Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Parents Baby 20YO “Preemie” Daughter, Are Livid When Overlooked 18YO Leaves Home
A father gives his daughter a piggyback ride, both smiling, with parents favor miracle sister as a keyword.

Parents Baby 20YO “Preemie” Daughter, Are Livid When Overlooked 18YO Leaves Home

36

ADVERTISEMENT

Parents form different relationships with each of their children, but in most cases, their love for every single one remains the same. Unfortunately, in certain families, the adults might be more favorable toward one kid, which can affect the other children in the home.

This is what a teen experienced all her life because her parents always put their “miracle” kid first. She even got bullied by her sibling, and finally decided to leave home and cut contact due to it, which led to a lot of family drama.

More info: Reddit

RELATED:

    When one kid is treated as the golden child, their siblings might feel overlooked and unloved as a result

    Image credits: prostooleh / Magnific (not the actual photo)

    The poster shared that since her elder sister was a preemie, their parents always babied her and bought her anything she wanted, which led to her being spoiled

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: senivpetro / Magnific (not the actual photo)

    The older sister also kept bragging about her special treatment and bullied the poster, but despite all that, their parents only punished the poster for retaliating

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: katemangostar / Magnific (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Due to her parents’ favoritism, the poster finally moved out before her 18th birthday to live with her grandpa, who accepted her with open arms

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits:

    The grandpa criticized the poster’s parents for their favoritism and tried to get his granddaughter to go to therapy

    Even though there was just a two-year age gap between the woman and her elder sister, she grew up in her sibling’s shadow because their parents viewed their first offspring as a “miracle child.” Since she was a preemie, they always babied her and let her get away with anything that she wanted to do, but didn’t do the same for their younger daughter.

    According to research, many parents tend to get traumatized when their child is born prematurely, which is why they might overcompensate for this by coddling the kid as they grow up. Unfortunately, this behavior can end up stunting the little one’s social and mental well-being and keep them sheltered for far too long.

    In this case, the older sister started thinking she was extra special just because her parents babied her all the time. The problem is that this left the poster all alone to fend for herself, and she soon realized that her mom and dad had no problem doling out punishments to her or forcing her to do things she didn’t want to do.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    When parents favor one child over the other, experts explain that this can lead to sibling rivalry and feelings of insecurity in the child who is often overlooked. Even though this kind of behavior occurs in some form in nearly 65% of families, it’s important for adults to recognize it and treat their kids equally.

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

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Since the older sibling was always treated better, she began bragging to her younger sister and even bullied her for it. The problem is that their parents always turned a blind eye to their eldest kid’s bad behavior and instead penalized their younger child for retaliating or trying to protect herself from the bullying.

    When one sibling torments the other, professionals explain that this can negatively affect the victim’s mental health and cause them to feel anxiety, depression, and self-doubt. It might also erode their trust in their loved ones and make it harder for them to form close relationships with new people. 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Clearly, the poster had been deeply affected by her parents’ favoritism and her sister’s bullying, so she chose to leave home just before she turned 18. Luckily, her grandfather welcomed her with open arms, and also had her back by criticizing her mother and father for their one-sided behavior.

    Despite all this, the poster’s parents didn’t seem to realize their mistakes and instead tried to put the blame back on their daughter. This obviously caused the 18-year-old a lot of heartbreak, and she felt bad that she couldn’t cut her family off completely or stop wanting their love and approval.

    What advice do you have for the poster to deal with this complicated situation? Do share your opinions on this story, and whether you’ve ever noticed parental favoritism in real life.

    Folks were shocked by the behavior of the parents and urged the young woman to get therapy and to cut contact with her unhinged family

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook
    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.

    Eligijus Sinkunas

    Eligijus Sinkunas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I’m a visual editor for Bored Panda, trying to find and select high-quality images to enhance articles across different formats. With a keen eye for detail, my goal is to ensure that each picture helps to attract readers into captivating visual experiences. As a freelancer, I’m also working as a video editor for a YouTube channel that makes music games. After work, I like to play with guitar, go to karate classes or just relax at home at play video games.

    Read less »

    Eligijus Sinkunas

    Eligijus Sinkunas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I’m a visual editor for Bored Panda, trying to find and select high-quality images to enhance articles across different formats. With a keen eye for detail, my goal is to ensure that each picture helps to attract readers into captivating visual experiences. As a freelancer, I’m also working as a video editor for a YouTube channel that makes music games. After work, I like to play with guitar, go to karate classes or just relax at home at play video games.

    What do you think ?
    Margaret Shannon
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really liked the comment’I'm your mom now, dinner is at 6.’ All of us can do that and bring healing/be healed.

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

    Me, too, and I learned a new word “bannock.” I was slitting looking it up, imagining it’s a dish I’ve somehow mingled not to eat yet, and my appetite went away when I found out it’s some type of bread that doesn’t sound delicious at all. Still, I wanted to tell her that I’d be there for a hug and dinner if OP didn’t take her up on it. I love it when someone sweet appears in the midst of all the sturm und drang.

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

    It's been 20 years since the first kid was a premie and sick. Soon it will be 25 years, then 30, then 40... So the parents think of her as a lifelong premie with health issues. The OP's parents are living far, far in the past and have kept their oldest there.

    Vinnie
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of my siblings is legally blind from birth. She may have gotten extra attention from our mother - but a lot of it was to ensure that she was well-prepared for adult life. That's doing the extra attention right - thinking of the future.

    Load More Replies...
    Perseverantloser
    Community Member
    18 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Doesn't matter how old you are. You don't have to have contact or love them. You do you. I had the same problem with my mother. I am no contact with my family. At your age my friends were my family

    Load More Comments
    Margaret Shannon
    Community Member
    1 day ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really liked the comment’I'm your mom now, dinner is at 6.’ All of us can do that and bring healing/be healed.

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

    Me, too, and I learned a new word “bannock.” I was slitting looking it up, imagining it’s a dish I’ve somehow mingled not to eat yet, and my appetite went away when I found out it’s some type of bread that doesn’t sound delicious at all. Still, I wanted to tell her that I’d be there for a hug and dinner if OP didn’t take her up on it. I love it when someone sweet appears in the midst of all the sturm und drang.

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

    It's been 20 years since the first kid was a premie and sick. Soon it will be 25 years, then 30, then 40... So the parents think of her as a lifelong premie with health issues. The OP's parents are living far, far in the past and have kept their oldest there.

    Vinnie
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of my siblings is legally blind from birth. She may have gotten extra attention from our mother - but a lot of it was to ensure that she was well-prepared for adult life. That's doing the extra attention right - thinking of the future.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Perseverantloser
    Community Member
    18 hours ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Doesn't matter how old you are. You don't have to have contact or love them. You do you. I had the same problem with my mother. I am no contact with my family. At your age my friends were my family

    Load More Comments
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT