Reddit Stories - ABANDONED_ Mother's SHOCKING Refusal to Aid Child in Medical EMERGENCY_

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #abandoned #mother #shocking #refusal #medical #emergency  Summary: A mother's shocking refusal to aid her child in a medical emergency sparks a debate. The community on Reddit discusses the moral implications and consequences of such actions, sharing varying perspectives on parental responsibilities and compassion.  Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, abandoned, mother, shocking, refusal, medical, emergency, debate, moral, parental, responsibilities, compassion, community, perspectives, consequencesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Mother declined to transport my child to the medical facility during my absence on a business journey due to prearranged commitments with my favorite sibling and instructed me to do so. Keep the burden to myself. Hi, I 28F have had a rocky relationship with my mother since childhood, but this time, the limit has been crossed as it's now affecting my son. I'll explain in detail. So, my mother, let's call her Sylvia, 56F.

raised me and my younger sister Jane, 26F, all alone after my father passed away unexpectedly. She has been a bitter woman for as long as I can remember, but people used to ignore it because of the trauma she faced losing a husband and raising her children alone. I have been very spirited since a young age, always running out in nature and smiling at passers-by, but I never received the same kindness from my mother. My sister was too when my dad died, so I used to help my mom in my own little ways by taking care of Jane or entertaining her when she was alone. My mother did acknowledge me here and there, but that was all the love I got from her. Over the years, due to this, I started lashing out

and became the ultimate ungrateful child she expected me to be. By the time I turned 13, I got a part-time job, took care of the chores at home, and even babysat Jane, only for my mom to come back from work and find faults with the slightest things. This led to fights almost every day, so from that point on, I started to stay aloof. I think Jane was affected by this sudden change in my behavior and tried to get closer to me, but I rejected her advances. Over the next few years, it was evident that Jane had become my mother's favorite child. The favoritism was so clear that she didn't show up at my high school graduation because Jane was sick,

but that's a story for another day. After graduating from high school, I moved to another city for college as soon as I could, and there was no contact with my mother because neither of us made an effort to stay in touch. I still got casual texts from Jane and would reply whenever it felt necessary. I got married to my then-husband a few years into college and had a son, Jaden. Jaden had extreme food sensitivities and was allergic to 10 certain food items, which were life-threatening. We opted for a vegan lifestyle after the doctor's recommendation and things were going okay. I was still in contact with Jane during all this, although we weren't close, and it was a

relationship only maintained through texts and occasional calls. My mother tried to contact me after hearing about Jaden's birth, but I never really cared enough to call back. Meanwhile, my relationship with my then-husband had turned abusive, so I filed for divorce and moved back to my hometown soon after. Jane got to know of this and wanted to meet me and Jaden, so I invited her over to my new apartment. Jane showed up with my mom. When my mom saw me, she acted like everything was all right between us. I found it extremely weird and wanted to talk about it, but seeing how happy Jaden was to

have new company, I let it go for the moment. Later, when Jaden was asleep, we got to talking, and I confronted my mother about the no-contact. Jane interrupted and apologized on my mother's behalf, saying it was highly inappropriate of her not to try to contact me, but this was an olive branch from her to me because, at this point, they were the only ones I could call family. I didn't agree to it, but the way my mother pleaded for a chance to be a part of her grandson's life and realizing how happy Jaden was, I decided to give our relationship a shot. Things were okay over the next few months. I found a hybrid job in marketing, and my company was kind enough to give me work from home, considering my son was alone.

Jaden's college was an hour's ride from our hometown, so she used to visit every now and then, but things between my mother and me weren't good. She came to my house almost every weekend. Weekends at my job are light to take care of her grandson, but instead, she took charge of the house as if I were living under her roof. I let it slide the first few times, thinking this was just how she was, but her controlling nature was getting out of hand, and I decided it was best to ask Jane to intervene because I was sure I'd end up fighting with my mom, which wouldn't be good for Jaden to see. Jane agreed and told me she would talk to my mom that very day, which made me feel a bit relieved. What happened next was hell. I got a call from my mom the next day, and she went on about

how I should have talked to her directly like an adult instead of complaining to my sister. I tried to tell her that it wasn't the right time to talk, but she kept going, so I put her on speakerphone and went back to my work. She must have realized this after not getting a response from me, and she hung up. Later that evening, I got a call from Jane saying that mom was... Hi, I'm Darren Marler. Host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Sprinker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreaker's monetization. Spreaker offers dynamic ad insert.

