My name is Sarah, and my life started with tragedy. When I was two years old, my mother died in a terrible car accident, and soon after, my father left us. My grandparents stepped in, becoming my guardians and the center of my world. They supported me through life’s challenges and helped me graduate high school, enabling me to attend a prestigious college.
Graduation day was filled with excitement. I had always dreamed of this moment, imagining my grandparents watching proudly as I received my diploma. I thought about how this achievement was for them, a recognition of their love and sacrifices.
As I walked toward the ceremony, a man unexpectedly called my name. He looked kind yet weathered, and though I didn’t recognize him, something about him felt familiar. He introduced himself as my father, which shocked me since I believed he had abandoned us when I was young.
He shared that he had been searching for me, claiming my grandparents had kept me from him. He showed me a photo of us together from my childhood, and confusion filled my mind. I had been told he left us. He then revealed messages from my grandmother urging him to stay away, deepening my sense of betrayal.
I was torn between anger and sadness, questioning why my grandparents would lie to me. I turned to see them waving in the crowd, blissfully unaware of my turmoil. Overwhelmed, I walked toward them, my feelings boiling over.
I demanded that they leave, my voice shaking with emotion. My grandmother’s smile faded as she asked what was wrong, her eyes filling with tears. My grandfather looked shocked and asked to talk, but I shouted that they had lied about my father for years and that I couldn’t believe it. My father put a comforting hand on my shoulder, acknowledging how hard this was for me.
After the ceremony, I sat with my father in a quiet café, both of us sipping cold coffee as I asked him to explain everything. He revealed that when my parents were together, my grandparents disapproved of him, believing he wasn’t good enough for my mother. The tension between them grew after I was born.
I wanted to understand why he hadn’t tried to find me sooner. He showed me more harsh messages from my grandmother, revealing their protective yet misleading nature. I learned that my father had always wanted to be part of my life but had been kept away. I asked why he had come to my graduation, and he explained he found out about it from an old friend. He wanted to see me and celebrate my success, hoping it was finally time to reconnect.
As I processed his words, the weight of my grandparents’ deception and the sudden appearance of my father sank in. Graduation had brought more than a diploma; it revealed truths that would forever change my family dynamics. I realized I needed time to sort through these revelations and figure out my relationships with both my father and the grandparents who had raised me with good intentions but under a shroud of secrecy.
I Told My Friend She Married a Useless Man, and Now She Hates Me
I take it that everyone of us must navigate our own lives and take responsibility for our decisions? However, it is in our nature as humans to want to help friends who are actually in need. However, what would you do if your friend—the one you always stand by—started confiding in you about all of their issues, repeatedly, and with no sign of stopping? This Reddit member is exactly in that predicament. She wondered if she was managing the matter with her buddy correctly, so she looked to the large internet community for advice.
I(32F) am a single mother of two kids (6M and 5m F). I am a single mother by choice (my kids are donor conceived).
I am lucky enough to have a good job (French teacher in a private school), and a paid off house (parents’ life insurance and inheritance).
Before I had either of my kids, I made sure to have a year’s living expenses saved, then I would take a sabbatical to recover from birth, as well as bond with my kids. While on sabbatical, I still tutor some kids for some extra income.
My friend (34F), just had a baby 2 months ago. She is the breadwinner in her household, and her husband has been unemployed since he was laid off during COVID.
It was great to be pregnant at the same time, as well as having a friend with a newborn. But it has turned sour.
She has been saying how jealous she is of me being able to take off a whole year from work, how she would have loved to not worry about losing their home, how she doesn’t even have a couple hundred dollars in her savings account, let alone a whole year’s worth of living expenses….
I usually ignore it, or brush it off, because I kind of can understand the stress she is under.
Well, starting about 10 days ago, she started hinting at not being able to afford daycare, and any mention of her husband taking care of their kid is brushed off. Then she started remarking on how much free time I must have, which I deflected by saying -truthfully- that being a single mom to a baby and a small kid left me no free time actually.
Then last night she came out with it, and asked if I could “do her a favor” and watch her kid while she’s at work. I was firm, but polite, when I said that I couldn’t, that I am not capable of watching two kids under 6 months.
She started almost begging me, saying she can’t afford daycare, and if she is not back at work, she will lose her job, and they will end up homeless. I again brought up her husband, and she said that he was not good with kids, and isn’t capable of taking care of her kid.
I kept saying no, she kept pushing, until it escalated to her calling me heartless, and me telling her that it’s not my problem she chose to have a kid with a useless man.
Now she blocked me, I am feeling very guilty about what I said, and feeling like an AH.
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