Feeling left out is one of the worst feelings in the world.

You’d think being a triplet and having two other sisters the same age would mean having best friends for life. But what happens when two of them are identical and one looks different?

Apparently, according to this young woman’s story, it means feeling left out by everyone.

She finally found friends who appreciate her for who she is, but now, for the first time, her sisters and parents are missing her presence.

Should she try being close to them?

Let’s read the whole story.

AITA for distancing myself from my triplet sisters and family after years of feeling left out anyway?

I’m (19f) a triplet. My sisters are identical twins and I was the fraternal twin.

Even from the start, my parents kind of separated me from them.

My parents gave them matching names, while I got a different name. They were dressed the same and I was dressed differently.

They also made sure to take pictures of my sisters without me but never with me and one of them.

Needless to say, she always felt left out.

There are photos of us together and of us individually but there was always a greater emphasis put on them being identical and they were treated more like twins than we were like triplets.

Then other people would pair them and leave me out.

They got referred to as twins a lot and as a collective we’d be twins (them) with their sister (me).

It always made me feel kinda bad.

Her parents didn’t really see the issue with their behavior.

Sometimes people genuinely did not know we were triplets, but others did but because of how matchy they were and because I was always different, it was brushed over.

As we got older, I spoke up more about feeling left out.

My parents would tell me I was being silly and I was just as loved and wanted as my sisters. But that was about it.

They always dismissed it or laughed it off.

My sisters would say it wasn’t their fault or that it wasn’t a big deal.

But other people also contributed to the problem.

Some of our (but more like their) friends would make fun of the fact that I wasn’t really a part of the set. I was just there.

A few of them even pointed out how my sisters always called me their sister, but each other their twin.

Back then, I always tried to emphasize the triplet part and stopped when I realized I was on my own and it just made things weird or awkward.

Even as an adult, she was still trying to feel included.

A few months before graduation, I tried to sit my family down and talk about how hurt I was to feel left out and even pushed aside.

I say try because I didn’t get to finish before being called silly and being asked where I was coming from and being talked over when I tried to explain.

My sisters told me I just needed to let it go. They said that they always included me regardless, so “what was the big deal”.

But them including me often meant ignoring that I was there while dragging me after them.

The space between them became very evident, so she moved on with her life.

When we graduated, they went to the same college and I went to a different college.

They didn’t include me in the college talk, so I didn’t see a reason to chase after them.

In college, I’ve grown so much and made better friends. Friends who like and want to be around me and don’t treat me like the extra who has to be there but isn’t really wanted.

She’s staying where she feels wanted, and her family has started noticing.

I went to my grandparents for Christmas instead of my parents and had a nice Christmas with them.

And this summer I’m actually staying with a friend from college and we’re both working.

My family only realized a couple of weeks ago that I wasn’t coming home and they reached out to ask me when I’d be home.

I told them I wasn’t.

The relationship was always one-sided.

I got asked by my sisters why I didn’t call or text and I asked why THEY didn’t.

They said I always did that stuff.

I said “exactly”. I always did it. Never them.

Even when we lived together, I’d be the one checking in with them. But I’m done doing that now.

Their dynamic shifted.

All four (sisters and parents) are saying I’m being weird and accusing me of distancing myself from my fellow triplets and how we NEED to be together to keep that bond strong.

I told them I was done being treated like I’m silly for feeling left out.

And now I’m getting texts almost every day from my sisters saying I’m being childish.

This is the most they initiated contact with me all year and honestly since we were younger kids when they at least acted like I was their triplet.

She is wondering if she’s in the wrong for focusing more on herself.

I know this might sound weird to most people. I know some twins and triplets struggle with having their own identity and not being tied to their twins/triplets.

So I get that being in my shoes might sound great to some.

But it felt so lonely and like I could disappear and nobody would notice. And nobody really has noticed my absence until now.

AITA?

They’re trying to get her attention and feeling ignored by her for the first time, but they used to let her feel left out for years.

Let’s see how Reddit feels about this.

A reader shares some thoughts.

This person sums it up.

Exactly.

Another reader chimes in.

Sad.

Feeling left out just because she looked (literally) different hurt her profoundly.

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