Woman Says Mother Forced Her and Her Autistic 3-Year-Old Brother Out After She Refused to Be His Third Parent

Add The Daily Dot to GoogleRedditor says mother forced her to keep her autistic brother.

A post shared to r/AITAH on October 19, 2026, asks whether refusing to take a 3-year-old brother along makes the poster wrong. The 19-year-old poster, staying in a women’s shelter, says her mother pushed her and her brother outside after an argument.

The post has collected over 918 upvotes and more than 87 comments at the time of publication.

The poster wrote, “I’m currently in a women’s shelter for now until I have the official funds to mvoe [sic].” Her parents believe she lives with her boyfriend. She wrote that the post follows an earlier one titled “AITAH for telling my parents I don’t want to be a third parent anymore?”

She returned to the family home to collect the rest of her belongings. Her mother opened the door. “At first she was so happy to see me again it almost made me think otherwise about her,” the poster wrote. She pretended to be happy too and started packing.

The poster’s father then came into her room and cursed at her, saying she made “a mockery of him and ruined his reputation.” She wrote that her father had been jailed for a short time after “a bad argument.” She told him she was leaving for good, which she called “a slip on my part” that made him angrier. He punched a hole in her wall and went outside to smoke, and she rushed to finish packing.

Before she left, her mother grabbed her wrist and begged her not to go. Her mother cried that she did not know what she would do without her. She also said the poster needed to take her 3-year-old autistic brother to get him away from the father. “All I could say was no,” she wrote. Her mother then began yelling, blocked the door, and called her ungrateful and a letdown to the family.

The poster’s mother then grabbed the brother and made him hold the poster’s hand. She pushed both of them out of the house with the poster’s belongings still inside. Her father started shouting, and the parents began yelling at each other. The poster wrote that she called Child Protective Services (CPS), went back inside, and “said some hurtful things myself.” She eventually left with her belongings and told her brother she loved him. She then ran down the block to meet her boyfriend.

Her parents have since sent messages, including “come back” and “I don’t want to see you again.” CPS and the police have visited the house, but she does not know much about it. The poster wrote that she has “a pit in my stomach” and feels she did both the wrong thing and the right thing. She said that it felt good to run away, and her mother blames her for ruining the family. “I do truly feel like I have [ruined the family],” she wrote.

One commenter addressed what the poster should prioritize first. “Focus on getting yourself safe and settled and then you can worry about helping your brother,” they wrote.

Another reply urged further contact with authorities on the child’s behalf. “Call CPS again or any services urgently,” they replied. “That child needs protection. That situation is not ok for him.”

Another commenter wrote about the poster’s living arrangement and her mother and brother. “Maybe you should be honest about where you’re staying,” they added. “It sounds like your mom and brother should go to a shelter too.”

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this post. The details above reflect the original poster’s account as shared on r/AITAH. The identities of the poster, her family and the commenters, and their location, have not been confirmed.

Anyone who suspects child abuse can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453.

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