That means you can automatically insert ads into your episodes, no editing required. And with Spreaker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Sprinker's powerful tools,

scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out spreeker.com. That's s p-r-e-a-k-e-r.com. I was disappointed and even cried about how I handled the call. I told Jane very clearly that I wasn't going to be pushed around like I was during our childhood and that I wanted Mom to stay out of my and Jaden's life for a while. Jane tried to convince me not to curtail Mom's time with Jaden, but eventually agreed. I later got a text from Mom apologizing for misbehaving with me on the phone and saying that she would keep her distance from then on. A year passed during all this, and Jane graduated college.

Jaden also turned four, so I could now leave him with trusted babysitters during emergencies, a role mostly played by Jane. I did see Mom occasionally, basically family events or holidays, and things went pretty well. On one occasion, I had to rush to work urgently and asked Jane if she could babysit Jaden. She had a job interview, so she suggested that mom could take care of him. I was initially skeptical, but, after thinking it over, I decided it was the only viable option. My mom was more than happy to babysit Jaden, so I gave her a briefing on his allergies and what to do if anything went wrong. I had to cut it short because my mom blurted out, you can trust me with your child, I raised you, after all. I still handed her the cheat sheet to Jaden's needs and

asked her to call me immediately if anything went wrong. She nodded, and I left. My work errand was at most a two to three-hour job, which I thought would be easy enough for my mom, who had just bragged about her ability to raise children. I got a call within an hour and a half, asking me to reach a nearby hospital ASAP. I apologized to my bosses and rushed to the hospital, only to find out that Jaden had an allergic reaction. I was extremely angry at my mother and asked her to wait outside while I received Jaden and spoke with the doctors. They told me Jaden had eaten some cookies with gluten, one of the ten items he is allergic to, and although he was safe now, this could have gone very wrong. I assured the doctor that this wouldn't happen again and went

home, taking my mother with me. Jane had already arrived at my house, so I asked her to take Jaden to his room and stay with him, which she did. What went down between me and my mother could be best described as a very dramatic fight, where my mother tried to blame the mishap on Jaden eating the cookie when she wasn't looking. But quickly admitted it was her fault for not listening to me or checking the cheat sheet. I was done with her and told her that there was no way she could stay around Jaden without my supervision anymore. She started to cry, saying it was a mistake and that I was being too harsh, but I stood my ground as it was now a matter of life and death for my child. She left soon after, and Jane followed her.

I later got a text from Jane accusing me of being too harsh, but when I told her she would face the same consequences if she defended mom, she quickly backed down. I hired a kind of permanent babysitter, Nancy, from a company that provided background check caretakers, and it's safe to say that I didn't need Jane for Jaden after that. Jane still visited me and Jaden, but her visits became much less frequent. After Jane got a job, our relationship became more distant, and we went back to the old routine of texting, rarely discussing our personal lives. I still received occasional texts from her about Jaden, but that was the extent of our contact, and I was okay with it because I understood the dynamic. A few months later, I was caught up in another work situation on a Saturday, which was also

the day of Jaden's monthly doctor's appointment. I asked Nancy to take Jaden to his appointment, but she was at the hospital with her own child, so I called Jane for help. Jane answered but claimed she had a work commitment and suggested mom could babysit. I was about to refuse and remind her of what happened the last time, but before I could, my mom overheard Jane and, not realizing I was on the call, started ranting about how she wouldn't babysit Jaden even if she was being paid because dealing with him and his condition was a burden. Jane tried to stop her, but she went on to blame me for not being a good mother and keeping the burden of dealing with Jaden to myself. I was so done with her that I ended the call with Jane and

immediately called my mom to give her a peace of my mind. She picked up and began apologizing, saying she was supposed to have brunch with Jane and that what I heard was just her being frustrated. I told her that I wished for her to stay away from me and the burden forever. Mom tried to patch things up with me, but I hung up as soon as I realized her apology wasn't sincere but out of fear of losing her grandchild. Jane didn't defend her this time and apologized, but I chose to ignore her texts because she lied to me about having work when she could have told me the truth. Anyway, I decided to take a rain check at work

to accompany Jaden on his doctor's visit and decided not to initiate contact with my family from then on. The year passed with Jaden constantly asking about his grandma. As hard as it was for me to see him miss my mom, I managed to divert his attention. Hi, I'm Darren Marler, host of the Weird Darkness podcast.

