If you have siblings, you have probably joked about one of you being the 'favourite child '.
However for most of us, it's just that, a joke. But for one teenager, his feeling that he was his parents' least favourite was very much a reality and after years of feeling downtrodden, he decided to confront them about it.
After they "blatantly" gave his younger brother preferential treatment the teenager called them out in a very public way.
The 18-year-old wrote on Reddit's AITA forum: "My parents have always favoured my younger brother. I was by no means unloved, but it was blatantly obvious who they cared about more.
"I worked a part time job to get my first car, but my brother got one as a present. It wasn't new, but was much newer than my car.
"It was the same with just about anything else, like clothes, video games and cell phones."
The teen says while he's currently taking a gap year between school and community college in a bid to save money for his tuition, he was stunned to overhear his parents discussing how much they would be paying for his younger brother's schooling.
He said: "I secretly recorded the conversation from around the corner and then came out asking my parents why they were gonna pay for my brother's college, but not mine.
"They didn't notice my phone was recording and just said that my brother needs more help. I asked how so when I wasn't getting any sort of scholarship, and he likely wouldn't either.
"Then I asked a few more questions about why things have always been this way. They got mad and my father told me that perhaps it's time I moved out because they are sick of keeping a roof over my head. I pointed out I pay rent, but they didn't care."
The teen says he stormed out "in a fit of rage" then went on to upload the recording to his social media pages, alongside a rant about how his parents had always treated him this way.
Just a few hours later, his parents were banging at his bedroom door, screaming about how bad he'd made them look in public and the 'outing' resulted in a huge family meeting.
He continued: "My grandparents contacted me later and said they were appalled, then came to visit with a lot of the family the next day. There was a huge family intervention and my parents were made to sit on the couch and look at their feet while being told off.
"It was then I found out they'd been receiving money for years from my grandparents to help with family expenses. My brother looked like he didn't know what to do.
"So he sided with the rest of the family and said he's noticed how I'm treated as well. My parents gave me a huge apology that sounded forced."
The teen's grandparents offered for him to move in with them and announced they'd be cutting off his parents financially, and now his mum and dad are devastated and will no longer speak to him, prompting him to question whether he took the whole situation too far.
However Reddit users defended his decision to call them out so publicly.
One said: "Your parents are just p***** because people know the truth about them and they’re no longer going to be receiving handouts from your grandparents. That’s what they’re really upset about: losing the free money.
"Go live with your grandparents. They sound awesome with how quickly they backed you."
Another said: "As someone who was cast aside because my parents favoured my younger sibling over my brother and I, I applaud you loud and clear.
"Go live with your grandparents if that's what you want or go stay with friends. I have a feeling you're going to be just fine and excel at whatever career you choose!"
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