A 17-year-old girl on Reddit who has “always been seen as the ‘disappointment’ in my family” feels guilty after her mom found out she secretly entered a baking competition.
“My mom is a neurosurgeon, and she’s constantly comparing me to my cousins, who are all excelling academically. I’ve never been great at school—my grades are average, and I struggle with math and science—so I’ve always felt like I can’t measure up to her expectations,” the young woman shared.
As a way of dealing with stress, the teen began “experimenting with recipes” and grew to love cooking.
“I’ve been working part-time at a café, and the chef there lets me help out in the kitchen during quiet shifts, teaching me a lot. A few weeks ago, he suggested I enter a small local cooking contest. I didn’t expect much, but I ended up winning second place,” the budding baker said, noting she didn’t tell her mom about it as she felt she “wouldn’t take it seriously.”
“She’s always said things like, ‘Cooking is just a life skill, not a career,’ and I didn’t want to deal with the lectures. I figured I’d tell her eventually, but I wasn’t in a rush,” the girl recalled.
However, her secret was revealed during a recent parent-teacher conference when her teacher “mentioned how impressive it was” she placed second in the competition.
“My mom didn’t say much at the time, but the moment we got in the car, she exploded. She said I was wasting my time on ‘hobbies’ when I should have been focused on school and accused me of deliberately keeping it from her to embarrass her. She also said I’d made her look bad in front of my teacher for ‘acting like this was an achievement,'” she explained.
Now, her entire family is upset with her: “My aunts and uncles are saying I should’ve told my mom so she could ‘prepare’ and that I shouldn’t have entered the contest in the first place. My dad, who usually stays out of things, said I owe my mom an apology for stressing her out and suggested I quit the café to focus on my grades.”
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In the comments, users urged the teen to continue pursuing her passion.
“Placing second in a cooking competition is an achievement you should be extremely proud of. Your family’s lack of support is shameful … Please don’t let them ruin something you enjoy doing,” one person wrote.
“Your teacher did you a favor by highlighting something you should absolutely celebrate. Don’t let your family guilt you into giving up something that brings you joy and makes you proud of yourself. You’re allowed to pursue what you love, even if it doesn’t fit into their narrow view of ‘success.’ Keep cooking—you clearly have a talent for it!” another chimed in.
“You found a passion and excelled at it. That’s amazing! Regardless of what your narcissist mom says about you, continue reaching your dreams!” someone else commented.
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Gallery Credit: Elena Wiedlin