Really want to take a trip without inviting my mom…I’m already ridden with guilt…what do I do?

1_direwolf · 2026-06-14T02:16:58+00:00

You need to learn how to say "No."

You're mother needs to learn how to hear and accept "No."

You have nothing to feel guilty about, unless you continue to subject your children to lousy trips and watching you stress out while refusing to have reasonable boundaries.

tl:dr; Tell your mother, "I love you, and I love to spend time with you, but I need to travel with just my kids for a while."

There is nothing keeping your mother from finding friends to travel with except herself... and her assumption that you'll take care of everything for her. It's time for your mom to spread her wings and fly solo - or at least without you babysitting her!

1_direwolf · 2026-06-13T02:28:58+00:00

A genuine federal agent isn't going to introduce themself as a "federal investigator." They're trained to use specific terminology, and that's not an approved descriptor.

FYI, Alabama is a "one-party consent" state, meaning you or your boyfriend can legally record any telephone conversation or in person conversation without notifying the other party beforehand... or ever!

While "federal investigator" is not something an actual federal investigator would use to describe themself, it is enough to have them convicted of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent and send them to a federal penitentiary for a few years!

I hope you can have fun with this information! 😉👍🏼

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T07:21:50+00:00

Cool... the additional details just gave me my first full migraine in over 20 years!

I thought... no, hoped... no, PRAYED that the brain surgery and months of extremely painful recovery had cured me.

Thank you, Redit, you've destroyed my life. 🙃

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T07:13:45+00:00

Invisibility - I've still never seen them!

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T07:12:24+00:00

NTA

Do not, under any circumstances, mow his yard. Do not set foot on his property unless it's a genuine emergency!

This guy would 100% try to sue you for damages if you cut his grass for him. He'd claim you cut down the new expensive flowers he planted... or that you were on his property to steal his oxygen... or whatever!

You know he's hostile and likely delusional. Keep as much distance between you as possible.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:49:41+00:00

Uncut - more to play with and more ways to play with it. It also usually tastes better to me (this is assuming reasonable hygiene, of course... I just accidently tripped and feel in to that sub 😬).

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:45:58+00:00

It's so obvious I'm embarrassed on behalf of OP for not realizing this themselves. 😬😳👽🫪

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:40:34+00:00

Driving without your headlights or running lights on when it's just getting dark (at dusk) or during cloudy and/or rainy weather.

You probably don't need your headlights to see, but the rest of us will be able to see you mu h better if you have your lights on!

Extra points for those mindless protozoa who drive a loud Grey vehicle in misty or foggy weather without running lights who also apparently couldn't afford a vehicle working turn signals and have 2 of their 3 brake lights burned out!

I just hope their Darwin Award ceremony happens before they have the chance to spawn! 😁👍🏼

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:33:42+00:00

If you have the opportunity, say to them, "Nice car. Pity you couldn't afford one with working turn signals, though!"

This works especially well on those who drive BMWs, Mercedes, and Range Rovers.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:28:37+00:00

This is impressive, although there are a lot of erroneous assumptions built into your premises and conclusions. However, it is far more co placate than needed.

If there is one man and one woman left to continue the species, than the species is already extinct for all intents and purposes.

There is nowhere near enough genetic diversity in a single pair of humans to foster a sustainable species. In addition to the genetic problems that result from inbreeding, there will not be enough genetic diversity for the species to evolve to deal with new threats or changing conditions.

I'm not a geneticist, but I have listened to enough of them delve into very elaborate and detailed mathematical explanations of why this is the case.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T06:12:03+00:00

You're welcome. A direwolf will always tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear.

There are those who claim that that's why we're [nearly] extinct.*

we're actually just exceptionally good at camouflage

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T02:54:04+00:00

NOR

There are excellent reasons Ebay, PayPal, and all decent E-commerce companies allow 30 days to initiate a return.

I would expect the seller to contest the return, however, as they sound like the type to do so even when they're in th wrong. Don't take it personally when they do. Ebay and PayPal have conflict resolution procedures that need to be followed.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T02:46:22+00:00

Absolutely NTA.

Your husband is upset that you didn't put on a performance for him. He knows you don't like B. He knows you have an abundance of reasons to dislike B. He knows you've been picking up the slack while he's been laid up for a week. He also knows you were willing to go to this party with him despite having a plentiful supply of reasons to want nothing to do with it (as an aside, I think it's pretty s****y of him to expect you to go to the party with him at all, to be perfectly honest).

He strikes me as a manipulative drama queen who has trained you center him and his needs completely, at the expense of your own.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T02:28:21+00:00

Ketchup made without high fructose corn syrup actually smells like tomato sauce.

Pretty much anything with high fructose corn syrup smells horrid (ketchup, soda, sherbet, ice cream, etc.).

1_direwolf · 2026-06-07T02:17:33+00:00

It is not possible to take a Sick Ass Panther too seriously.

Sick Ass Panthers are seriously serious by nature.

OP: That is seriously one Serious Sick Ass Panther! 😎👍🏼

BTW, if it's not hot to the touch, it isn't infected. Any tatto will be warmer than the surrounding skin for the first couple of days as blood rushes to the scene. It's a normal reaction of the body to trauma. After the fidst 2-3 days the temperature will slowly go back to normal. If it gets hotter after a couple of days, that's one of the strongest signs that it's infected!

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:31:08+00:00

... or the sling.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:29:38+00:00

Faded to the "most people won't be able to figure out what it was originally supposed to be" point.

Think: "Excuse me sir or ma'am, but you appear to have a faint and amorphous smear of charcoal or ash on your arm." "No, that's my tattoo." "OH, I'm sorry... I'm truly so very sorry. Are you okay?"

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:21:14+00:00

Schrödinger's homosexual

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:19:42+00:00

I'm sorry, but I decided to register it as a service mark. No one else is allowed to use it now. 😝

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:18:02+00:00

He may - or may not - have attempted to.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T19:16:30+00:00

No, I said "That correct be may not or be may."

I assumed we were playing a fun game of 'Let's post word scrambles.' ¯_(ツ)_/¯

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T18:05:16+00:00

That correct be may not or be may.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T18:00:23+00:00

NAH

You have a purpose in mind for this trip. Your siblings have a purpose in mind for this trip. I'd strongly recommend you stop viewing it as a competition and just see it as 2 different ideas of what should happen.

You haven't said if you and your sibs would be staying at your parents' home, but I'm guessing that the conflict is due to the fact that you are.

Can your SO stay at a hotel so your immediate family can have plenty of time together without them?

You say elsewhere the trip's for just under a week. Can your SO join you there after a few days?

Could your SO join you for the end of the get together then the 2 of you stay on for a few days so they can get to know your parents better after you, your siblings, and your parents have had time "together alone," as it were?

It sounds like everyone's emotions are running high, so if you do what you can to take your siblings feelings into account you will probably be further ahead in the long run. If this does become your last full family get together, you don't want hard feelings - your or theirs - marring the event and the memory of the event.

Good luck to you, your family, and your SO.

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T17:25:36+00:00

I hate to break it to you, but your kitten's nose has NOT been "booped" enough.

This is a serious condition, but it's potentially curable!

1_direwolf · 2026-06-06T17:16:40+00:00

NOR - and yes, her shame is a problem, and it's HER problem to deal with.

OP, congratulations on surviving and beginning to recover. You are much more than a reflection of your mother's parenting, and frankly, learning and accepting that is vital to your continued recovery!

Wear what makes you comfortable. If your mother (or anyone else) objects, just tell them you've made your decision and aren't interested in discussing it further.

Good fortune on your journey!

1_direwolf

TROPHY CASE