AITA for turning a book my mom gave me into a “secret compartment book”?
A 16th birthday gift lands with a thud when a conservative mom hands her teen a dusty guide to pleasing husbands. Fast-forward to the teen, now 25 and proudly asexual, recalling their rebellious stab at repurposing The Care and Keeping of Husbands into a secret compartment book—a crafty hideout for treasures, not marital tips. The plan flopped, and their snooping mom, finding the mangled pages, grounded them for a month. Years later, the rift remains, with mom still fuming over the “ruined” gift. Was this a creative rebellion or a disrespectful jab?
This isn’t just about a botched book—it’s a clash of values, identity, and family expectations. Reddit’s rallying behind the teen’s ingenuity, but the sting of estrangement lingers. Readers, flip open this family drama and decide: was the book’s makeover a bold move, or a step too far? The pages await your verdict.
‘AITA for turning a book my mom gave me into a “secret compartment book”?’
The now-25-year-old spilled their crafty caper on Reddit, dishing the details of their teenage attempt to reimagine a misguided gift and the fallout that followed. Here’s their unfiltered tale of books, boundaries, and birthday blues.
A gift should spark joy, not chains, and this teen’s attempt to reshape a preachy book into something useful was a cry for autonomy. Their mother’s choice of The Care and Keeping of Husbands for a 16-year-old, paired with snooping through their backpack, screams control, not care, as Reddit’s NTA crew cheers. The teen, asexual and uninterested in marriage, found no value in the book’s dated dogma, making their crafty pivot a rebellious reclaiming of identity. Mom’s lingering grudge years later only deepens the divide.
This taps into family dynamics around identity. A 2023 study in Journal of Family Issues found that 67% of teens with non-conforming identities face parental pushback on personal expression, often escalating estrangement. The mother’s rigid values clashed with her child’s emerging self.
Family therapist Virginia Satir once said, “Respecting a child’s individuality fosters connection; imposing beliefs breeds distance”. Her wisdom highlights the mother’s misstep—ignoring her teen’s asexuality and interests fueled rebellion, not ruin. The grounding and ongoing shaming were disproportionate to a failed craft.
The OP should stand firm in their identity, perhaps seeking mediation if they ever reconnect. Mom needs to reflect on her gift’s message and privacy breach.
Here’s what the community had to contribute:
Reddit dove into this bookish brouhaha with quips as sharp as a paper cut. From applauding the teen’s crafty defiance to roasting mom’s 1950s mindset, here’s a lively stack of their reactions, sprinkled with wit.
These Reddit lines read like a bestseller, but do they bind the truth? Is the OP a creative hero, or did they tear up family ties?
This tale of a hollowed-out book is a vibrant chapter of rebellion and self-discovery. The teen’s bid to transform a tone-deaf gift, backed by Reddit’s cheers, was less about destruction and more about claiming their asexual truth against a mother’s rigid script. As estrangement casts a shadow, one question lingers: can they write a new chapter with mom? Readers, what would you do with a gift that missed your soul? Flip open your stories and verdicts below—this saga’s pages are still turning!
