If you’re close with yourfamily, you would probably do anything for them. You might happily give your mother a kidney or donate blood to save one of your siblings. But when it comes to distantrelativesor new members of the family that you barely know, you might not be willing to make the same sacrifices…

One woman recentlypostedon Reddit detailing how her father has threatened to take away her inheritance unless she agrees to care for her step-siblings in the future. Below, you’ll find all of the details, as well as a conversation betweenBored Pandaand the woman who shared this story.

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Woman looking stressed, considering care for stepsiblings if needed, sitting indoors in a thoughtful pose.

Image credits:YuriArcursPeopleimages/Envato (not the actual photo)

But now, she’s being pressured to accept responsibility for them if anything ever happens to her dad

Text image discussing a woman’s refusal to care for her step-siblings if anything happens to her dad.

Text discussing family dynamics, with a woman expected to care for stepsiblings.

Man in a blue shirt seated on a couch, gesturing with his hand, discussing family care responsibilities.

Image credits:GeorgeRudy/Envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits:Single-University489

“It was nice to see internet strangers be supportive”

Dad Threatens To Cut Daughter Out Of His Will If She Refuses To Take In Her Stepsiblings

Image credits:Christin Hume/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

To find out more about this family drama, we got in touch with the post’s author, Reddit userSingle-University489. She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss whether or not there had been any updates on the situation.

“I’m not sure. As I mentioned in the post, I’m out of the house,” the author says. “This conversation happened over the weekend when I had to go home for unrelated reasons and – for better or for worse – my dad refuses to talk at length about stuff like this over the phone (or various messaging platforms). So until I go home again, I won’t know.”

We also asked the OP how much longer she believes her stepmother will be able to take care of her kids.

“As it stands right now, Kara probably will live (and be healthy enough to care for them) for many more years. She has some underlying conditions, but they seem unlikely to immediately cause her issues,” she shared. “As for my dad, it’s unclear. Given some serioushealthissues, he could pass rather abruptly. No one would really know it was coming until it happened. So I’d say unlikely it happens soon, but not impossible.”

She also noted that she’s spoken to Kara’s extended family and understands to a certain degree why her father and Kara don’t want them to take the step-siblings in.

“Basically, while they all would have a home, they’d likely get split up to be cared for separately, and Kara wants them to stay together,” Single-University489 explained. “I’m actually sympathetic towards this (but it doesn’t change my mind). Chris is clearly still trying to play both worlds of ‘I’ll take them, but I don’t want them.'”

And what did the OP think of the responses to her post? “I had a lot of mixed feelings,” she shared. “On the one hand, it was nice to see internet strangers be supportive. There’s a comfort to it.”

Taking care of family members with disabilities is a huge responsibility

Dad Threatens To Cut Daughter Out Of His Will If She Refuses To Take In Her Stepsiblings

Image credits:Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

“On theotherhand, I took to Reddit in no small part because… well… Reddit is known for controversial takes and counterpoints,” she noted. “If I just wanted to be affirmed, I would’ve gone to my friends. The only commenter I got that sort of challenged me just didn’t understand what internalized biases are.”

As the author clearly understands, agreeing to care for family members with disabilities is a huge responsibility that one should take time to consider before making a decision. Even if you love someone, this can require making huge changes to your lifestyle, be extremely costly and require many sacrifices.

If you suddenly need to spend all of your time at home ensuring that loved ones are safe and cared for, you might not be able to work as many hours or keep a full-time job at all. Unfortunately, this can also lead to some social isolation, if you don’t have the opportunity to leave the house and visit friends whenever you’d like.

TheCDCrecommends that those caring for family members make sure that they have plenty of support. This job can take a lot out of you, and it’s important to never feel like you’re alone or drowning in responsibilities. The person helping their loved ones should remember not to neglect their own self-care and try to delegate tasks whenever possible. It can be incredibly rewarding to take care of a family member, but that doesn’t make it easy.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation below, pandas. What would you do if you were in this woman’s shoes? Feel free to weigh in. Then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar family dramaright here.

Stepsiblings discussion on caretaking responsibilities in online comments.

Reddit comments discussing a woman’s concerns about her dad’s misogyny and her responsibility for stepsiblings.

Text discussing a woman’s challenge with gender expectations related to caring for stepsiblings.

Reddit comment exchange about expected responsibility for stepsiblings, focusing on women’s caretaker roles.

Discussion on unrealistic expectations for a woman to care for stepsiblings.

Many readers shared messages of support and assured the author that she has no obligation to take in her step-siblings

Reddit comment discussing the obligation to care for stepsiblings, emphasizing personal choice and priorities.

Text screenshot discussing a woman’s situation about caring for stepsiblings and voicing strong opinions.

Comment advising to say “no” about stepsiblings care expectations.

Reddit comment expressing strong feelings on woman caring for stepsiblings.

Comment about a woman expected to care for stepsiblings, discussing perceived misogyny and societal expectations.

Reddit comment discussing reluctant caretaking responsibility and criticism of misogynists.

Comment expressing frustration about a father, mentioning chauvinistic behavior.

Text discussing legal connections and financial planning for stepsiblings.

Reddit comment criticizing a father’s expectations about stepsiblings, discussing family dynamics and responsibilities.

Comment discussing a woman’s decision about caring for stepsiblings if her dad can’t.

Text post discussing relationships with stepsiblings and an older brother, reflecting on distance and emotional connection.

Text message about inheritance threat related to caring for stepsiblings.

Comment about inheritance advice related to treating stepsiblings and gender fairness.

Text response about woman expected to care for stepsiblings she barely knows and family expectations.

Text discussing a woman expected to care for stepsiblings, highlighting fairness and financial concerns in the situation.

Comment advising woman on stepsiblings and inheritance threats.

Comment on caregiving responsibilities for stepsiblings in a family discussion post.

Text comment discussing fairness and justification in social issues.

Comment discussing care for stepsiblings and family expectations.

“Forum comment advising to prioritize self-care before helping others, relevant to family responsibilities.”

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