Teen Complains That He Has to Sleep in ‘Cold’ Basement While Younger Cousins Visit for the Week

A teenager has angered his parents after choosing to stay at a friend’s house rather than sleep in their basement while relatives were visiting.

On Thursday, Jan. 16, the 16-year-old boy vented his frustration in a lengthy post shared on the popular Reddit forum “Am I the A——”. He explained that his parents volunteered to host his aunt, uncle, and multiple cousins until they could officially settle into their new home in the area.

“Now, my room is pretty small, combined with my desk, bed, closet, and more,” the teen wrote. “Only 2 people can sleep in it, so my parents asked me to sleep in the basement and my aunt and uncle agreed.”

“I flat out refused. Our basement isn’t the worst, but it’s dusty in there and cold,” he added.

The Redditor said he would have to sleep on an uncomfortable mattress with thin bedding as his usual duvet and pillows would be used to accommodate his younger cousins during their stay.

His refusal to sleep in the basement resulted in a fight with his parents and having to stay at a friend’s house throughout the time his family was visiting.

In an edit to the original post, the teen reiterated that his parent’s basement is incredibly cold in January — even when the heat is on — noting that the insulation was likely never properly installed.

“AITA [am I the a——] for refusing to sleep in the basement to accommodate my relatives?” he asked.

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The vast majority of Redditors sided with the teenager, with many saying that asking someone to accommodate house guests during a visit is okay — but not at the cost of basic essentials such as warmth. 

“NTA [not the a——]. Heat is a basic need. If they had a heater or a heated blanket it would be different. A child shouldn’t be made to sleep where there is not adequate heat,” wrote one person.

“I’m happy that you have a friend whose parents were willing to house you for a week. You did the right thing by protecting yourself,” another said.

“Your parents’ offer was generous, but it shouldn’t have been made if they don’t have the room to accommodate extra people,” they continued. “Sticking you in a cold, dusty basement with inadequate bedding would indicate that their offer was ill-conceived.”

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“NTA for not wanting to sleep in the basement. Given what your options were, I think you landed on the best solution – staying with your friend,” a third agreed.

“I’m a parent. It’s one thing to ask a child to make a sacrifice to help out the family,” the commenter continued. “But sleeping in a cold basement, in the winter, and not even being allowed to have the warmest blanket and your usual pillow. That’s your parents saying that you – and only you – must have the absolute worst of every option, simply because you are their child.

“They want to ‘help family’ but they didn’t have to sacrifice their space or comfort at all, AND they refused to balance out the discomfort across the folks involved,” they added.