Just Ask Georgia: 10/8/2025

GEORGIA, I have a question,

I (15F) was born when my parents were still teenagers. My parents always talk about how they were not ready to have me and how everything would be better if they had not had kids at age 16. They talk about it as if it were my fault for being born at the wrong time.

Four years later, my parents had Seraphine, my 11-year-old sister, and she is definitely the favorite. They always joke about how I should be more like my younger sister, but it never feels like a joke. I am expected to treat her like a little goddess, and if I don’t, they say how I was lucky they could even afford to raise me, and I should behave perfectly. I apparently owe them for their “sacrifices” that sometimes I honestly wish they had never made.

My mom’s coworker’s daughter is my friend, and she invited me to her 16th birthday party. My parents also wanted to come, so they drove me there. I was eating pretzels in the same room as them, and my mom grabbed the bag. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that I already had a lot of food today and didn’t need more. She compared me to my sister, and how she wears size 0 jeans - apparently forgetting that she has not gone through puberty - and added that I was getting "chunky."

We got into an argument, and she was doing her usual guilt tripping and then started yelling at me. I noticed my friend coming into the room, so I asked my mom to stop. I may have raised my voice, but I needed her not to do this in front of my friend.

My mom then said very loudly, “Sorry, this one is very hard to handle. One day she will appreciate the sacrifices that teenage-me made to have her,” and laughed. I quietly told her to F off (I did not say the whole word - just the letter - if that changes anything) and asked to go home. She drove me home and would not talk to me in the car. I feel bad for saying what I did, as I have never done that before, but I am also mad it came to that in front of my friend and her family. Did I handle this wrong?

TEENAGE-ME, TEENAGE-MOM

Dear TEENAGE-ME,

I’m saddened that it is you, and not your mother, contacting me. I don’t believe you did anything wrong; however, I have a lot to say about her behaviour.

Publicly shaming a child for existing is a parental misstep that cuts deep. Your parents seem to still be grappling with their teenage choices and projecting their regrets onto you. Their loud, sacrificial talk at the party wasn’t just tactless; it hurt you, and I completely understand that pain.

Their favoritism toward your little sister adds another layer of strain. You are facing constant comparisons, and I’m sure you’re fostering resentment and low self-esteem. This can lead to long-term issues like anxiety.

Your parents’ youth was challenging, but you didn’t choose to be born. They are adults who need to stop with the generational guilt-tripping. Your parents could acknowledge their struggles privately, but they should not use them as a weapon against you.

Setting boundaries is key. Calmly express to your parents how their comments have hurt you, perhaps with the support of a trusted adult, such as a counselor. Open dialogue, though tough, could shift your family’s dynamic toward healing. Never feel regret for standing up for yourself in a mature manner.

With love, GEORGIA

Have a question for Georgia? Email her at whledger@gmail.com. Please note that this column is intended for entertainment purposes only. No person, animal, or property has ever been harmed or in danger. Satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”