“Family” is a fascinating term that, for some people, conjures up the warmest feelings and, for others, the worst panic attacks.
We are in charge of choosing who we let close, but it’s not always as simple as some might think: be it those back-stabbing colleagues, manipulative bosses, so-called friends that won’t miss a chance to gossip behind your back, or toxic family members – the list could go on and on.
But there comes a time in everyone’s life when cutting out problematic people becomes necessary. Sometimes, it’s hard to see the damage through your own eyes; perhaps you’ve been conditioned to believe that this type of behavior is normal, or maybe you just don’t want to accept the fact that your loved one is capable of harming you, so you simply ignore it – however, there’s a certain line that should not be crossed.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes, cutting ties with your toxic family members is the best way to go
Image source: Think YUM! (not the actual photo)
“AITA for kicking my sister out for bringing gluten into our gluten-free kitchen?” – this father sought advice from a popular Reddit community after he kicked his sister out for jeopardizing his child’s health. The post has managed to receive 17K upvotes and 3.2K comments discussing the situation.
Dad is praised by netizens for kicking out sister for cooking foods containing gluten in their kitchen
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
The man began his post by revealing that his daughter is on the more severe end of celiac disease, meaning that she’s highly sensitive to gluten. He said that any cross-contamination would set her back for weeks and that it has taken years to get her diagnosed and treated. The 10-year-old is underweight and has extreme anxiety regarding food; she won’t eat things if she thinks that they’re unsafe.
The author’s daughter has a celiac disease, so items containing gluten are only allowed in the kitchenette
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
The man’s sister moved in and kept using the kitchen and cooking foods containing banned ingredients, despite being warned that it’s a no-go area
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
The family’s house has a kitchen and a kitchenette in the basement. The main rule is that there should be no dairy, gluten or seafood anywhere in the kitchen. The kitchenette is used for items containing those ingredients.
The thing is, the author’s sister and her children had to move in due to personal reasons. They lived in the basement bedrooms and were previously warned about the rule – however, it took less than a week for the man to find a box of pasta in the kitchen.
Once again, the couple explained the rule and moved the box. A month later, the OP’s daughter ran to him in panic because his beloved sister was making fried chicken in the kitchen. She was apologetic but argued that the kitchenette was too small.
One time she was making fried chicken, which left the girl terrified. The family also had to throw away any utensil she may have used, just to avoid triggering the daughter’s anxiety
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
Sometime later, the OP caught his mother and sister preparing an entire Sunday dinner
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
He absolutely lost it, threw the food out into the yard, and kicked his sister out
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
They ended up moving all of the food to the basement, throwing out every single utensil she may have used and deep-cleaning the kitchen. Sadly, the items made the kitchen no longer safe and caused the daughter’s rehabilitation to go backwards. The family’s working on it, but the situation is not ideal, and they have to feed her exclusively with food from a specific gluten-free restaurant.
Sometime later, the father caught his offspring having the worst panic attack he’s ever seen, and guess who’s to blame? His mother and sister were in the kitchen making an entire Sunday dinner. Spaghetti, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread – you name it.
Naturally, the author lost it. He went off on the women, saying that they were ruining his life and had threatened his daughter’s life for the last time. The OP threw all of the food into the yard and told his sister to skedaddle.
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
The man edited the post, explaining the “inpatient care” comment that he made
Image source: poorunfortunatgluten
Image source: openfoodfacts (not the actual photo)
The man’s mom was angry; apparently, she was mad at the OP for kicking his sister and her kids out over “a food allergy” when they were so vulnerable. He said that she’s more than welcome to leave her offspring at the house if she needs to, but he’s done with her selfish behavior.
The wife agreed, yet believed that it’d be good to give the sister one last chance and simply restrict her from bringing any food inside the house. Last but pretty major detail – the author’s mother cannot take his sister in and the woman can’t afford rent anywhere, so she would be homeless if they didn’t let her stay.
What do you think about this situation? Do you agree with the author’s approach or would you have handled it differently?
Fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts on this matter
