AITA for asking my parents for their entire estate if they want me to be my sister’s guardian ?
Imagine a family dinner where the mashed potatoes are passed, the tension is thick, and a 23-year-old woman drops a bombshell that sends forks clattering. She’s been told since diapers that she’s destined to be her disabled sister’s guardian when her parents pass. But here’s the twist: she’s got dreams of globetrotting, not a lifetime tethered to caregiving—and she’s got some bold ideas to renegotiate the deal. Cue the parental meltdown and sibling side-eye.
This isn’t a sitcom plot; it’s a real-life Reddit saga from AITA. Our poster’s staring down a future her parents scripted, with a sister in a group home and an estate that’s more practical than plush. She’s not saying “no” outright—she’s just asking for a fair trade. But her family? They’re clutching pearls and calling her greedy. Let’s unpack this suitcase of drama.
‘ AITA for asking my parents for their entire estate if they want me to be my sister’s guardian.’
Guardianship talks can turn a family table into a battlefield. “Taking on a disabled sibling’s care is a massive commitment,” says Dr. Pauline Boss, a family therapist and author, in a New York Times piece on caregiving. “It’s not just time—it’s your whole life’s trajectory.” Our poster’s not wrong to want compensation or a shared load; she’s 23, dreaming of freedom, not a caregiving anchor.
Her parents see it as duty, but she’s flipping the script: split it three ways, fund a trust, or pay her to solo it. The brothers, married and settled, dodge the responsibility but want their slice of the pie—classic “have your cake and eat it” vibes. Is it sexism? Maybe; the “daughter as caregiver” trope lingers, with stats from the National Alliance for Caregiving showing women take on 60% of unpaid family care roles.
Dr. Boss advises, “Negotiate openly and set terms everyone can live with.” Option two—a trust—could be gold, ensuring sister’s care without chaining anyone down. If our redditor’s stuck, she might research legal guardianship (spoiler: wills can’t force it) and stand firm. Readers, how’d you balance family duty and your own dreams here?
Here’s how people reacted to the post:
Reddit’s chiming in with some zesty hot takes—check ‘em out:
“Sexist BS!” one yells, while another quips, “Your brothers want the cash but not the crash course in caregiving!” The crowd’s got her back, but are these keyboard warriors onto something, or just loving the family feud? You decide.
So, our world-wanderer’s at a crossroads: cave to family pressure or fight for her freedom. Her options are logical—split the load, secure a trust, or cash her in for the long haul—but her clan’s crying foul. It’s a tangle of love, duty, and a dash of “who gets the house?” What’s your verdict? Would you take the guardianship gig solo, or tell the fam to divvy it up? Drop your thoughts—what would you do if your life’s plans got a surprise rewrite?