So we were all going to be flying back from a family members wedding. A bunch of us were on the same flight that got cancelled. We were able to get tickets for another flight that had a layover. My sister sneakily got a flight on a direct flight. She basically just left us with her 17 year old daughter because she said she had to get back home for work. We know she didn’t tell us because she knew we would not have agreed she knows we all think her daughter is a pain in the ass.
But anyway with no other options we took her with us too the airport and she was her moody difficult self the whole time. While we were waiting in the airport during our layover she got up to supposedly go the restroom. Well, when she got back the airport police came up and she got arrested for shoplifting.
The police said that since she was 17 she would be charged as an adult there and transferred to the county jail. They said that she could be out tomorrow or it could take longer depending on how busy they were. We all had our own places to be and were tired from dealing with travel stuff. Most everyone (notably besides me) had younger kids that were also tired and cranky. No one wanted to change their flight again and get a hotel (for what may be multiple nights) so they could stay and wait for her. At this point to be honest we were just fed up with her.
We talked to the police about it and they said it would be okay if we took our flight. So we relayed the information to my sister over text. She was upset and demanded that someone stay and we couldn’t just abandon her there. Btw we did check to see and there were multiple flights my sister could take to get there by tomorrow. She said she couldn’t because she had work. We said so do we, but that was it before we got on our flight.
So when got home my sister was freaking out because we all left even though she said she had work. She is now mostly just mad at me for leaving since I didn’t even have kids like the others and she thinks my work is much more flexible compared to hers and they would have believed if I had just lied about flight issues or used more days off.
ESH. Can’t help feel for kiddo. Mom neglects, family doesn’t like her. I’m not excusing the shoplifting but this is classic “will someone notice me” juvenile behavior. I think if y’all were honest, y’all are kinda happy to leave her to state.
Title had me iffy, but after the first paragraph, the sister is a monumental AH for leaving without her kid, she regardless if family is there or not. The niece is an AH for shoplifting, and is now facing the consequences of her actions.
The family overall? Heavy NTA
NTA whats she mad about? For abandoning her own daughter? Or raising her so poorly that as a teen she’s shoplifting in an airport (the worst place to try it cause of increased security lol).
She’s probably also mad OP doesn’t have kids. Just because you don’t have kids, doesn’t mean you have to drop everything for someone else’s kids lol wild take.
NTA as far as I can tell. None of you are the legal guardian of this kid who was effectively abandoned by her own guardian. Plus it sounds like none of you actually agreed to watch her.
NTA. She ditched her own daughter. Might go some way to explain why daughter is such a problem. Anyway, daughter got what she deserved. Your sister needs to step up and stop expecting other people to do her job as parent.
NTA tell your sister that she abandoned her daughter at the airport and only has herself to blame. All the extra hassle amounts to every single bird of trouble belonging to her coming home to roost. She can scream and gnash her teeth but everyone knows this is solely on her. It was her duty to be with her daughter to begin with and it is her duty to make sacrifices for her daughter now she needs her mother to help take care of her mess. Projecting onto you means nothing. No one is buying any of it. She can go point fingers and rant into a mirror and leave you out of it.
NTA…Your sister deserted her child, and intended to continue to do so even after her child was arrested. She has no grounds to be judging anyone else.
Charged as an adult at 17? For shoplifting at an airport, which means county jail somehow? I’m having a hard time buying this story.
Assuming it’s real, NTA. Mom abandoned her daughter, not you.
NTA. Not your circus, not your monkeys. Your sister though is TA.
uhhb you cant abandon the child but the mother can?
NTA, she’s 17, not 7. The mum can fly back out within hours.
Potentially the niece can be bailed out via Internet, and can Uber to the airport and go to the gate for whatever ticket mom sends. I.e. there might not be a need at all for travel.
Sure, it would suck to be 17 and have to navigate this after spending a night or two in jail, but this level of uncertainty might be a good wakeup call for her.
“How dare you abandon my daughter to travel home?” asks the woman who literally abandoned her daughter to travel home…
NTA
“You can’t just leave her there!”
Says the person who not only left her there but did so without informing anyone else.
NTA, welcome to the find out portion OP’s sister and niece.