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Scheming Mom Manipulates Son, He Calls Her Bluff And Leaves Her At Airport With No Ticket
Middle-aged mother at the airport looking upset while holding luggage and a coat during a stressful trip moment.

Scheming Mom Manipulates Son, He Calls Her Bluff And Leaves Her At Airport With No Ticket

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People can’t choose their parents, and they certainly can’t pick their childhood, which is tough because some folks have to deal with extremely toxic situations growing up. This can be hard to recover from, but it is possible, unless the manipulative individuals are still trying to control things. 

This is what a man recently faced after his calculating mom purposely booked a one-way ticket to try to stay in his home, knowing he’d be away for a while. He knew he had to face up to her and finally decided to call her bluff.

More info: Reddit

RELATED:

    It’s important to set boundaries with manipulative people, or else they’ll end up walking all over you

    Older woman relaxing on a couch at home with plants nearby, reflecting on a mother airport trip drama story.

    Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    The poster explained that he chose to live with his dad because of how toxic his mom was, and that he struggled with drinking as a result of his childhood

    Mother at airport in emotional moment during a stressful trip drama, highlighting family and travel challenges.

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    Mother facing airport trip drama, emotional tension, and family conflict during a stressful travel moment.

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    Mother holding a mug, explaining airport trip drama to a man while sitting in a plant-filled outdoor space.

    Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    Over the years, the poster reconnected with his mom, even though she showed no remorse, and he also invited her to his city to see a band she liked

    Text excerpt describing a rocky but present mother and child relationship after an airport trip drama.

    Mother at airport experiencing trip drama with flight changes and unexpected travel plans.

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    Text excerpt describing a mother’s airport trip drama with concerns about a one-way ticket and stay at the house.

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    Text describing a mother’s airport trip drama as she delays buying a plane ticket due to rising prices and changes plans.

    Father driving a car with a mother beside him during an airport trip drama on a rainy day.

    Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    The mom arrived with only a one-way ticket and refused to leave the poster’s house, even though he was due to leave for a trip the next day

    Text excerpt showing a mother and airport trip drama involving travel plans and refusal to leave the home.

    Text excerpt showing a mother and airport trip drama involving trust and boundaries about visitors in the house.

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    Text excerpt showing a mother agreeing to go on an airport trip after an escalating argument.

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    Alt text: Mother and daughter facing airport trip drama as they share a tense moment before departure.

    Mother at airport looking stressed and confused during a trip, highlighting mother airport trip drama situation.

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    Eventually, the cunning woman told her son to take her to the airport, which he did, and he called her bluff by leaving her there with her bags and no ticket

    The poster had clearly been through a lot during his childhood because of his mom’s toxic behavior, which is why he decided at 12 years old to move in with his dad. He also struggled with alcoholism for years because of all that he had been through, and it took him a long time to get sober again.

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    According to mental health professionals, when children are raised by manipulative parents, it can leave them with many emotional scars that take a long time to heal. This is because they might have constantly faced disrespect and had their boundaries broken by the adults in their lives.

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    Despite all that the poster had been through, he still made an effort to reconnect with his mom, even though she didn’t seem remorseful about her behavior at all. He eventually realized that if he wanted to get any peace, then it would have to come from his side and that she’d probably never change.

    In situations like this, children might often hope for their toxic parents to turn over a new leaf, but experts state that this kind of expectation can actually end up causing a lot of disappointment. This is because narcissistic or manipulative adults may never truly gain self-awareness or realize how much harm they’ve caused, which is why they might not change.

    Mother at airport holding a yellow bag and coat, appearing concerned during a stressful trip scene.

    Image credits: lucigerma  / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    In a bid to still keep in touch with his mom, the OP decided to invite her to his city so that she could see a band she had loved since she was young. He also didn’t want her to stay with him for too long, so he invited her over for just three days, knowing that she’d have to leave as he was going on a trip after that.

    The problem is that once the woman arrived, she revealed that she had only bought a one-way plane ticket and that she planned to stay at his home for a few more days, even though he’d be away. This kind of deception and excuse-making is a classic tactic of a toxic individual that psychologists urge people to be wary of.

    Luckily, the OP knew that his mom was up to her same old tricks, which is why he told her that she’d have to leave on Friday, as he was uncomfortable with her being alone in his home. The problem is that she couldn’t take his no for an answer and kept trying to push his boundaries

    Eventually, she tried to bluff him by demanding that he take her to the airport, and he willingly obliged. Once there, she probably expected him to give up and take her back home, but he didn’t budge and left her there with her bags and no ticket to go back home. 

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    Although it must have felt good to finally stand up to his mom, the poster also felt guilty about leaving her stranded at the airport. Do you think he did the right thing, or should he have confronted her in some other way? We’d love to hear your take on this situation.

    People sided with the man, but they felt that he had made a mistake by reconnecting with her in the first place

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    Reddit comment discussing mother airport trip drama, focusing on relationship misunderstandings and expectations at a family visit.

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    Comment discussing a mother airport trip drama, questioning if she is still at the airport months later and mentioning she figured things out.

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    Comment discussing setting boundaries with a mother involving airport trip drama and family manipulation advice.

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    Commenter praising mother as a role model for setting boundaries during airport trip drama conversation online.

    Comment from Remarkable-0815 explaining a mother-airport-trip-drama about stay plans before visiting a home, labeled NTA.

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    Poll Question

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    Beverly Noronha

    Beverly Noronha

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    You can call me Bev! I'm a world-class reader, a quirky writer, and a gardener who paints. If you’re looking for information about tattoos, Bulbasaur, and books, then I'm the NPC you must approach.

    Read less »
    Beverly Noronha

    Beverly Noronha

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    You can call me Bev! I'm a world-class reader, a quirky writer, and a gardener who paints. If you’re looking for information about tattoos, Bulbasaur, and books, then I'm the NPC you must approach.

    What do you think ?
    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    First clue that reconnecting was never going to work out was zero remorse for her actions and no apology. She will never, ever change - and now it's time to say, "I have no mother."

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds me of how my mom acts/reacts whenever my horribly ábusive childhood gets mentioned/brought up around her. She throws her hands up in the air and says, in the snottiest pre-teen-sounding voice imaginable, "Well, I GUESS I was just SUCH a TERRIBLE MOTHER," and I'm thinking to myself, yeah, you were, that's the point XD There's no value in talking to her about it or trying to even get her to ACKNOWLEDGE what she did, so I don't bother any more.

    Load More Replies...
    AutumnGirl
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Family tree can also be pruned. And it should be,

    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can just imagine the temper tantrum this mom had at the airport.XD

    Load More Comments
    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    First clue that reconnecting was never going to work out was zero remorse for her actions and no apology. She will never, ever change - and now it's time to say, "I have no mother."

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds me of how my mom acts/reacts whenever my horribly ábusive childhood gets mentioned/brought up around her. She throws her hands up in the air and says, in the snottiest pre-teen-sounding voice imaginable, "Well, I GUESS I was just SUCH a TERRIBLE MOTHER," and I'm thinking to myself, yeah, you were, that's the point XD There's no value in talking to her about it or trying to even get her to ACKNOWLEDGE what she did, so I don't bother any more.

    Load More Replies...
    AutumnGirl
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Family tree can also be pruned. And it should be,

    StrangeOne
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can just imagine the temper tantrum this mom had at the airport.XD

    Load More Comments
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