The original post: /r/amitheasshole by /u/Mamakat53 on 2024-05-27 14:35:38.
Recently our mom celebrated a really big milestone birthday. Over a year before her big day she invited all of us on a cruise to celebrate. We are her four bio kids-47F, 45F, 42F and 33M -our half brother- and our partners and kiddos our step dad who essentially raised us and our step sister. Our mom and step dad have been married for 35 years- He has a daughter (51F) from his first marriage which ended 14 years before our mom married him. Our step sister was always really difficult-she was an only child and in our perception was spoiled and acted entitled. She rarely visited and when she did-maybe 3-4 time a year-she was demanding and petulant-she was in her 20s and we were middle school age and younger. There was a falling out for a few years in her late 20s between our step dad and his daughter-they didn’t speak at all-The rest of us got on with our lives-college, marriage, etc. After a few years our mom tried to be “the peace maker” and bring them together -she arranged for them to visit her where she lived-3 hours away-made sure there were acknowledgments of birthdays and holidays, made arrangements for her to attend family milestones like weddings etc. Our step sister moved out of state (she lives with her mom and step dad.) Our mom arranged for mini trips to visit with her-she has a minor disability and doesn’t work. During this time our step sister never showed any gratitude or appreciation for what our mom was trying to do-she rarely wanted to be included in family gatherings (but would complain if she wasn’t invited) Fast forward to the family cruise (which my mom was paying for.) We-her bio kids-wanted to do something really special-we all chipped in for a very generous gift card to a spa/retreat. She has always been there for us and has been generous in helping when needed. She really deserved something special. The first night of the cruise we presented her with individual cards and our gift. Later that evening our stepsister railed on our brother-her half brother- for not including her. She ranted that she was so embarrassed and humiliated because she wasn’t included (she didn’t even bring a birthday card) In all honesty we hadn’t even considered her because she rarely interested in participating in any of our “family” events and besides this was our Mom- So-AlTA -(we) because we didn’t ask if she wanted to be included? (She showed up empty handed-not even a cheap birthday card) As a side note-she has never acknowledged any of us -ie-birthdays, etc. Once in a while she will “like” one of our posts on Social Media-but has never reached out otherwise. Essentially she really doesn’t give a flying leap about any of us -not even her dad. We really believe she maintains the minimal amount of communication with him to stay in his will.