18-Year-Old Takes Cheesy “Family” Pics With Her Friends After She Found Out That Her Family Excluded Her From Their Easter Card Photoshoot
Every human connection is bound to experience some conflicts. It doesn’t matter if you’re lifelong friends, spouses that have been together for what seems like an eternity or if it’s a person from your close family circle – altercations are inevitable; moreover, they’re normal. However, it’s only acceptable to some extent as there is a fine line between a healthy argument and a toxic dispute.
Understanding that your family’s culture is far from wholesome is a long and exhausting process. Many folks struggle to come to terms with having a toxic family, and they tolerate this kind of lifestyle until something bigger triggers their viewpoint. People experience a sense of guilt when it comes to cutting ties with their parents and/or siblings, as from a very young age, we’ve been told that since someone “made you”, you’re obligated to endure their abusive personalities.
More info: Reddit
Every family bond is different – however, when your parents decide to exclude you from a family photoshoot just because you’re at college, it makes you question things
Image credits: Brendon Connelly (not the actual image)
“AITA for taking ‘family’ photos to send out without my actual mom and stepdad (and with friends in costume as them) after they took their family photos without me?” – an online user took it to one of the most popular subreddits to reveal a story concerning her family leaving her out of their annual family Easter card simply because she was away at college, which was located a few minutes away from her home. The post received nearly 14K upvotes and 810 worth of comments discussing this rather selfish event.
Family takes Easter card photos without their 18-year-old daughter, she pranks them by replacing the photo with one that she took with her friends and gets in trouble
Image credits: u/daisydelo
The author began her post with an introduction to her family; she revealed that she’s a college student and that her mother had her at age 17. The woman later married the OP’s stepfather with whom she has a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old.
Image credits: u/daisydelo
Before Easter, when the author was at college, she found out that her family took the card photos without her. Her mother justified it by saying that she needed to print them in time, thought the teen’s college is only 25 minutes away. The 18-year-old revealed that she feels like her stepfather is not that pumped about having another guy’s child as part of the family, as he also described the photo as “close family” – however, he quickly corrected himself saying that he meant that in a physical way, as the OP was away at college. Naturally, the situation upset the teen but instead of causing a scene, she decided to play a little joke.
Image credits: Ravenshoe Group (no the actual image)
Image credits: u/daisydelo
The college student decided to take her siblings and two of her best friends to Walmart’s photo studio, where they took “deliberately cheesy” family photos. Every participant wore denim and the OP’s friends were dressed as her mother and stepfather, with a female friend as the stepdad and a male friend as the mom. The group took a bunch of photos and picked their favorite one of them standing in silly poses and wearing raccoon skin hats.
Image credits: u/daisydelo
The OP revealed that it was an extremely fun photo, and it differed from the serious ones that her family usually had. She printed it on cards and signed them accordingly, then swapped the cards in the envelopes and resealed them with the sort of stickers her mother uses.
A couple of extended family members didn’t notice the replacement and just displayed them as they normally would, though a few people did have their doubts. Someone let the OP’s mother know that the picture was “funny” which immediately infuriated her, as she thought that they were talking about the original photo of them sitting on a picnic blanket with an Easter basket.
Image credits: Odd Wellies (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/daisydelo
Finally, the author’s aunt sent the photo to the family group chat, saying “this isn’t you, is it?” The secret was out and the teen’s beloved mother was furious at her for embarrassing the family with her joke cards. The 18-year-old argued back and said that she’s confused as to why she’s upset when, judging by their own words, being left out of the family photo is not a big deal.
Image credits: u/daisydelo
The woman said that the OP is mocking her and her stepfather by having “cross-dressers” in the photo, and the teen replied by saying that she only wanted to have a photo with her “close” family, just like her stepfather did. The argument wasn’t settled and the mother told the 18-year-old to leave so she went back to college.
Fellow Redditors share their thoughts and opinions regarding this odd situation
I would have added the picture, not swapped it out. That way, the recipients get both pics and can choose which one to frame... and what questions to ask the family, heheheh ("Why is so-and-so in that picture and not that one? And why are the parents missing from the other picture?").
No, no, in the 'troll' picture, she got two friends to dress up as her parents (and used makeup and whatnot to make them look like them). But, yes, I feel that many people would be questioning why the eldest daughter wasn't in the picture. But I'm sure they'd give some BS reason like 'oh, she was too far away at the time'. Certainly seems like the step father is literally trying to get her out of the picture. What an AH.
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One thing her stepfather is right about - at a certain age, you can choose your family. Meaning sometimes walking away from your family of origin is the best thing you can do.
I did that. Chose my own family rather than put up with my stepdad enabling my mothers emotionally manipulative behaviour. It’s been almost two years and I don’t miss her at all
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That kinda c**p really hurts. I am a lot older than my only sibling. I needed to stop by my Dad's office one day. He works in a place where security is always a concern. I was rockin' a spiked Mohawk and I guess Dad's new assistant, whom I had not met previously, decided that a punk kid like myself could not possibly belong to my Dad. She secretly called security. As two huge lugheads are rounding the corner, Dad comes from the other direction. I jump up, hug my Dad, and we start talking. Dad notices security, laughs at the situation, then formally introduces me. In his office, it hits him - Mom helped set it up and she "forgot" to include pictures of me. Everybody else was represented in photographs, including dogs both past and present. I shrugged it off. However, Dad and I both know she did not forget, and he had not paid enough attention to have caught it yet. For years, I made myself feel better by blaming the Mohawk. But I had only gotten my new 'do a few days earlier.
