News flash: people are weird!

And some of them are controlling, as well…

It sure sounds like this person’s stepmom was trying to control them by hanging on to their important documents, but they put a stop to that when they demanded that she hand all of them over.

Did they do anything wrong?

Read on, and see what you think.

AITA for asking my stepmom to give me back my birth certificate?

“After a couple of weeks of staying with some of my family (my stepmom and siblings), I asked my stepmom to give me my birth certificate. I wanted to keep my documents with me back home in case of emergency.

As she opened the folder where she keeps my papers, I noticed there was about 4 copies of it, my high school diploma, some vaccines records, and other personal papers.

She was handling the folder and going through them, and if I asked for one she would think a little and then hand it to me. Or ask, “oh, you need this?” and hand it then.

I managed to get a little courage (she has always intimidated me. The years I lived with her and my dad and siblings I always felt and was made to feel like the odd one out. During the good times, they did welcome me somewhat, on bad times I’d feel unwanted and like a visiting, unwanted nuisance.)

How about all of it?

So after I get this courage, I asked her calmly to give me everything. All my papers.

She wanted to keep one copy.

I said I’d take them all.

I also noticed by then she was keeping 2 copies of my naturalization paper (citizenship paper) to the side and out of the folder. It felt like she wanted to keep those too?

I took them as well.

She got really emotional and, in our language, she said the equivalent of I’m being stingy or I’m skimping on her.

I stayed calm and explained I just want to keep my papers and that I and my husband agreed to bring back home our documents and put them together.

This is weird…

She raised her voice, sounded very upset, and like she was about to cry.

My hands were shaking cuz she lowkey scares me but I stayed calm and I said I hear her but I’m still taking them.

She’s more upset, so my sister, her kid, intervened. My stepmom said I must think she wants to do something bad with it.

I said no.

My sister explained that it’s mine and asked why she needs my birth certificate and she said she could need it for.

She had her reasons.

She said:

• In case she divorces my dad for whatever paperwork there might be
• If my dad passes away and the house they live in needs to be split between the kids (as far as I know, I was never part of this equation. I never lived in this house. I’m pretty sure that’s their house and my dad doesn’t even live here anymore because they had a huge fight).

Part of me kept pushing, though firmly and calmly, because I don’t want anyone to have my documents and because I felt that I should push myself to stand up to her for what I think is mine.

It worked.

In the end she said something like “Fine, take it all. I don’t want anything! But if we need something for paperwork, we won’t have it!”

Anyway she’s very upset, I’m scared, and she’s my ride to the airport tomorrow.

AITA?”

The stepmom doesn’t need those documents. Taking them was the right decision.

Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.

This person said they’re NTA.

Another individual spoke up.

This Reddit user shared their thoughts.

Another person spoke up.

And this reader weighed in.

It sounds like their stepmom is a bit of a control freak…

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.