A teen who excluded her mom from college move-in day found support on the internet

The bond between a mother and daughter is often cherished, and college move-in day is a moment when most would want their parents by their side. But for one 18-year-old, who shared her story on Reddit under the username u/throw-away7289, things were far from ideal. She posted about choosing to exclude her mom from this milestone for deeply personal reasons. While some might initially question her decision, the internet quickly rallied behind her.

Until halfway through high school, the teen lived with her mom and stepfather Ryan. Even though she despised him, she had to be there for her siblings before life got too busy to spend time with them. "I hated living in the same house as Ryan because he and his family weren’t shy about the fact that they don’t really like me. When he and my mom first got together, it was like I was being purposely excluded from everything he and his family would invite us to," the teen explained. During family gatherings, she was constantly ignored from conversations and excluded from family pictures too. While her siblings from her mom and Ryan's marriage were prioritized, the teen was often deliberately left out.

What truly became a breaking point for the teen was when Ryan's sister gifted her mom a locket for Mother's Day, with pictures of her half-siblings and not hers. "She (Ryan's sister) said it was so my mom could always have her two children close to her heart. My mom didn’t say anything about me, she didn’t even glance in my direction," the college student explained. So rather than trying to be a part of the family where she wasn't wanted, the teen began prepping for her new life in the college dorm. "When move-in day started, I put all of the stuff I planned on taking into my car and drove to campus myself. My dad met me there and we decorated my room together," the teen mentioned.

While her mom thought that she was spending the weekend with her dad, the daughter was sharing move-in day memories with her dad. "I told her about the move-in date a few times, but she’s been busy so I guess she forgot when it was," the daughter said. But when the mom got to know about this, things spiraled down. "She said it was hurtful that I would exclude her from this huge moment in my life, and that as my mom it’s her job to be there for this journey and be there for me," the teen wrote. She responded to her mom pointing out how Ryan excluded her all this time and her mom didn't even care about it. Seeing her mom feel really hurt, the teen wondered if she was wrong to leave her out of one of the most important days of her life. But the internet backed her up.

"It’s also a mom’s job to be there for all parts of your life, not just the big moments. She doesn’t get to pick and choose when you get to be her daughter. Keep strong," said u/Individual_Wonder602. "She allowed you to be cut out of her new family. Next time she calls, ask her how many children she wears next to her heart and then go live your best life," pointed out u/Ok-Macaron-6211. "She had ample time to stand up for you when you were a child, she never did. She doesn’t now get to reap the rewards of seeing you move forward with your life," added u/hetanos.