Sibling leaves family dinner as parents keep favoring their talented brother: 'What about us?'

Family dinners are usually a time for connection and celebration, but for Reddit user u/No-Morning-6976, they’ve become a reminder of the negligent attention their parents give them. In a recent post, the individual explained how their brother's cooking skills inadvertently overshadow the achievements of the rest of the family. They began the post by sharing that their brother has spent a lot of time on hobbies, particularly cooking, and is genuinely talented. “Now he IS a really good cook,” they wrote.

Their brother hosts many family dinners at his home, where he volunteers to cook most of the time. As soon as the family arrives, the compliments start pouring in. “Smells really good in here, doesn’t it? Damn, you were making me hungry from the street,” their parents would say. At first, the individual didn’t think much of it, but after over two years of this routine, it started to feel unfair. “They never give compliments if I or our other siblings have them over. They didn't say anything about the murals my brother and his wife painted on their walls, which are very big and hard to miss until he pointed right at them and asked about it, and all our parents said was, ‘Oh, that’s nice.’”

The favoritism isn’t limited to their brother’s cooking. The individual’s sister, who makes bath bombs and candles for her home business, also receives little to no acknowledgment. “Her place always smells nice too, and they don't say anything about that or encourage her,” the post explained. Meanwhile, the parents continually praised their brother and suggested he start a food truck. Things came to a head during the most recent dinner. The individual shared their excitement about their fiancé starting his dream job, and while their siblings were happy for them, the parents said nothing. Instead, they went back to praising their brother’s cooking. Frustrated, they decided to leave.

“I waited a few minutes and acted like I had gotten a text from a friend and had to go. I said my goodbyes and ‘loves yous’ and left,” they wrote. Later, their mom called to ask what was wrong. That’s when they told her the truth: “I just didn't have it in me to sit through another dinner where they forget they have three other children with things going on in their lives they'd like some acknowledgment for.” The response from their parents was not what they hoped for. They shared, “I’ve been at odds a bit with my parents and them telling me I’m being immature.” However, their siblings, including their brother and his husband, supported them. “I’ve apologized to my brother, but not my parents,” they added.

The post gained quite a bit of traction online and many people took to the comment section to share their opinions. u/owls_and_cardinals said, “NTA. It doesn't sound like you lashed out, you just exited a situation you'd seen before and that you knew would be unpleasant and unfair...you drew some boundaries. Maybe it was clunkily executed and now it's brought the whole thing to light but ultimately that's probably for the best, maybe it'll open their eyes.” u/ShaneVis wrote, “NTA --- It's not fun to have to sit there and listen to the favorite child being praised to heaven even if it is unintentional, you have every right to be upset and angry about it.” u/Livid-Finger719 added, “NTA. They asked, you told them. You didn't make a scene, you didn't make a fuss. But they now calling you immature for an answer to a question they asked? Seems they don't like that y'all have caught on.”