AITA for telling my sister she can’t be everyone’s favorite and being our parents favorite should be enough?
A 17-year-old shared their tense relationship with their younger sister and the fallout from an argument that led to them being sent to their grandparents’ house. The user detailed long-standing favoritism from their parents towards their sister,
as well as their sister’s jealousy over the special attention the user receives from their grandparents. After a heated exchange where they pointed out their sister was already their parents’ favorite, things escalated. Read the full story below and decide if their reaction was justified.
‘ AITA for telling my sister she can’t be everyone’s favorite and being our parents favorite should be enough?’
I (17m) fought with my sister (15f) the other day and got kicked out by my parents because of it. I might have gone too far so I’m here to find out. My parents treated my sister like the favorite. She was the kid who couldn’t get into trouble, who could wrap them around her finger and get away with hell.
But the favoritism mostly showed in them spoiling her and dedicating 1:1 time for her while they never made much of an effort with me. She gets pulled out of school early usually 1-2 times a month for a hang out with one of our parents, and sometimes they pull her out for family time. I *never* get pulled out of school for stuff like that.
My parents make a bigger deal out of my sister’s birthday and she gets a choice for her birthday parties. I always had to go for what my parents chose for me. Sometimes they just let my sister choose what we should do for my birthday and there are 5 years I can easily say the birthday was for her and not me because I hated it.
One time it was this tea party place. Another time it was a spa. Like yeah I was there but it wasn’t about me. When we were way younger the other thing was she had to get at least two presents to open during my party or someone else’s party. My parents always talk about how proud they are of my sister. They have pinned her art on our schedule board.
They post about every report card she gets. My grades are better and more consistent but she still gets all the praise. My sister could be invited for an all girl cousin sleepover. My parents never let me go to an all boy one unless my sister could be invited. Another thing was aunts and uncles could invite her to hang out with cousins without me but not me without her.
The only people who were allowed to have just me were my paternal grandparents. They fought my parents to have special time with me. They always try to make me feel less unwanted. They spoil me a little. They show up to support me every time I have a competition I’m in and sometimes they can get other family to come too.
They always make sure I get a wanted birthday present and Christmas present because my parents don’t make the same effort, while my sister might get 5 to 6 wants each time. They tried to include my sister sometimes but she never wanted to come and they never pushed it. But she was invited and my grandparents didn’t completely ignore her.
My sister has gloated about our parents not getting me any good presents or about how she has all the control for my birthday celebrations. Or that I never get to pick the takeout place like she does (sometimes). She said our parents don’t like spending time with me either since I never join in on family stuff.
She’s jealous about it now and has bitched to me about it since September 20th when she wanted me to know it wasn’t fair I was getting so much cool stuff from them when she got nothing. The thing she complained about was a refurbished $150 laptop they got me for school before Christmas because my parents wouldn’t replace my old one (that my grandparents bought)
and they weren’t okay with me using the family computer. But guess who could use mine when hers broke? Yeah… Anyway, she bitched about it and then bitched even more when I got stuff to customize my PS5 and some other stuff for Christmas. She told me they never get her all the cool stuff she wants.
She complained about it and then the other day I snapped when she told me I’m so the favorite and how s**tty that is and how much I s**k and they s**k for having a favorite. She said she didn’t do anything to not be. I told her she can’t be everyone’s favorite and being our parents favorite should be enough.
My sister told me I was a j**k for saying that and I told her at least I’m not a selfish, entitled princess and she already gets practically everything she wants off her wish list so why is she complaining when I get one or two things that I want. I told her she knows our parents don’t do s**t for me. I told her she’s not even a good sister but at least she’s their favorite, right?
She started screaming at the top of her lungs that she hated me and our parents came in and asked what the fight was about and when they heard I called her their favorite and told her she can’t be everyone’s favorite they said I needed to leave. I’m at my grandparents house and my sister texted me once saying I had no right to say all those mean things to her and I hurt her feelings.. AITA?
Here’s what the community had to contribute:
MarathonRabbit69 − NTA, this is a pretty standard sibling argument. Your parents *kicked you out of the house* for this? They and your sister are complete pieces of s**t.
Appropriate_Tea_2606 − You are most definitely not the a**hole! I understand what it’s like to not be included and to have a favorite sibling. It’s rough! Your parents are s**tty and I’m sorry that’s the hand you were dealt.
lanette01 − NTA. Your parents proved your point by kicking you out.
Glittering_Habit_161 − NTA and frankly this is your parents’ fault. Your parents should have let you choose what you wanted to do for your birthdays and let you go to all boys’ sleepovers without your sister.
kirinspeaks − NTA. And depending on where you live, your parents likely did something illegal when kicking you out since you’re a minor.
winterworld561 − Your parents don’t seem to realise it but they are actually f**king up her life. They take her out of school regularly meaning she is missing important lessons when she is at the point of important exams etc coming up.
They are raising her spoilt so she won’t have the life skills to get her anywhere in life on her own. She will grow up clueless and with hardly any qualifications. It’s going to massively backfire on all three of them.
RJack151 − NTA. Stay with your grandparents, your parents and sis are AHs.
BeachinLife1 − Stay at your grandparents. When you turn 18? I would never set foot back in that house. Tell your parents that you hope The Princess will marry well so she can take care of them in their old age. She’s not going to be much use for anything else.
hideme21 − Ask your parents if you can take a dna test. And say you want to confirm you’re not an affair child.
digi_captor − Get your grandparents to advocate for you. If you want to live with them, make sure you get all your documents (passport etc) from your house. NTA.
Do you think the user went too far in their comments, or were they simply expressing long-suppressed feelings? How would you navigate a family dynamic with perceived favoritism? Share your thoughts below!