearing me out, my mom exploded. She started attacking me, saying things like how badly she raised me, and even threatening to kick me out.

Now it seems like the two are even more distant.

She won’t consider my suggestion of therapy, won’t listen to my texts, and now I’m left feeling even more alone.

I’m worried that if she follows through on her threats, I’ll have nowhere to turn.

What about my future? I need to go to school, and I have a job I want to keep!

So, AITA?

She wasn’t angry at her sister per-se, but she just couldn’t shake this lingering feeling of resentment.

What did Reddit have to say?

In all likelihood, healing will come, but it won’t be a straight line.

Maybe the mother just isn’t in the right headspace right now to really hear their child out on this.

This poor of a reaction says way more about the parents than it does about the child.

It’s possible the mom’s reaction is just a reflection of her own abandonment issues.

Maybe there is some truth to the mother’s self-deprecation.

They weren’t asking their father to rewrite history, but it would be nice if he acknowledged the chapters he skipped.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.