When I was a kid, everyone who could afford it got braces. As far as I was concerned, getting braces was one more annoying step in the coming-of-age process. A dentist told my parents I needed braces, and I strongly disagreed. Thousands of dollars later, I had straight teeth for about a year or two, until my wisdom teeth grew in and made my lower teeth crooked all over again. To me, braces were a painful waste of money, but many of the kids who never got braces felt like they were missing out on something. That’s just how it is when you’re a teenager—you want what you don’t have and are given things you don’t want. 

One mom recently vented to r/AmItheAsshole about an ongoing conflict she’s had with her daughter for years. Her daughter begged her parents for braces when she was a kid, but her parents repeatedly declined, arguing that it wasn’t necessary. Eventually, OP met her daughter half way and agreed to let her try out teeth aligners, which ended up damaging her teeth to the point where she really did need treatment. The comment section was pretty torn on the matter, but most argued that OP was the a-hole. Read the whole story and decide where you align.