Family expectations can sometimes feel confusing and contradictory.

The following story involves a teenager who simply followed his mother’s instructions not to celebrate Mother’s Day.

She explicitly told him not to do anything on that day, and he did exactly that.

But when the day came, her mom became upset that no one acknowledged her.

Uh oh! This sounds like one of those situations where expectations weren’t as clear as they seemed.

Read the full story below for all the details.

AITAH for not telling my mom. Happy mother’s Day

I am 16 and I did not greet my mom Happy Mother’s Day.

Not because I forgot, but because she literally told me last week not to do anything.

This was when we were at the grocery store and I realized it was going to be Mother’s Day soon.

So, I did not do anything. Plus, she was not home all day.

This teenager was told not to get her mom anything for Mother’s Day.

Now, she is mad that I did not text her.

But she gets mad when I text her.

I do not know what I am supposed to do.

She told me not to celebrate and not to get her anything.

She also told me not to waste my money because she did not care about Mother’s Day.

Now, he’s wondering if he was in wrong when he only followed her mom’s instructions.

Then, she came home upset and crying because no one told her Happy Mother’s Day.

She told me not to. My other siblings forgot. That is not on me.

She told me that she did not want anything.

AITA for this? I do not think I did anything wrong.

She told me that she did not want to celebrate.

Apparently, he always prepares something for her mom, but not this year.

This was a really quick post because I need to go to bed because I have school in the morning.

I just need to know what I did wrong to make her so upset.

I have done something for her every single Mother’s Day.

Previously, she specifically told me not to do anything.

Honestly, it’s not OP’s fault that he followed her mom’s request.

She made it clear to him not to get her anything… and this is exactly what he did.

It sounds like he genuinely tried to respect what she said, so the confusion makes sense.

And as for the mom, if she really wanted anything for Mother’s Day, she should have communicated it well.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man whose celebratory post-grad school vacation is being ruined by his family’s insistence he’s being lazy.

Let’s find out what others have to say about this.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Here’s some sound advice from this person.

This user gives a similar remark.

You keep making excuses, says this one.

Finally, this one makes sense, too.

Mixed signals always end in mixed feelings.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a stepmom who says stepson isn’t doing enough, despite the fact that he’s working 12-hour shifts to pay for his own college.