I'm so sorry, that realization must have felt terrible. I can completely empathize with you, as I lived a pretty dual life growing up between my mom and stepdad's house where I lived primarily and my dad's house where I visited every other weekend and extended time on holidays and summer vacation. My step-dad treated me and my brother that was two years younger than me, worse than Cinderella. Our father treated us very well though and it was a little crazy to go from one extreme to the next, back and forth between houses. I always really absorbed and lived off of the time spent with my dad. His love would carry me through the hard times until I could get back to him.
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"cross dressers". Two little words that tell you everything you need to know about the sort of people you're dealing with there.
Yes! Sometimes being an a*****e is the correct response, and this is one of those times!
Load More Replies... Photo Easter cards? I cringed when christmas photo cards started showing up, instead of just including photos of the kids IN the Christmas cards, they started making the kids be the stars of the holiday. We call them fertile Myrtle cards. Now it's metastasized to Easter cards? I do approve of the trolling, though. Good job! NTA!
The mom didn't have time to wait for OP to get home to take photos, but the photos were already printed and sealed in envelopes "waiting" to be sent out... and OP had time to get a makeshift photoshoot together AND photoshop AND print AND swap with Mom's photos?!?! something's fishy
Why do you print the OP's letter and then include the retelling by the Content Creator? It always makes me think of SNL's Garrett Morris with his News for the Hard of Hearing, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling the same story that the anchor just read with "our top story today"... Are we too ignorant to understand the OP's version?
I'm surprised the half siblings didn't tell their mom about the cheesy photo shoot and her friends dressing up as their mom and dad. That would have made the mom question what she was doing
I think the half siblings knew exactly what was up and were happy to be on the OP's side.
Load More Replies... Sorry if this comes off offensive. Really sorry. Me and my brother shave complicated families and he has siblings on his mum's side we are expecting a shared sibling in a few months and we still haven't called each other siblings but he's been 'asked' (forced) to call his mum's bfs kids step siblings since the beginning. Judging from op's little comments they either do this to make them feel better (half sibling is something that seems kinda hurtful to many people with siblings like that) or the stepdad has had op call their siblings that to try and get op to get out sooner and it's a habit now.
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I do NOT think that she was petty! I think she was HURT by her mother’s insensitive actions! It is one thing to say so-n-so doesn’t like me but it is completely different to feel like your own parent doesn’t “like “ you. You feel like there must be something horribly wrong with you for that to happen. I felt that way when my older sister, 4 step siblings, and 1/2 brother were in the family photo but since I didn’t live with my father and step mother , I wasn’t included. And over 40 years later this one still hurts; maybe because there’s proof of it .I would have been afraid that my father would have backhanded me until my head spun had I done something like this. And just telling him that it hurt would have been beyond hIs comprehension.If I were write my younger self a letter about this, it would simply say “ It’s not about you. It’s about them.” I am so sorry that the adults in your life hurt you like this OP! They were wrong!
25 minutes away? It takes 2 hours to get from one side of San Jose, CA to the other. You could have gone home on the weekend and be back at school the same day. Oh, and I would have added your picture to the cards.
I'm sorry, Darja but I'm going to look who wrote the article first before I waste my time again. I read through your whole article and no photo of this person with her friends in their 'family' photo. I was expecting to get a little laugh from seeing the pic so yeah, thanks for nothing but a little story packed with opinions from all over.
People cant spell anymore? Cant understand this article with all the abbreviations.
Am here to say a big thank you to this man who help me with his powerful spell to bring back my ex who left me for someone else , thank you my ex is back to me , if you want his help you can email him: greatmutaba@gmail.com
100%NTA. the mom clearly lied about not having enough time for the daughter to cone back, so if you're going to stick by your husband and not your kid you deserve to have that done to you and more
( Evil laughter ) Kind of an a.h. but I can't get really down on OP. I've experienced this same thing w/in m own family & it's really hurtful. OP's college was an easy drive. Just tacky on mum & stepdad's side IMO. Stepdad sounds like he needs a fry-pan tune up. Glad OP isn't livin there anymore.
I would have added the picture, not swapped it out. That way, the recipients get both pics and can choose which one to frame... and what questions to ask the family, heheheh ("Why is so-and-so in that picture and not that one? And why are the parents missing from the other picture?").
No, no, in the 'troll' picture, she got two friends to dress up as her parents (and used makeup and whatnot to make them look like them). But, yes, I feel that many people would be questioning why the eldest daughter wasn't in the picture. But I'm sure they'd give some BS reason like 'oh, she was too far away at the time'. Certainly seems like the step father is literally trying to get her out of the picture. What an AH.
Load More Replies... One thing her stepfather is right about - at a certain age, you can choose your family. Meaning sometimes walking away from your family of origin is the best thing you can do.
