An unknown 16-year-old boy took to Reddit to share how his stepmom blows him up and doesn’t allow him dinner if he doesn’t cook for the family and babysit his step-siblings.
Joey (name changed) isn’t a typical teenager you’d imagine scrolling on TikTok or playing video games. In fact, the 16-year-old boy is taking up more adulting responsibilities than most grown-ups these days. He had to grow up fast due to his mom’s illness and from the age of 11, Joey has taken up the charge of cooking his meals. At 16, the boy is managing school, making his own meals, and doing a part-time job.
Joey’s mom was sick with cancer, so he started cooking his own meals at 11. But that doesn’t get on his nerves as do his dad and stepmom! His rebellion began when his dad married a mom to 3 young kids. Thereafter, the lady decided that it was Joey’s responsibility to prepare lunches for his 3 stepsiblings. When he refused, his parents decided to stop providing him “their” dinners if he did not participate in taking care of the family. He even noticed that oftentimes, his stepmom “forgot” to pack lunches for her own kids and the teachers had to feed them. When she got the complaints, she called the teenager to be “selfish” and asked him if he was “ashamed of himself”.
The issue escalated when Joey was asked to be an unpaid chef and cook for the entire family of 6 with his own money. When he refused, he was called names and was even told that his parents “hate him”. Frustrated with all this happening for almost a year, the teenager took to the social media platform asking “AITA”?
Soon, the stepparents of the boy received online backlash with users supporting Joey. Though he received sympathy and revenge suggestions from the audience, imagine the plight of the young boy. The stepparents need to understand what the entire situation will do to his mental health. Having lost his mom at a young age, the teenager is already dealing with a lot and trying to be a “decent kid” as much as possible. But making him go through all the emotional outbursts and piling on additional responsibilities may take a toll on him. It is one thing to teach responsibility, but quite another to expect a teenager to carry the burden of feeding an entire family while being denied basic meals.
