A personal situation described in a viral Reddit post has drawn thousands of reactions as a man shared that he will not travel with his brother’s children for food-focused reasons.
The man wondered if he was wrong “for refusing to travel with my brother’s family because his kids only eat junk food.”
Describing himself as 39 years old, the man said he’s “currently undergoing cancer treatment.”
Once he completes it, he said he’s “planning to take a holiday with a friend or family member to travel to the other side of the world.”
He’s based in the UK, he told others, so he is “thinking Vietnam, South Korea, Japan or somewhere around there where I have never been.”
The man said he asked his brother, who is 43, to consider going with him on the trip.
“He got very excited and said his daughter, age 12, and son, age 8, would also come along.”
The Reddit poster added, however, that “they are both incredibly picky eaters — and my niece only eats plain beige foods. She won’t even have a burger at McDonald’s, just chips and nuggets, and that’s pretty much 80% of the kids’ diet.”
Said the man, “I know my brother and his wife have tried hard to introduce them to other foods, but they just won’t eat it.”
The man wrote that while he “loves the kids to bits,” he also wants to travel to experience the food culture and that is a major part of it for me. I want to get off the beaten path and experience things in life I haven’t been brave enough to experience before.”
He continued, “For me, selfishly, this trip is about the end of my cancer and celebrating that there is life after cancer. It’s also not something I can easily afford.”
So the man informed his brother — given his desire for the children to travel with them — that he’d now “rather travel with someone else.”
The brother expressed anger and frustration at this, the man shared, and said he feels “I am being selfish as traveling with his children can also be fulfilling … To make things worse, we live in different countries, so we don’t see each other a lot. They will be very disappointed when they learn I have pulled the plug on the plans. I feel conflicted,” he added.
For further context, the man said that he’s “currently having cancer treatment. I only just started. I have grade 3, stage 3 thyroid cancer that has spread … I have chemo now, started first round, and then surgery, then more chemo and then radiation.”
He said that his planned travel “won’t be until late 2026 at the earliest” — and emphasized that he’s looking “to go off the beaten path.”
Some 8,000 people reacted to the drama on Reddit — with the majority firmly deciding the man is not wrong for his decision or for the way he feels.
Wrote one of the top commenters, “Traveling with kids would make your trip everything but what you want it to be. Your brother should be more understanding.”
The same person added, “Trying new food is an adult experience. Not only [because] adults react differently when they don’t like something, but also, certain foods are not good for kids … Kids could even be allergic to certain stuff without knowing.”
Said another person, “You invited your brother, and he assumed his kids were invited, and got them excited. That’s on him.”
“Also, cancer is kind of a big deal,” the same individual noted.
“Wanting to have a one-of-a-kind experience tailored specifically for you after going through that hell might be selfish, but it’s also one of the few times in life where being 100% selfish is the only right choice.”
Said yet another user on Reddit, “Vacationing with kids is a much different experience than vacation[ing] with adults, and it will make it a very different trip. I’m a mother with two young, picky kids that I love very much. I wouldn’t dream of hijacking such an important trip.”
She added, “Your brother needs to take a step back and think about what this is really all about.”
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