I did that. Chose my own family rather than put up with my stepdad enabling my mothers emotionally manipulative behaviour. It’s been almost two years and I don’t miss her at all
Load More Replies... That kinda c**p really hurts. I am a lot older than my only sibling. I needed to stop by my Dad's office one day. He works in a place where security is always a concern. I was rockin' a spiked Mohawk and I guess Dad's new assistant, whom I had not met previously, decided that a punk kid like myself could not possibly belong to my Dad. She secretly called security. As two huge lugheads are rounding the corner, Dad comes from the other direction. I jump up, hug my Dad, and we start talking. Dad notices security, laughs at the situation, then formally introduces me. In his office, it hits him - Mom helped set it up and she "forgot" to include pictures of me. Everybody else was represented in photographs, including dogs both past and present. I shrugged it off. However, Dad and I both know she did not forget, and he had not paid enough attention to have caught it yet. For years, I made myself feel better by blaming the Mohawk. But I had only gotten my new 'do a few days earlier.
I'm so sorry, that realization must have felt terrible. I can completely empathize with you, as I lived a pretty dual life growing up between my mom and stepdad's house where I lived primarily and my dad's house where I visited every other weekend and extended time on holidays and summer vacation. My step-dad treated me and my brother that was two years younger than me, worse than Cinderella. Our father treated us very well though and it was a little crazy to go from one extreme to the next, back and forth between houses. I always really absorbed and lived off of the time spent with my dad. His love would carry me through the hard times until I could get back to him.
Load More Replies... "cross dressers". Two little words that tell you everything you need to know about the sort of people you're dealing with there.
Yes! Sometimes being an a*****e is the correct response, and this is one of those times!
Load More Replies... Photo Easter cards? I cringed when christmas photo cards started showing up, instead of just including photos of the kids IN the Christmas cards, they started making the kids be the stars of the holiday. We call them fertile Myrtle cards. Now it's metastasized to Easter cards? I do approve of the trolling, though. Good job! NTA!
The mom didn't have time to wait for OP to get home to take photos, but the photos were already printed and sealed in envelopes "waiting" to be sent out... and OP had time to get a makeshift photoshoot together AND photoshop AND print AND swap with Mom's photos?!?! something's fishy
Why do you print the OP's letter and then include the retelling by the Content Creator? It always makes me think of SNL's Garrett Morris with his News for the Hard of Hearing, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling the same story that the anchor just read with "our top story today"... Are we too ignorant to understand the OP's version?
I'm surprised the half siblings didn't tell their mom about the cheesy photo shoot and her friends dressing up as their mom and dad. That would have made the mom question what she was doing
I think the half siblings knew exactly what was up and were happy to be on the OP's side.
Load More Replies... Sorry if this comes off offensive. Really sorry. Me and my brother shave complicated families and he has siblings on his mum's side we are expecting a shared sibling in a few months and we still haven't called each other siblings but he's been 'asked' (forced) to call his mum's bfs kids step siblings since the beginning. Judging from op's little comments they either do this to make them feel better (half sibling is something that seems kinda hurtful to many people with siblings like that) or the stepdad has had op call their siblings that to try and get op to get out sooner and it's a habit now.
Load More Replies... I do NOT think that she was petty! I think she was HURT by her mother’s insensitive actions! It is one thing to say so-n-so doesn’t like me but it is completely different to feel like your own parent doesn’t “like “ you. You feel like there must be something horribly wrong with you for that to happen. I felt that way when my older sister, 4 step siblings, and 1/2 brother were in the family photo but since I didn’t live with my father and step mother , I wasn’t included. And over 40 years later this one still hurts; maybe because there’s proof of it .I would have been afraid that my father would have backhanded me until my head spun had I done something like this. And just telling him that it hurt would have been beyond hIs comprehension.If I were write my younger self a letter about this, it would simply say “ It’s not about you. It’s about them.” I am so sorry that the adults in your life hurt you like this OP! They were wrong!
25 minutes away? It takes 2 hours to get from one side of San Jose, CA to the other. You could have gone home on the weekend and be back at school the same day. Oh, and I would have added your picture to the cards.
I'm sorry, Darja but I'm going to look who wrote the article first before I waste my time again. I read through your whole article and no photo of this person with her friends in their 'family' photo. I was expecting to get a little laugh from seeing the pic so yeah, thanks for nothing but a little story packed with opinions from all over.
People cant spell anymore? Cant understand this article with all the abbreviations.
Am here to say a big thank you to this man who help me with his powerful spell to bring back my ex who left me for someone else , thank you my ex is back to me , if you want his help you can email him: greatmutaba@gmail.com
100%NTA. the mom clearly lied about not having enough time for the daughter to cone back, so if you're going to stick by your husband and not your kid you deserve to have that done to you and more
( Evil laughter ) Kind of an a.h. but I can't get really down on OP. I've experienced this same thing w/in m own family & it's really hurtful. OP's college was an easy drive. Just tacky on mum & stepdad's side IMO. Stepdad sounds like he needs a fry-pan tune up. Glad OP isn't livin there anymore.
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