I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreeker's monetization. Spreaker offers dynamic ad insertion. That means you can automatically insert ads into your episodes.

No editing required. And with Spreker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Sprinker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you.

Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Spreker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out Spreaker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. ...into other things. It was time for his fifth birthday, and we had already chosen a school for him to start kindergarten.

I did send out a few invites for his birthday, which included Jane but not my mother. Jane happily attended and brought a huge bag of gifts, which, to be honest, looked pretty expensive. I wasn't comfortable accepting something so costly from her, so I asked her not to spend so much in one go, especially for a child who might move on to the next toy as soon as he finds one. Jane told me the gift-trapped box inside the bag was hers and the rest were from mom. I didn't know how to react, so I asked her to take them back. She refused, saying she didn't want to get between me and mom's feud and suggested that I at least

consider mom's gesture for her grandson, which was the least she could do after not being able to meet him. I understood where she was coming from and started to feel guilty about keeping Jaden away from his grandma when they enjoyed each other's company so much over what maybe only I considered serious. After Jane's reaction to it, I decided to call my mother after the party to talk things out with her. After everyone had left, Jaden and I decided to open the gifts, and he, of course, picked the big bag from his grandma. I looked inside and took out the first gift, a plushy for his school bag. When I reached in to take out more things, I realized the rest of the bag contained

multiple boxes of cookies from an expensive bakery, made from ingredients Jaden is allergic to. I was upset that my mother was so focused on making a grand gesture that she didn't even check if what she was sending was appropriate. I decided not to show it to Jaden, saying the plushy was all that was in the bag, but he threw a tantrum and eventually took out the cookies, asking me to open a box and give him one. Things escalated, and after not reaching a resolution, I decided to call my mom and ask her to tell Jaden that the gift wasn't for him. My mom was ready for a fight on the call, expecting me to apologize and thank her for her excellent gift. When I told her that her gift was dangerous for Jaden's health and asked her to convince him not to eat it since it was her gift,

she flipped. She started giving me examples of how she raised me and Jane, and said that if I weren't such a weird hippie, because I was vegan, which she considers an alternative lifestyle, and raise my son like a normal child, then he wouldn't have these issues. I was taken aback by her audacity, but I didn't have time to argue, so I asked her to address the situation with Jaden, which she eventually did after some complaining. She told J. She told J. Jaden that the cookies weren't for him and that she would bring his gift tomorrow, to which he listened. I thanked her for calming the situation and hung up before she could say more. After this, I fell into a rut, overthinking what my mom had said, blaming me for Jaden's health

when she was clearly in the wrong. It triggered a lot of childhood trauma, and I called Jane, hoping she would understand and help me sort things out, but instead, she told me to let it go because that's just how mom is. From that moment on, I decided not to discuss my problems with Jane and to keep our contact limited. I wasn't okay with what had happened and wanted to teach mom a lesson. The next day, when she showed up at my door with another gift for Jaden, I asked her to leave, saying that since she wasn't happy with me and my lifestyle, so much so that she was willing to put her grandson's life in danger, she didn't deserve to be in our lives. She started talking about how she raised me through hardships only for me to steal her grandson from her, but I held my ground

and said I didn't want her around anymore. Then, in an attempt to guilt-trip me, she asked about the gifts she sent and how expensive they were. I quickly went inside, brought the bag of presents to return to her, and wrote a check right there for the gift Jaden had already opened. She told me there was no need to be petty, but I was determined to cut all contact with her, no strings attached, so she left disappointed. I knew it would be hard to break the news to Jaden, so I told him that grandma would be gone for some time due to her personal plans, which he accepted. I also got a call from Jane, who was hysterical over Mom throwing a tantrum after returning from my house and getting sick because of it. She wanted me to apologize and mend things with Mom, but I told her, that's how

