Stepdad Doesn't Invite Teen Stepdaughter On Disney Trip Because Of Her Condition — She's 'Lazy, Rude, And Doesn't Go Out'
He claims that it is a "family" trip yet an important member of his family is not invited.
Evgeny Atamanenko / BobbyWjr / Shutterstock After a stepfather explained his reasoning for excluding his stepdaughter from a family trip to Disney World, he did not get the response he was hoping for.
He revealed that his stepdaughter suffers from a medical condition that makes it difficult for her to leave the house and alters her mood. He fears that bringing her along to Disney will only hold the rest of his family back. However, his stepdaughter believes that he is being cruel and demonstrating favoritism toward her little brother, who is going on the trip.
The stepfather explained why he refused to bring his stepdaughter to Disney World with the rest of the family.
Sharing his story to the subreddit, r/AmITheA–hole, the 35-year-old man revealed that he and his wife have two children, 16-year-old Jessie and six-year-old Carl. Jessie is the man’s stepdaughter, but he claims to love her as his own although he admits that the teen can be “a massive handful.”
The man reveals that Jessie was recently diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Over 750,000 North Americans are affected by the condition, which is known to cause pain, bleeding and frequent use of the restroom.
Due to her illness, the man claims that his stepdaughter has been “lazy, rude, and doesn’t want to go out.”
“She’s in the bathroom 5-20 times a day, can barely eat, and is just really upset with everything and everyone,” he wrote.
The father planned on taking his wife and son to Disney World to celebrate his son’s birthday for a week. One evening, Jessie overheard her parents discussing the trip. “She was excited, of course, since it’s Disney,” the man wrote.
However, he had made different arrangements for the teen while the rest of the family went to Disney.
“I told her she would be staying with her grandma in California the days we went because she would be too tired and unable to enjoy the park,” he shared. He suggested that Jessie go to the beach with her grandparents since it would be more appropriate for her to enjoy.
The teen was rightfully upset that she was not invited on the family vacation. “She ran to her room screaming about ‘favoritism,’” the man wrote, adding that he is not playing favorites. “She’s been hospitalized 8 times THIS YEAR ALONE, and can’t control her condition,” he argues. “She can barely walk without being lightheaded.”
Jessie claimed that she could “try to avoid the bathrooms” on the trip, although the father reveals that the last time she tried to in school, she wound up having an accident. When she suggested that she could use a wheelchair to get around the parks, the man claims that then “we would have to explain why she needs it to staff and people in line, which I don’t want to do all day.” The man also points out that Jessie’s diet is limited due to her condition, and that Disney is known for having extremely unhealthy food options.
“We could do something else, but it’s my son's birthday when we were going, and all he wants to do is a family Disney trip,’” he argues.
While the man’s mother believes that he is right for excluding Jessie from the trip since it is hard for her to get around and wants to spend time with her granddaughter, his wife believes that Jessie should be going on the trip with them.
Redditors slammed the man for excluding his stepdaughter from the trip.
Many urged him to have more empathy for her given her condition.
“Your child has a chronic illness. Support her instead of punishing her because you now see her as a burden,” one user commented. “‘(She) has been lazy, rude, and doesn’t go out.’” You’d think you’d be encouraging her to go out then. Like, say, to Disney,” another user noted. “She wants something to look forward to because most of her life revolves around pain and the toilet,” another user wrote.
Other users pointed out that using a wheelchair in Disney parks will not hold the family back. In fact, it may actually benefit them since Disney parks offer an accessibility pass for those with disabilities and medical conditions to skip the lines, "including non-apparent disabilities" such as his step-daughter's.
As for food, they noted that the man could pre-pack a lunch for Jessie if she cannot tolerate any park-provided meals.
Instead of excluding his stepdaughter, who is clearly going through a difficult time in her life, the man could lift her spirits by taking her to “the happiest place on Earth.” After all, it is a “family trip” and she is very much a part of the family.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.