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    16-year-old forced to share a room with 12-year-old clingy brother, Jayden, on family vacation, grandparents demand he get respect and space: 'He shouldn't be forced to play caretaker'

    Author image for Briana Viser
    Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
    Oct 17, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

    Teenage years can have an aura of nostalgia and childhood innocence in hindsight, but while someone is in that era, it's not all sunshine and roses. The 16-year-old in this story is having a difficult time at home. He's living in a mixed family setting, his stepfather has children from another marriage. His younger brother, Jayden, a 12-year-old, is particularly troublesome. He has developmental issues, he's clingy and can't understand basic social cues. 

    They don't take family vacations often, but they planned one. Jayden and the protagonist were forced into sharing a room during the family vacation, and for the 16-year-old, it was his nightmare. Jayden constantly wanted comfort and to sleep in the same bed, but the protagonist refused. Things come to a head when his grandparents get involved and say that it's not fair he should have all this responsibility for his younger brother. Comment below what you think about the story and how the parents and grandparents handled it. 

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    • 01

      My mom and stepdad said I'm making a big deal out of sharing a room on vacation and I should still consider it a vacation for me AITAH?

      Teenager on phone
      via vitapix / Canva

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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      I'm (16M) in a blended family. My mom and dad had me, dad died and mom remarried when I was 8. My stepdad's ex wife walked out
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      on him and my stepbrothers (12m and 10m) because she couldn't handle their oldest having special needs.
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      At home I share a room with my Jayden (12). He has developmental delays that cause him to remain more like a younger child than a 12 year old.
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    • 05
      He's not independent, he can be clingy like a younger kid and he needs someone with him when he sleeps because he gets so
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      scared and he wakes up. He's also a really big talker and keeps me up some nights. My stepbrother's don't get along so he was put in with me to keep the peace.
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      Teenager bedroom
      via SeventyFour / Canva

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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      I don't really like sharing a room with him. I told my mom and my stepdad this before. They told me they understand but we only have
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    • 09
      two bedrooms for the three of us and it's more harmonious and better for him if he's not with someone who gets so annoyed
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      they treat him badly like Camden (10) does.
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      For the most part I try to make the most of it. I got a divider put in our room a couple of years ago and it helps me feel like I have
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    • 12
      some space. But it gets tiring when he wakes me up in the middle of the night or he wants to cuddle with me. I don't let him
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      into my bed. My stepdad helps enforce that because he knows I would sleep on the couch if my
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      bed was taken over and then my stepbrother would scream the whole house awake.
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    • 15
      We don't go on vacations ever because Jayden has a lot of therapies that cost so much money and we have stuff at home
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      to help sooth him and those are expensive and they cost a lot to keep running according to my mom. We did go on vacation this
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      summer and I was supposed to get my own room this time. But when we got there that didn't happen. To make it worse I didn't
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      even have a bed because there was only one queen size bed in the room. I did have my sleeping bag with me so I slept in that. But
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      I had to sleep on stuff on my sleeping bag so Jayden would know I was in there. I hated the whole vacation and my mom told
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      me it wasn't meant to be that way but it was better than Jayden and Camden fighting for 10 whole days.
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      By day two I was over it and it wasn't a vacation to or for me or however I should be saying that.
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      Vacation
      via PublicCo from pixabay / Canva

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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      It was their vacation but I didn't relax or a break from the typical stuff. I still had to think of Jayden and only Jayden.
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      I told both sets of my grandparents and my aunts and uncles when they asked about it. I told cousins. I didn't pretend I had fun or loved it. My mom's
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      parents asked her why I had to make more sacrifices and they told her she really needs to figure out better stuff for me. Both sets of grandparents offered to let me
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      spend more time with them as in overnights or move in. My mom and stepdad said that wasn't needed and asked why I'd leave
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      my family. My dad's parents said I shouldn't be forced to play caretaker at night and clearly they
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      can't afford to give me the privacy and space a 16 year old needs.
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      Once enough of my extended family told my mom and stepdad this stuff they both accused me of making a big deal out of it. They
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      said it was a vacation even if it wasn't the one I wanted and I should consider it one because I got away from our house for 10
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      days and got new experiences. Except I didn't because we're limited in stuff we can all do as a family because of Jayden. My
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      mom and stepdad are still mad about how I see the vacation but it was ruined for me with everything that happened. I'm not
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      exaggerating or lying about it. I didn't have fun like I expected because I didn't even get to be comfortable at night. AITAH?
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