AITA for expecting my oldest child to take care of their siblings?

Yes YTA. Parentification is abuse. As someone who grew up as the oldest and a parentified child, I have trouble taking care of myself and feel behind my peers because I didn't get to just be a kid and develop myself while I was taking care of everyone else. I was called mature and responsible too, but it was because I was denying my own needs and assuming adult responsibilities before it was appropriate for my age. It also gave me a lot of anxiety trying to take care of my siblings without the tools an adult would have, and that anxiety has stuck with me. You're being selfish, not them. It is not their responsibility to do your job as a parent, and it really sucks that you're not listening to them and their feelings. I bet they have to do a fair amount of caretaking of you and your emotions too, which really is going to mess them up later in life.

/r/AmItheAsshole Thread