mom is, and that she'd be fine soon enough. Jane called me unempathetic and hung up, which I'm fine with, although I do think my relationship with Jane has been affected due to all the drama, and Jaden might never see his grandma again. So, could I be the A-hole for this? Update 1. Thank you to everyone in the comments for understanding my situation, and I now realize that I wasn't in the wrong at all. I still regret how things went with Jane, but she is to blame for not seeing the wrong in my mother's actions and instead justifying it, and I won't initiate contact with her until she comes around and apologizes. A lot of you asked about how my relationship with Jane was okay despite her being treated as the golden child. The thing is, I was mature enough to understand

that it wasn't her fault, but my mother's for favoring one child over the other. Jane has always been Hi, I'm Darren Marler, host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere from Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreeker's monetization. Spreaker offers dynamic ad insert insert ads into your episodes. No editing required. And with Spreker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid

for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're all doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Sprinker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out spreeker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com. ...in the easygoing child and maintained her neutral stance, balancing both me and mom.

She hasn't been problematic or rude, but rather non-confrontational, which is why she asked me to let it go. But I guess it's high time she understands that relationships can't be maintained by being a doormat, which she is facing in the form of mom's unwarranted tantrums. Now for the actual update, I am writing this after about a week. I hadn't heard from Jane regarding my mother, so I assumed things were fine. Knowing my mother, I suspected something bad might happen, so I decided to take a short vacation with Jaden until a few weeks passed after the incident, before his school began. Before we could leave, I got a call from my paternal aunt. I haven't mentioned my relatives so far because they weren't relevant to the story or my life. Most of them have

been advocates for my mom's behavior toward me during childhood, and the rest turned a blind, so I never made serious efforts to maintain a relationship with them other than the occasional pleasantries. This call from my aunt was unexpected, and I thought something serious must have happened. When I picked up, she gave me an earful about how my mother was admitted to the hospital, and I couldn't even visit her. I asked her how she knew, and she told me mom had called her and a few siblings, bad-mouthing me for abandoning her. I didn't want to explain, so I told her it was complicated and to stay out of it. She began calling me names in anger, but I hung up and blocked her. I'm expecting a few more calls about this, but I hope blocking

my aunt sends a message to the rest. Jaden and I will be leaving for our vacation tomorrow, and I hope things calm down after this. Day two, I am writing this update after almost two weeks. Jaden and I had a great time on our vacation, with me staying away from technology for a while, which helped a lot. When I checked my phone, I had a few missed calls from some relatives, but I chose not to call back. Once I returned home, I found some mail accusing me of being an inconsiderate daughter and a terrible mother, which made me realize mom was still trying to play the victim and spread a false narrative. There was no way I was going to talk some sense into her, and I realized that Jane was my only option. I had a few missed calls from her as well, so I decided to call her back.

She didn't answer, and assuming she was at work, I left her a voice note, asking her to keep an eye on mom spreading rumors about me and to consider this a warning about the consequences she'd face if this harassment from our relatives continued. She called me back that same night, and she spoke as if nothing had happened between us, but I wasn't going to entertain that. I asked her to get straight to the point, and she told me that Mom was practically begging to talk to me once. I initially refused, but after a lot of persuasion from Jane, I decided to speak with Mom. Mom was overjoyed on the call and began talking as if everything was normal. I cut her off and asked her why she wanted to speak with me.

She told me that from the moment I asked her to stay away from Jaden, she had been suffering in silence, funny how she badmouthed me to everyone, and that she was willing to accept any conditions I had if it meant she could be a part of Jaden's life. I didn't realize how attached she had become to Jaden over time, and she mentioned it vaguely as a way to reconnect with me too. As much as I wanted to sympathize with her, I couldn't forget how she tried to endanger my son's life twice and tried to blame it on me, so I ultimately said no to her demands.

There wasn't much more to say after that, so I ended the call and went back to my life. The following days were quiet, with fewer unwanted calls and mom's attempts to apologize. Jane hadn't reached out since then, so things seemed to be going my way. Last weekend, I got an invite to the wedding of a close childhood friend, who used to be my neighbor. I usually don't attend such events because I'm busy with work in Jaden, but this time I went at my friend's insistence. I hadn't considered that Jane might also be invited, so it surprised me to see her at the reception with her plus one my mother.

