Teenager has been praised for snapping at family over his brother’s “overwhelming” schedule

A teen has been praised online for hitting out at her family members over her brother’s “overwhelming” exercise schedule.

Posted on Reddit’s popular r/AmITeA**hole forum, a teen under the anonymous username u/throwaway_accnt_0 shared her story to get the opinions of the “AITA” community. The viral post has over 7,000 upvotes and 500 upvotes.

The original poster (OP) began her post by explaining that she has a twin brother named “Cody” and both are athletes. She participates in cheerleading while Cody plays football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and lacrosse.

The OP wrote that he “constantly seeks approval” from both his father and stepfather. The two don’t usually get along, but when it comes to Cody’s sports, they’re “best friends.” If Cody gave up any of the sports, his fathers would complain, saying he was “picking favorites.”

“It’s so stupid,” the OP wrote, “Sometimes Cody’s schedules collide or become so overwhelming that he ends up lying on his bedroom floor for hours dissociating. It’s been like this since he was about 10 years old. My mom and my step mom thinks that only men are men and that boys like to play sports, so Cody probably doesn’t care, but like there’s a limit to everything, right?”

The whole family got together for a celebratory lunch for the OR’s older sister before she went to college. After dinner, her sister asked if OP and Cody wanted to go to the mall. The OP said yes and Cody wanted to go with them, but her father said Cody had baseball practice.

She said: “Cody has been trying to ask if he could sit outside one day as he hasn’t missed a single practice of anything in his life, but our stepdad went along with our dad’s ‘practice makes perfect’ speech and did a pulled out. They then tried to use me as an example, “Oh, Ashley has never missed a day of practice and look at her! Medals and trophies for days!” I thought that was ridiculous, I missed a lot of practice, and Cody has more awards than me.

“I asked them if they were serious and told them what I just mentioned. My dad kept telling me to be quiet, but I called him and my stepdad losers who need to realize that Cody is a human with limits, not a puppet they can program or play with. Both were very embarrassed. My father told me that I was very disrespectful. My mom jumped in and said I was reading too much into the whole thing and that they were men and I just won, I don’t understand their dynamic,” she continued.

Many family members urged the OP to apologize.

news week asked u/throwaway_accnt_0 for a comment.

This is how you can tell if your teenager is overwhelmed

A child’s teenage years can be very stressful. There are several factors that can make a teenager feel overwhelmed, including academics, relationships, and peer pressure.

According to verywellfamily.com, some signs that your teen may be overwhelmed include headaches, stomach aches, trouble sleeping, problems with education, increased irritability, changes in social life, frequent illnesses, negative behavior changes, and a general feeling of worry.

If you’re concerned that your child may be overwhelmed, yourteenmag.com has many tips including prioritizing and setting realistic goals, listening to their feelings, helping with self-care, sticking to a routine, and supporting your child’s choices .

Redditor reactions

“[Not the a**hole], it had to be said and it’s sad no one has ever said it. Good for you that you stood up for him. If your brother has a breakdown due to the pressure, your father and stepfather will be confused as to why this happened,” wrote u/Vivid-Rent7730, receiving the top comment from over 10,000 upvotes.

U/dontscreamimscared said: “[Not the a**hole] – someone needs to stand up for your brother and since both moms in this scenario don’t, your brother is lucky to have a sister like you! Both your father and stepfather are them [a**holes] In this scenario. You have to grow up and realize your brother is giving up a sport from both “sides” which doesn’t count as a “favorite player”. God, you sound so immature!”

“[Not the a**hole]. you are a good sister I wish I could hug you. Please give Cody a hug and let him know you are there for him. He probably wants love and approval from his dads and they can’t put their egos aside,” u/dirtywetdreams praised the OP.

U/KnittingforHouselves commented: “You did the right thing and been a good sister, the ‘it’s a man thing we don’t get it’ is such a silly old mentality. Stand up for your brother, he obviously needs someone to do that. [Not the a**hole] and you have my respect for what you’ve done, it’s not easy standing up to your family.”

news week has published several articles about teenagers, including a mother praised for letting her son pay his boyfriend’s medical bills, a teenager supported online for having his family evicted, and a mother beaten, because she kicked out her teenage daughter to make room for her “hobby.”