Children should be looked for by their parents, right? Well, that would be the case in a perfect world.
However, the world we live in is not flawless. And regrettably, Reddit AITA stories frequently demonstrate that.
On the AITA subreddit, a 19-year-old girl’s sad testimony just went viral. A Reddit user with the handle Maybeenobaby shared the account, saying that her family—which included eight younger siblings—had “reached rock bottom.”
“My mother and stepfather are going to be going away for a long time, and everyone is in a rush to get all these kids into homes,” the author explained. And because Maybeenobaby is the only one over 18, everyone expects her to do it.
She has “3 half siblings on my mom’s side (15, 11, and 9), 4 stepsiblings (14, 12, 9, and 6), and 1 full sister (6f).” How many moms and dads are there in this equation?
How many grandparents? They are all remaining silent and letting a teen do their job.
But now that she believes she has the chance “to have a better life,” the author has decided to take her 6-year-old sister and relocate to a different state. The seven other siblings will have to enter foster care while this is happening.
Maybeenobaby wonders if she actually made the right choice, doubtlessly feeling somewhat guilty. She now asks Redditors if she made the right choice.
OP asks:
She has eight siblings
Her mother and stepfather are going away for a long time, and everyone wants OP to take care of the kids. She doesn’t.
OP’s grandmother is offering her a way out. She wants to send her to college.
OP arranged for all the kids except her sister to be sent away to foster care
Kids are angry at OP. She is now asking if she is the AH here
Redditors were clear:
There should be many parents and grandparents here
How can someone judge a 19 Y.O.?
OP explains:
People who work in the foster care system explain:
Things like this shouldn’t happen
Teens shouldn’t be pressured
This would be a good option, but it still means she won’t have a life
The only AHs here are the parents
So true…
OP is just 19. Enough said
Maybe the parents are going to prison?
According to national data from The Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the number of children in foster care in the country declined for the third year in a row. 407,000 kids were reportedly in foster care nationally as of 2020.
Children and teenagers spend 12 to 20 months on average in foster care. Most foster children stay in their foster homes for one to five months.
Many children join the foster care system at an average age of 7 due to living in an unstable family setting, abuse, or neglect. Children in foster care have a stable environment to grow and develop.
When a youngster reaches the post-high school age of 18 to 21, they are no longer eligible for foster care placement. As members of the broader population, they are left to figure out how to sustain themselves.
Unfortunately, approximately 20% of these young individuals will become homeless when they reach adulthood.
