Mom Slammed for Expecting Teen To Sleep in Tent Outside Over Christmas

An 18-year-old who says she is expected to sleep outside in a tent on Christmas Day due to a lack of space in her mother's house has received a storm of support from Reddit users.

The Reddit user said her dad and stepmom raised her along with her siblings who are now aged 31, 28, and 25. This Christmas they will celebrate in Western Europe with their biological mother and her husband. However, the teenager is expected to sleep in a tent outdoors despite it being "extremely cold."

The post titled "Am I the a****** for causing a family rift because I don't want to sleep outside in my mom's yard on Christmas?" has received 10,500 upvotes.

The user explained she is unable to sleep on the couch as her mom's husband likes to watch TV until late. Previously, a poll conducted among 2,000 adults found that the top reason they argued at Christmas was over ownership of the remote control.

Ruth E. Freeman, parenting expert and founder of online positive parenting program Peace at Home Parenting Solutions, told Newsweek: "What might be most hurtful in this scenario is mom's unwillingness to insist that her husband forgo TV for the holidays so that her youngest can feel welcome and included as everyone gathers together."

Explaining her story, the user wrote: "My siblings are all married and have kids and are gonna bring their spouses and kids with them. Our mom's house is quite big and she said she'll spread out air mattresses in the living room and there's a guest room.

"She didn't say anything specifically to me about where I'd be sleeping so I assumed I'd be sleeping on one of the air mattresses."

The teenager's brother informed her about the tent outside and she initially thought it was a joke. But her mom confirmed it was true which led to the user's dad getting involved.

She concludes the post by stating her parents had a "huge argument" and her "siblings are all mad" at her for "causing" it all.

Freeman said: "There is no reason why not having a spouse and children should mean she is treated differently than other family members. If mom wanted her to sleep outside in a tent, it would have shown much more care to check in with her in advance. This youngest sibling might want to thank her older brother for giving her a heads-up since it would have been a lot worse to arrive and not have other options.

"She is not responsible for how the bio parents choose to relate to each other. If bio dad initiates a conflict with mom, that is between them. It might help if he recognized that this only increases his daughter's stress, but nevertheless, it is not her responsibility. Being treated by her mom and stepfather with less care for her comfort than her siblings is hurtful and this adolescent has every right to refuse to comply. Hopefully, she can seek support from others to create enjoyable holidays with family members or friends where she feels welcomed and treated with kindness."

Thousands of Redditors have commented on the post, and one user's comment has received 19,800 upvotes.

It said: "NTA [not the a******]. The fact that your step-dad wanting to watch tv at night is more important than you being able to sleep inside tells you exactly where you stand in your mother's priority list. If your AH [a******] siblings continue to pretend that sleeping outside in a tent during winter isn't a big deal, tell them that you accept their offer to switch beds with them."

Another said: "His tv viewing habits are more important than OP's safety and health... I'm gobsmacked on this one. Guess we know who the least favorite sibling is."

"And how the hell do the siblings think this is ok? Even if my younger sibling was annoying, there [was] no way I'd let them sleep outside. This girl's older siblings, who are apparently parents themselves, are fine with a teen girl being yeeted out into the snow at night?" questioned another user.

Newsweek reached out to u/Few-Mountain-5677/ for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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