Jaden was thrilled to see his grandma, but Mom controlled her excitement in my presence. My mommy radar was on high alert, and I kept Jaden close. I greeted Mom and Jane like a normal person, and as I was about to head to my assigned table, my mom asked if we could talk. I told her I didn't want to cause a scene and thought it best not to converse, but I had to agree because Jaden started throwing a fit to be with Grandma. Jane suggested that we sit together, there were no seating charts, so that Mom could spend time with Jaden, and I could ensure his safety. Jane took responsibility for Mom, and to avoid escalating Jaden's tantrum, I agreed. The night went well, with Mom acting civil, Jaden enjoying his time with her,

and Jane and I catching up. Jane apologized for blaming everything on me and we cleared the air. I didn't get to speak much with Mom as she was busy with Jaden, but that wasn't a problem. As the night ended and we headed to the parking lot, Mom stopped me and asked if the evening went poorly. Hi, I'm Darren Marler, host of the Weird Darkness podcast. I want to talk about the most important tool in my podcast belt. Spreaker is the all-in-one platform that makes it easy to record, host, and distribute your show everywhere. Apple Podcasts to Spotify. But the real game changer for me was Spreeker's monetization.

Spreaker offers dynamic ad insert insert ads into your episodes. No editing required. And with Spreker's programmatic ads, they'll bring the ads to you, and you get paid for every download. This turned my podcasting hobby into a full-time career. Spreaker also has a premium subscription model where your most dedicated listeners can pay for bonus content or early access, adding another revenue stream to what you're already doing. And the best part, Spreaker grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or running a full-blown podcast network, Spreeker's powerful tools scale effortlessly as your show grows. So if you're ready to podcast like a pro and get paid while doing it, check out Spreaker.com. That's S-P-R-E-A-K-E-R.com.

I told her it was fine, and she then asked if she could, based on these few hours, be part of our lives again. I told her that I allowed her to be around Jaden tonight because it was the only practical option. I also reminded her that she had endangered his life before and had never taken responsibility, so there was no way I'd let her near him again, even if it made me the villain in my son's eyes. She began crying on the spot, and Jane tried to calm her down and guide her back to the car. I realized it was best to leave quickly, so I rushed to my car with Jaden, who was also upset by seeing his grandma like this. My mom tried to coax Jaden into going with her, but he was too scared and clung to me.

Her crying turned into wailing, and I left as people began to gather around her to see what was wrong. I called Jane after putting Jaden to bed, and she spoke in hushed tones, asking me to call later, so I did. The next day was Sunday, so once I fed Jaden and finished my chores, I sat him down and explained that he wouldn't see his grandma anymore and that he should avoid interacting with anyone outside school without my permission. Especially Jane or grandma.

I think he understood because of the previous night's incident and agreed. I got a call from Jane soon after, and she said she couldn't talk last night because mom became hysterical at the mention of my name. I told her it was fine and asked if everything was okay. She mentioned that things were fine for now, but she feared that mom's behavior might indicate a bigger issue. I agreed and shared my concerns about mom potentially bothering us again. She understood my perspective and suggested a restraining order if mom didn't improve. I've also considered moving in case mom recovers and tries something like this again.

Update 3. I am writing this final update after a month, as fortunately, this issue has now been resolved. In the last update, Jane mentioned her concern about mom's behavior, so she wisely got mom checked out. Mom was diagnosed with severe BPD, and the psychiatrist recommended admitting her to a private mental health institution for a while due to her age and for better care. Jane agreed and discussed it with Mom, who surprisingly understood and accepted the doctor's advice. The institution is in another state, so Mom and Jane will be leaving next week to admit her. I knew Jane didn't have the money for this, so I offered to help financially, but she said mom was covering the costs, so I backed off.

Jane also passed on a message from Mom to Jaden, saying she would get well soon and see him when his mother allowed it. I decided to keep this message to myself. Jaden and I won't be moving for now because Mom won't be around anymore, and even though things have been rough between us, I still hope she gets better.