Teenager threatens to quit school over ‘dramatic’ conflict with parents: ‘They think it’s all in my head’

Dillon Thompson

A teenager sparked a wide-spanning online debate after sharing the reason he told his parents he was refusing to finish school.

The 17-year-old shared his “dramatic” family argument on Reddit’s AITA (Am I The A******) forum, writing under the username u/ThrowawayTheMole. In his post, the teen explained a problem he had “begged” his parents to fix for the past eight years.

That problem, which the Redditor said he wanted his parents to help fix before he would agree to finish school, was a “pretty big” mole on his face. The teen added that his doctors had suggested removing the mole, which is around 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inches) in size, as it could become cancerous in the future.

But the teenager’s parents disagreed with that solution, saying that his anxiety over the blemish was “all in his head.” That response led him to tell his parents he would not finish school until they changed their minds.

'She just laughed it off'

The Redditor explained that his biggest issue with the mole is the social anxiety it’s caused him — a dilemma his parents have so far ignored.

“I asked my Mom and she laughed it off when I said I have social anxiety and told me to ‘think of people who have acid thrown on their faces,'” he wrote. “But she misses the point where they can not do absolutely anything about it and have no option even after having multiple surgeries done.”

According to the post, the teen has had “people teasing [him] and giving [him] looks” for his entire life. Now, just a few semesters away from graduation, he asked his parents to help him have “one normal school year.”

“They don’t think it’s a problem worth surgery without even thinking how much must a child have suffered if he keeps constantly asking for eight years only for them to ignore it or laugh it off,” he added.

'I don’t think I can mentally take it'

The teen also stressed that his parents have “no financial problems” and would not have an issue paying for a surgery to remove the mole. He added that, unless that happens, he would find it too difficult to return to class as schools reopen following the aftermath of the global health crisis.

“I simply don’t think I can mentally take going back to school with all this anxiety after quarantine,” he wrote.

Users poured in with comments from across the board, as many seemed to disagree about exactly who was in the wrong.

Some users believed that, since the mole was ultimately a medical issue, it needed to be removed.

“If it’s a potential health risk and not a financial burden, of course you’re [not the a******],” one user wrote.

Others argued that the mole was a problem regardless of whether it made the teen anxious and insecure.

“Parents seem to come from a generation that doesn’t always get mental health, but it matters,” one commenter wrote. “Stand your ground, you deserve to feel comfortable (and safe) in your skin.”

Some were less sympathetic though, calling the teen’s behavior “dramatic” and saying the decision to drop out was the “stupidest thing” they’d ever heard.

“To tank his education rather than wait a year until he’s a legal adult and can do it anyway is ridiculous,” one user commented.

“Are you willing to risk your entire future and education over something you can have done in a year or less without permission? And do you realize that elective surgeries are not even an option right now so this is a moot point?” another added.

If you liked this story, check out In The Know’s article on the Reddit user who was ridiculed after sharing her baby’s nickname.

More from In The Know:

Blake Lively trolls Ryan Reynolds about his new hairstyle

Shop our favorite beauty products from In The Know Beauty on TikTok

These hair color kits help you find the right color to dye your hair

Rocksbox is the jewelry rental service that dreams are made of

The post Teen threatens to quit school over 'pretty big' mole originally appeared on In The Know.

Advertisement