Inconsiderate Brother Goes Abroad To Visit Sick Father, Dumps All Pet Responsibilities On His Pregnant Sister

He found out over the weekend his father has been hiding a bad illness from him and he’s now in the hospital.

May

• Published in Animal Stories
• June 22, 2024

When we ask for help, we shouldn't impose on the person doing us a favor. Let's not be like this Redditor's brother, who not only dumped his pet responsibilities on his pregnant sister but also asked her to let his codependent fiancée stay at her home.

Let's take a look at their story, which was shared on the "Am I The A**hole?" (AITA) subreddit. The original poster (OP) tells the community that she is 9 months pregnant and due in a few weeks.

Her mom has wanted to come help her and her husband ever since they found out they were expecting. Her brother, who lives about an hour away, has been sharing their mom’s time since he also needs help.

He often asks their mom to come over to help him and his fiancée with household chores as they struggle to keep their house together. Over the weekend, the brother found out his father was hospitalized for being seriously ill.

So he decided to leave the country to visit him. Since both he and his fiancée won't be at home, he asked their mom to take care of his pets—a fish, a hamster, and a dog.

The mom suggested bringing the pets to OP’s house so she could care for them while waiting for the baby’s arrival. But this arrangement would make OP’s house crowded and stressful, especially since her own dogs don’t get along with other animals.

She expressed her preference for her mom to stay at her brother’s place instead. However, their mom felt torn, wanting to support both of her children and not miss the birth of her grandchild.

OP and her husband felt hurt and abandoned, as this wasn’t the first time her brother’s needs had taken priority over theirs.

The pregnant OP wonders if it makes her an a-hole to refuse to take her brother's pets in temporarily while he's out of the country.

The OP's current situation.

Their mom has been alternating between their homes to help.

The OP also revealed that they have different dads.

After hearing bad news about his dad, the brother decided to go overseas to visit his sick father.

The OP also needs to take the brother's fiancée in because she can't be on her own.

Not wanting to miss anything during the OP's pregnancy, the mother decided to get all pets stay in the OP's house.

The OP's feels that the situation is unfair on her. She needs to make adjustments while she's going through a crucial time in her life.

The OP was hurt by the brother's decision to dump everything on them while he's away.

The OP feels screwed over despite being aware that times are rough for her brother.

She feels that nobody understands her, especially since she's about to give birth.

It is indeed unfair on the OP. The brother needs to find another person to care for his dog.

One Redditor believes that the mother is beyond a people pleaser.

They're implying she's a doormat because her son is already an adult who should be the one cleaning up his house. Yet, here she is cleaning up for him.

They need to find a pet sitter for the dog to ease the burden.

One user believes that everyone is at fault in this situation.

The brother is too reliant, the mother wavers in her decisions, and the OP's negative views lead to an unfair judgment of her family.

It's understandable that the OP feels overwhelmed with everything. But at this point, she shouldn't allow her house to be crowded.

She needs to prioritize her peace of mind. As suggested by Redditors, they can look for a pet sitter for the dog so that she doesn't have to worry about the additional stress of managing extra pets during such a critical time.

May