May 5, 2026 at 2:21 am

Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

by Matthew Gilligan

woman yelling at her mother

Shutterstock

It’s a fact: some people simply don’t get along with their parents for one reason or another.

And these folks have a tendency to blow up at their moms and dads from time to time when things get heated.

In this story, a young woman explained why she blew up on her mom while they were on vacation.

Let’s take a look!

AITA for saying no to my mom?

“I (20F) currently live with my mom. My twin brother (20M) is living on campus at college.

Over his spring break, we took a trip to Washington DC. One of the days we were there got down to 34 degrees with wind and a chance of snow.

During that day, we had planned to go to a few museums, and would therefore not be outside for more than an hour. Me, being ADHD and focused on getting ready for the day, neglected to say I was not going to be bringing my jacket. I run warm, and tend not to get cold easily.

My mother and brother know this.

Uh oh…

I was last out of the room, and when I joined my brother and mother by the elevators, my mom lost it. She was doing the whisper yelling you do when you’re furious but don’t want to make a scene.

I went back to the room and grabbed my jacket. When I got back, she said I was being a “psycho.”

For context, I have been in nearly daily therapy for over a year at the time of the trip. One of the things I had been working on with my therapist was sticking to my boundaries.

She put her foot down.

We made it down to the lobby, and I stayed by the elevators and said I would not be going with them.

My mom got even more upset and kept asking why I was making such a big deal about it and saying I should just forgive her. I stayed firm, and refused to go with them. She then got in my face and called me “selfish”.

At that point she turned around and left, dragging my brother with her. My brother throughout this had done nothing but tell me to drop it and just keep the peace.

I went back up to our room. After about 30 minutes, I got a text saying I had ruined the trip, and was being a selfish, entitled brat.

I don’t think I did anything wrong by saying I didn’t feel safe going with her, especially when she was upset.

AITA?”

Reddit users spoke up.

This person spoke up.

Screenshot 2026 05 02 at 4.28.25 PM Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

Another individual didn’t hold back.

Screenshot 2026 05 02 at 4.28.35 PM Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

This Reddit user said she’s NTA.

Screenshot 2026 05 02 at 4.28.58 PM Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

Another reader agreed.

Screenshot 2026 05 02 at 4.29.05 PM Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

And this individual was shocked.

Screenshot 2026 05 02 at 4.29.17 PM Vacation Veto: Why This Woman Refused to Go Sightseeing With Her Toxic Mom

It sounds like these two might want to look into some family therapy…

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who rescinded her generous all-expenses-paid vacation offer after her sister-in-law waited until the last minute to decide.