When parents neglect their children, it is not uncommon for the kids to not be very close to them once they grow up.

What would you do if you didn’t see your parents very often, but when they found out that you were getting married and were having a destination wedding, they said that they wanted to come?

That is what happened to the guy in this story, but when he sent them an invitation, they said that they expected him to pay for their whole trip.

Keep reading to see how he handles the situation.

AITA for telling my parents that I am behaving exactly like they raised me to behave?

I am a middle kid. My older brother is the golden child and my sister is the baby and always got her way.

I was mostly ignored. I was fine with it. I got into lots of trouble but my parents didn’t really care enough to either punish me or help me through it.

My guidance counselor in high school took an interest in me though. She saw something. I hope that everyone who needs it has someone like her.

It is great that this person took such an interest in them.

She saw that my parents didn’t really get involved in my education. She stepped up.

She helped me find out what I love. She motivated me enough that I got a full ride scholarship. Which was good because my parents had nothing for me.

Destination weddings can be a lot of fun. And they are still having a party for everyone else when they get home.

I’m thirty now and planning my wedding. It’s going to be a destination wedding because I want it small.

We are paying for our six guests to come.

My future inlaws (mom, dad, brother, and sister) and my maternal grandparents. That’s it. We are going to have a big party for friends and family when we get back.

Not all families are extremely close, and that’s ok.

I’m not NC with my family I just don’t make any effort to talk to them and they reciprocate.

They did find out about the wedding though.

They all want to come.

I said that they were welcome and I sent them invitations.

They can come, but he isn’t going to pay for it.

They asked if I needed anything to set up their travel plans.

I said that they needed to get there on their own. They were invited but I wasn’t paying.

They said that they had raised me better than that and that I was paying for my fiancee’s family so I should pay for them too.

Nope, he isn’t obligated to pay for anything for them.

Hard no. Hard. I told them that the fact was that my fiancee is the one paying. She earns about the same as me but she has a settlement from her first marriage. (I did not tell them about the settlement)

They again said they raised me better than to ignore family.

The same people who skipped my graduation from high school and university. I have a million other examples but I think that says it all.

He is just being honest about the situation, and honestly, he is being nicer than they deserve.

I just replied that I was happy that they were interested in being part of my wedding day and that I hoped they could make it but fully understood if they gave it a pass.

I said that they were the ones who raised me to think of myself as not really being a part of their family so I was actually behaving exactly like they raised me.

His parents never showed up for him before. It seems to me that they were just trying to get a free vacation out of him. He seems to be handling this situation very maturely. He isn’t being mean to them, but he is holding firm to some very reasonable boundaries.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman’s family who is trying to stop her from moving away for her husband’s job.

Read on to see what the people in the comments on Reddit have to say about this.

Learning to stand up for yourself can take a lot of work.

This is what I was expecting as well.

I wonder how they found out about them paying for the in-laws as well.

He sent them an invitation; he doesn’t owe them anything else.

They are just looking for a free trip, according to this commenter. I think they are spot on.

How can they even say that they raised him better with a straight face? Even if they were perfect parents, they wouldn’t be entitled to a free trip to the wedding. If anything, they should be giving him money to help with the wedding expenses.