He Celebrated His Birthday at a Family Dinner. His Parents Commented on His Acne in Front of Everyone, and He Lost His Appetite
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Parents often believe honesty is the same as helpfulness, but sensitive teens often disagree.
A teen was celebrating his birthday at a restaurant when his mom remarked that his acne was getting worse by the day. His dad then added that he should lay off the junk food.
Both comments came while the whole family sat waiting for their food, and he was already struggling with his skin and trying to figure out a skincare routine.
He knew they were trying to help in their own twisted way, but he still felt humiliated anyway.
He lost his appetite, barely spoke, and fought back tears for the rest of the evening. When his older sister asked why he wasn’t eating, all he could say was “I don’t know.”
Now he’s asking if he overreacted.
Keep reading for the full story.
AITA for ruining my own birthday that my parents paid for over a comment on my face?
I (17M) just turned 17, and I am struggling with acne and skincare. Recently, my family and I decided to go out to celebrate my birthday.
That’s when things got a little ugly.
While we were waiting for our food, my mom made a comment about my face, saying that my acne is getting worse day by day, and my dad joined in and said that I should stop eating junk food.
This is pretty much the worst possible thing they could have said to him.
I knew that they were trying to help, but something in me just wanted to leave and cry. I felt humiliated and embarrassed, and I lost my appetite and tried to not talk as much as possible.
His family’s prying soon made things even worse.
As everybody was eating, my older sister asked why I was not eating.
At that time, I didn’t know how to respond, so I just replied with an “I don’t know.” I was trying to hold in my tears during the entire evening.
Now he can’t get over how much the whole interaction messed with his confidence.
When I got back home, I went into my room and cried it out. I felt terrible, and I felt like I overreacted to the entire thing, because I know my parents just wanted me to get better.
Somehow he’s the one who feels guilty in all of this.
I felt a horrible wave of regret that I wasted my parents’ money, that they went out to eat and paid for my food just for me to not eat. But at the same time, I couldn’t help how I feel.
AITA for overreacting, or did I have the right to respond like this?
His parents should be the ones who feel guilty, not him.
What did Reddit have to say?
Acne is a medical condition, not a personal failing.
What kind of person says something like this, especially on their child’s birthday?
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Sometimes “caring” is just cruelty.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman whose family wants her to spend way too much time redoing paintings to make them match.
There’s a time and a place, and his birthday party was not the place nor the time.
His parents picked the worst possible moment to play dermatologist, and they did it on his birthday, at a restaurant, with an audience.
Nobody needs a skin review while waiting for an appetizer, least of all a teenager who already obsessively checks the mirror every morning.
The last thing he should feel is guilt over a wasted meal.
They owe him an apology, not the other way around.
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