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AITA for Opting Out of Therapy Sessions? A 17-year-old boy is navigating a complex and painful family conflict involving his 14-year-old sister and their stepmother. Their mother passed away several years ago, and their father remarried soon after. The younger sister quickly bonded with the stepmother, even calling her “mom” and having the adoption officially recognized.
In contrast, the older brother, who was 9 at the time of the remarriage, struggled to accept his stepmother as a mother figure. He has chosen to refer to her as his stepmother, not “mom,” creating a significant rift between the siblings.
This difference in how they view their stepmother has led to ongoing tension. The sister feels hurt and rejected by her brother’s refusal to accept their stepmother as his mother, leading her to express her disappointment and frustration frequently. She believes that his stance undermines their family unity and creates an emotional distance between them.
On the other hand, the older brother resents the constant pressure from his sister and feels that his perspective is not being respected.
In an attempt to resolve these issues, their father arranged for them to attend family therapy together. Over the past six months, they have seen two different therapists, but the sessions have not managed to bridge the gap between the siblings.
Despite the therapy, the brother’s refusal to call the stepmother “mom” and the sister’s insistence on this point continues to fuel conflict. The brother feels that the therapy has not been effective and that the relationship may be beyond repair until his sister can accept his feelings and viewpoint.
Frustrated by the lack of progress and the ongoing arguments, the older brother has decided to stop attending therapy. He feels that continuing the sessions is futile and that his sister needs to acknowledge his perspective before any real resolution can occur.
His decision has sparked a new conflict with his father, who believes that therapy is crucial for maintaining family harmony. The father views the brother’s choice to quit as selfish and short-sighted, concerned that abandoning therapy could worsen the family dynamics and hinder any chance of reconciliation.
The father is deeply worried about the long-term effects of stopping therapy and is determined to find a way to address the underlying issues. He believes that therapy is essential not only for healing the rift between the siblings but also for fostering overall family cohesion. The ongoing struggle highlights the difficulty of navigating complex family relationships and the challenges of balancing differing perspectives and emotional needs within a blended family.
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AITA for Opting Out of Therapy Sessions?
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Let’s Quick Catch Up the Top Comments: AITA for Opting Out of Therapy Sessions? .
NTA. Her version of happiness is not on your shoulders to bear.
Tell you father that therapy is for hearing everyone out, respecting the individual and learning why the people involved feel as they do.
It is Not a means for him to pay someone to force you to fake feelings you’ll never have because it would be convenient for Him.
The only thing keeping these sessions up will do is cost him money and any respect and possibly love you’d ever had for both him and your sister. His and your sisters refusal to see your feelings as valid and trying to force their worldview onto you are what’s causing the problem.
In essence he’s paying a therapist to show you just how little he values your feelings and opinions.
You are definitely the only one Not an asshole in your blood family.
NTA. Relationships go both ways, you have to respect each others feelings & opinions. Your sister just wants things her way, or no way at all. So, it’s no way at all… period. You can’t be forced to therapy IF she’s not willing to listen.She does not validate your feelings, sounds to me like she needs the therapy more than you do, BUT it’s just not helping her. Yeah, she’s a lost cause & I do not blame you one bit for wanting to move out of there as soon as you possibly can.A sister who is not willing to meet you somewhere in the middle, a dad who is forcing you to go to therapy, & a stepmom whom you obviously don’t see as your mom cannot make for a happy home life. So sorry you’re going through all this! Wish you the best in your life & your future away from that house.
Absolutely NTA and you might mention to the therapist that at home your dad is siding with your sister and pushing you to also call step mom mom. Let your therapist know you’re not making any progress bc your father continues to see you as the problem not your sister and that he is actively enabling her and keeping her from moving forward.Tell the therapist everything not just how you feel about being bullied by your sister but also how this makes you feel about your dad. Is your father in therapy with you because he should be because he is a major part of the problem. Your father is just as much the problem as your sister she’s 14 and she’s old enough to understand everything here but instead she’s being the brat your father is enabling.
NTA.
Your sis and Dad are cruel for emotionally manipulating you.
They can’t even have an open mind to what your therapists said.
It’s not your choice your Dad remarried that women, but it IS your choice to call her Mom or not.
Continue the therapy yourself for the emotional scars they have made. Try to get better. Save money. Move out.
NTA, fact of the matter is, if your dad remarried when she was 6, she probably doesn’t remember your real mom at all, but you definitely do.
You both aren’t that far off in years in the grand scheme of things, but in regards to those years of cognitive memory development, you two are aeons apart.
I would just say that, “you don’t remember our real mom, but I do, and I can’t replace her as easily as you can because I remember her, but I can understand that you can’t and just want to be able to have a mom. For me though, I had my mom, and she’s still important to me and still my mom even if she’s not here”.
