Posting to the AmITheA**hole forum, user u/Meansisteraita explained that “while our parents loved me (30F) and my younger sister, Olivia (27F), we were not treated equally or held to the same standards. I always was expected to be a hardworking, accountable child and make responsible choices. But Olivia was encouraged to have fun, and our parents bailed her out whenever she made an irresponsible decision.
“For example, when Olivia performed poorly in school due to not making an effort, they would pay tutors to do her homework. But if I genuinely struggled in a subject, they would tell me to figure it out myself. Their justification was that Olivia was the baby sister, and she needed more help and attention than I did.
“But they have still clung to this excuse when Olivia is well into adulthood. I still love my parents, but due to their favoritism, I am honestly closer with my husband’s parents than with my own.”
She goes on to explain that Olivia wanted to become a registered nurse but failed the exams, then asked their parents to “invest a massive amount of money in her to begin a business,” which promptly failed. She describes how her sister is now unemployed and living at their parents’ house, “figuring things out.”
The woman then goes on to describe an interaction at her son’s second birthday party. After speaking to her aunt-in-law about her students, as she works as a creative writing tutor on the side, u/Meansisteraita writes that: “Olivia joined in and asked a few questions, then commented, ‘Not like you would ever be able to make it big yourself. No offense, sis.’ I responded. ‘Livvy, a quick reminder that you have accomplished nothing in your life without mom or dad holding your hand.’”
She continued: “‘As soon as you do, you can criticize my work all you’d like.’ Olivia was, of course, offended and started causing a scene. My parents and a few other relatives said my response was cruel, and I was out of line to say it. But my husband and his family say that Olivia invited it after insulting me first, so I am conflicted about if I am in the wrong.”
Younger Child Favoritism
Arguably, you’d be hard pressed to find a group of siblings who didn’t believe they had been treated unfairly, especially in favor of their younger sibling, despite protestations by parents that they always treat their children the same.
A study by parenting website Mumsnet of 1,185 parents asked if they had a favorite child, and if so which one. The results showed that 77 percent of parents would not admit they had a favorite, but of the 23 percent that did say they had a favorite, 56 percent said it was the younger child.
Hypocritical
Many users were quick to defend the original poster’s (OP) comeback to her sister. In a comment with nearly 14,000 likes, one user said: “So she can dish it but cannot take it??” while another agreed: “She forgot to say ‘No offense, sis’ that would’ve changed everything.”
One user called out the parents’ hypocritical behavior, writing: “Hypocrisy is a sign of a narcissist. The sister is entitled due to being the Golden Child, so she feels she is special. Normal rules don’t apply,” to which another person responded: “The sister is entitled due to being the Golden Child, so she feels she is special. Normal rules don’t apply. And OP’s parents come off as narcissists too. The way they coldly treat OP as a lesser human to her sister.
“OP’s parents are utterly shameful for taking the sisters side here when she started it by claiming OP is a loser! OP you’re within your right to die on this hill and demand better treatment here on out if your parents & sister want you in their lives.”
Newsweek reached out to u/Meansisteraita for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
