February 1, 2026 at 7:21 pm

Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didn’t Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

by Heide Lazaro

Woman in her graduation gown holding a diploma

Pexels/Reddit

Graduation days are supposed to be joyful milestones.

In this story, a young woman received a lot of criticism from her mother during her graduation.

Later, her boyfriend was also ridiculed and treated poorly by her mom.

The tension carried over into the next day, which happened to be her mother’s birthday.

Check out the full details below…

AITA for ignoring my mother the day after my graduation due to how she treated my boyfriend?

I (17F) live with my parents.

My mother has always been very strict about cleanliness.

While I admit my bedroom is often messy, this has been a recurring source of conflict between us for years.

I try to help around the house in other ways, but arguments about my room are frequent.

This young woman’s mom criticized her on her graduation day.

On the day of my graduation, my mom criticized me multiple times.

This included criticism during the ceremony.

After it ended, I thanked my family.

I took photos with them and went to dinner with them instead of joining my friends.

Her mom also scolded her boyfriend and called him irresponsible.

Later that night, my boyfriend (17M) was at my house briefly.

He was waiting for his phone to charge, so he could order an Uber.

I told my mom this beforehand.

However, she came into the room and spoke harshly to him.

She called him irresponsible. She repeatedly told him to leave immediately.

She also received hurtful words from her mom.

This has happened before, even when he is already waiting for transportation.

I told her she was being rude to him. She responded by blaming me.

She brought up my messy room again. She accused me of being ungrateful at my graduation.

She said hurtful things about me not contributing financially.

I don’t work yet.

So on her mom’s birthday, she decided not to greet her.

The next day was her birthday.

Because I was still upset about how she spoke to my boyfriend and to me, I chose not to congratulate her.

I avoided interacting with her that day.

My question is whether ignoring her on her birthday because of this conflict makes me the jerk.

I know ignoring her wasn’t ideal. At the time, it felt like the only way to avoid another argument.

AITA?

Let’s see how others reacted to this story.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Screenshot 2026 01 01 at 10.12.35 PM Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didnt Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

She was rude and disrespectful, says this one.

Screenshot 2026 01 01 at 10.22.08 PM Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didnt Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

This one makes sense, too.

Screenshot 2026 01 01 at 10.22.28 PM Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didnt Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

Short and sweet.

Screenshot 2026 01 01 at 10.23.23 PM Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didnt Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

Finally, here’s an honest opinion.

Screenshot 2026 01 01 at 10.23.59 PM Woman Graduated And Faced Her Mother’s Criticism All Day, So She Ignored Her Mom On Her Birthday And Didnt Bother To Send A Heartfelt Greeting

Sometimes, silence is the best gift one can give to someone who’s being rude and toxic.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.