Parents blasted for causing teen to burn out by playing five sports
A 16-year-old girl has been praised by online commentators after revealing she called out her parents for forcing her twin brother to play five sports.
The original poster (OP), known as u/throwaway_accnt_0, posted about the situation on Reddit’s popular Am I The A**hole forum, where it received more than 9,500 upvotes and 600 comments. You can find the post here.
According to a survey conducted by Mental Health America, nearly half of 11- to 17-year-old respondents said they were “very stressed.”
The five most common stressors cited by respondents were:
More than 60 percent of those surveyed stated that they feel stressed when it comes to juggling school, work and extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs.
A person’s mental and physical health can be affected if they are frequently exposed to high levels of stress. Some signs that stress is getting out of control include changes in appetite, sleep, and mood, as well as physical pain and increased anxiety.
In the post, titled “AITA because you called my dad and stepdad?” the 16-year-old poster said she’s cheering and her twin brother, Cody, plays multiple sports.
“We do these activities because we enjoy them, but Cody also puts in a lot of effort because he constantly gets our dad AND stepdad’s approval,” the post reads. “The two don’t care for each other but are kind of best friends when it comes to Cody’s sport.”
The OP said Cody plays five different sports since her father likes hockey and lacrosse and her stepfather prefers soccer and basketball. He also plays baseball because they both enjoy the sport.
“If he ever dares to leave a single one, one of them will riot or accuse him of playing favourites,” the post reads. “It’s so stupid. At times, Cody’s schedules collide or become so overwhelming that he ends up lying on his bedroom floor and dissociating for hours. It’s been like that since he was about 10 years old.”
The girl said her mother and stepmother think it’s “men are men” and that Cody probably doesn’t care since boys love to play sports. But the OP said there must certainly be a line when it comes to Cody’s extracurricular activities.
Recently, OP and her family had lunch with her older sister, who went to college. After lunch, her sister asked if they wanted to come to the mall with her and the OP said yes, while Cody was told by her father that he had baseball practice.
The OP added that the practice was not required and was more of an informal opportunity to hone one’s skills.
“Cody has been trying to ask if he could ever sit out since he hasn’t missed a single exercise of anything in his life,” the post reads. “But our stepfather echoed our father’s ‘practice makes perfect’ rhetoric and retired.”
Eventually, both her father and stepfather started talking about how OP never missed training and had the trophies to show for it.
“I thought that was ridiculous. I missed a lot of exercises and Cody has more awards than me,” the post reads. “I asked them if they were serious and told them what I just mentioned.”
The OP said her father told her to be quiet, but instead she called him and her stepfather “losers” and told them Cody was a “person with limits” and not “a puppet that they program or play with.” be able”.
She said both men appeared embarrassed and that her father told her she was being disrespectful, while her mother said she read “too much” into the situation because she didn’t understand the “dynamics” of the men.
“I’m calling bulls**t but they all say I’m at fault and have to apologize,” the post reads. “My sister agrees with me but says I was disrespectful. Cody doesn’t want to talk about it. AITA?”
More than 600 users commented on the post, many praising the OP for standing up for her brother.
“NTA, it had to be said and it’s sad that no one has ever said it. Good for you for standing up for him,” commented one user. “If your brother has a breakdown because of the pressure, your father and stepfather will be confused as to why that happened.”
“NTA is sport for fun or to fulfill dad and stepdad fantasies?” Another user commented.
“Somebody needs to stand up for your brother and since both moms don’t in this scenario your brother is lucky to have a sister like you!” commented another. “Both your father and stepfather are the AHs in this scenario.”
One user who claims to be a high school basketball coach commented that when they notice a kid trying for their team while they have so many other duties, they will ask him about his motivations for being there.
“If he’s just there because a parent wants him there and really doesn’t want him to be there, I cut him so he can at least have some time that’s his,” the comment reads. “I don’t care how good the player is. If he’s just there because other people want him, I make the ‘Dad, I don’t want to play basketball’ conversation easy for him.”
news week asked u/throwaway_accnt_0 for a comment.
Another man was recently criticized on Mumsnet after leaving his wife and children to go out and play sports, while another woman was criticized for kidnapping her grandson, whom she never met.
In another viral post from Reddit’s popular Am I The A**hole forum, a man was praised for defending his wife after she cursed his mother.
https://www.newsweek.com/parents-slammed-causing-teenager-burn-out-playing-5-sports-1736677 Parents blasted for causing teen to burn out by playing five sports
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