After telling her daughter she had to apologize to her friend for body shaming and reminding her how terrible it had made her feel only a year before when people had done the same to her, the OP threatened to cancel her daughter’s birthday getaway. The OP clarified that although she was happy that her daughter was now confident in her skin, it was no reason to put others down for their appearance. However, Abby was upset at her mother’s reaction and stormed off to her father.
Later, the OP got a call from Abby’s father telling her that she couldn’t make decisions for her daughter and couldn’t use Abby’s behavior as an excuse to cancel her birthday celebration trip. Abby’s father also said he had paid an extra 10% for Abby, so he demanded the OP didn’t cancel the vacation. The OP told Abby’s father he was enabling her bullying and ended the phone call.
The OP then spoke to Abby again, saying she didn’t have to invite Betty on the trip, but she had to apologize for bullying and body shaming her even if she didn’t go with her on vacation. However, Abby tried to convince Betty to speak to the OP and tell her she had decided not to go on the trip because she wasn’t feeling well. Betty told Abby she wouldn’t do that, which led to Abby sending more hateful messages to Betty.
Betty sent screenshots of the horrible messages to the OP, who immediately canceled the vacation. Abby’s father tried to rebook the holiday, but other people had already filled their spot, and there was no place for them at the destination. The OP said Abby and her father thought she was wrong for canceling the vacation, but most of the OP’s friends agreed with her approach.
She turned to Reddit users to ask their opinions on her predicament. Many agreed with the OP. The post also reached Facebook, where even more people commented on the situation.
One said although it was a difficult decision, she had done the right thing. Another said Abby’s father seemed like a bad influence and continued:
“Let the daughter sulk — sooner or later, she’ll realize who her real parent is, i.e., the one who actually cares about what she does.”
Many commenters said they would be ashamed if their children had acted similarly and were proud of the OP for how she had handled the situation. Another suggested family counseling for Abby, her mother, and her father.
Others believed Betty deserved a “real friend.”
