'AITA for calling out my sister in the family group chat for being a bad mother?'

A woman shared a story on Reddit about her elder sister and her two sons, Jackson, 15, and Ethan, 13. She also discussed how her 35-year-old sister treats her children differently.

The 30-year-old female, under the username WorriedAuntiee, began saying that she and her sister “see each other around Christmas every year, other than that we don’t really communicate except for the occasional family group chat exchange.”

Woman accuses her sister of only focusing on her elder son

“I’ve always known that Ethan is quiet and reserved, and until recently I thought he preferred to not have a lot of attention, until I realized he’s just not getting any,” she continued in Reddit’s ‘Am I The A*****e' (AITA) subreddit section.

The Redditor shared that sometime back, she got to know that her sister’s sons are from two different men.

“I learned Jackson’s dad left Sara after she cheated on him, hence, Ethan,” she mentioned, before revealing, “I recently realized that Sara would reach out in the chat on behalf of Jackson. If he had a sports game, doing a fundraiser, had a social event to attend, she would ask us to attend, donate, or help him get to/from his social event if she couldn’t take him.”

The woman also noted that she and her family “RARELY hear anything about Ethan” from her sister.

“She NEVER told us that Jackson was suspended 99% of the time for bullying Ethan and his friends. They now go to separate schools!” she said.

Woman suggests her sister is punishing her son for her wrong deeds

The Redditor also shared several instances where her elder sister was negligent towards Ethan.

She stated, “Last weekend I bought tickets to the symphony and planned to take him, but wound up not being able to because I was sick. I transferred the tickets to his mom and begged her to take him and she said she would. I texted Ethan yesterday and asked how he liked it but he didn’t respond.”

The woman eventually called her sister and got to know that she “didn’t take him and didn’t find anyone else to. She was ‘busy’ and forgot.”

The Redditor, however, said that her elder was not “too busy to ask the family group chat THE DAY OF THE CONCERT if anyone would help pay for Jackson's DC trip in the spring. I went off on her in the family group chat and said she is being a shitty mother.”

“I said I don’t know if it’s because she inherited the favoritism gene from our parents or if she is subconsciously punishing him because SHE cheated and got rightfully dumped, and I told her that she needs to step up for her son,” the Redditor wrote, before asking, “AITA for calling her out in front of the rest of the family?”

Internet backs woman for calling out her sister for being a bad mother

People have supported the woman in the comment section with one writing, “NTA. People like your sister aren't going to respond or care about your deserved criticism of her. The most helpful thing that you can do is be there for Ethan. Having someone who cares can be a lifeline for lonely kids like him. Please stay in his life.”

Another user said, “NTA. You seem to be the only shining light in that kid’s life, go auntie!!! Shitty mom needs a reality check.”

A third one commented, “NTA. You are calling it like you see it. Hopefully you will be able to still spend time with Ethan as it sounds like he could really use someone that cares. You won't be able to change your sister's crappy parenting but you might be able to make a difference in Ethan's life.”

A Redditor wrote, “NTA. You are only telling the truth. She is failing Ethan horribly and doesn't seem to care. I saw your comment about breaking Ethan's trust about the concert - don't beat yourself up too much about it. Keep paying attention to him and providing him with love. It is just as important for him to see that someone can mess up, apologize, and actually mean it. Plus, it would be so much worse if you left him. Ignore the family members who are telling you you did wrong - they are enabling her behavior. This isn't about you or what people are calling you - this is about you standing up for Ethan.”

Another one added, “NTA. Thank you for standing up for Ethan. It’s always important to have people rallying for you, but even more so during the teen years. Please continue to be there for him. As for your sister…may she reap what she has sown. She needed the call out on group chat. Shaming isn’t always a bad thing.”

“NTA because not only does she deserve to get called out, by doing it with a lot of family-witnesses, there is the possibility that she will be held accountable,” a comment read.

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