What's the most hurtful thing your family has ever said about you in public?

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I'm the older sister by three years, but my little sister Jessie has always been the golden child. She's beautiful, charming, got straight A's without trying, and can do no wrong in my parents' eyes.

I've always been the "difficult" one. I had to work twice as hard for average grades, struggled with anxiety, and never quite lived up to their expectations. But I thought they still loved me equally.

Jessie's wedding was last weekend. I spent months helping plan it, paid for her bridal shower, and even gave up my vacation days to help with last-minute preparations. I was her maid of honor and genuinely happy for her.

The reception was beautiful. During dinner, my dad got up to give his father-of-the-bride speech. I was expecting the usual sentimental stuff about watching Jessie grow up.

He started normally: "Jessie has always been our pride and joy. From the moment she was born, we knew she was special."

Then he said something that made my stomach drop: "You know, when we had our first daughter, we thought we knew what parenting was. But then Jessie came along and showed us what it really meant to have a child you could be truly proud of."

The room went quiet. I felt everyone's eyes on me.

But he kept going: "Jessie never gave us a moment's worry. Unlike some children, she never needed therapy, never caused drama, never made us question our parenting. She just... succeeded at everything effortlessly."

My mom was nodding along, smiling.

"And now she's found the perfect husband, planning the perfect life. We always knew Jessie would make something of herself, unlike..." He paused and looked directly at me. "Well, we can't all be winners, can we?"

The entire wedding reception heard my father basically call me a loser compared to my sister.

Jessie looked mortified, but she didn't say anything. My mom was still smiling like this was perfectly normal.

Dad continued: "The best part about Jessie is that she never needed us to worry about her future. We always knew she'd be fine. With our other daughter, well... let's just say we're still waiting to see how that turns out."

People were staring at their plates, clearly uncomfortable. But my parents seemed oblivious to how cruel they were being.

"So here's to Jessie, the daughter who made parenting look easy!"

Everyone clapped awkwardly. I sat there in my maid of honor dress, publicly humiliated at my own sister's wedding.

During the dancing, my aunt came up to me. "Honey, that speech was completely inappropriate. I'm so sorry."

That's when I realized it wasn't just me being sensitive. Other people heard it too.

My cousin overheard my mom talking to relatives later: "We're just so relieved Jessie turned out so well. With Sarah, we never know what crisis is coming next. She's 28 and still figuring out her life. It's embarrassing, honestly."

I found Jessie in the bridal suite during a quiet moment.

"Jessie, did you hear what Dad said in his speech?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Sarah, you know how Dad is. He doesn't mean it like that."

"He called me a loser in front of 200 people at your wedding."

"He didn't say loser..."

"He said you were the daughter they could be proud of and I wasn't. What else could that mean?"

Jessie sighed. "Look, you have to admit, you've always been more... complicated. They're just proud that I didn't put them through what you put them through."

That's when I realized Jessie agreed with them. She thought she was better than me too.

I left the wedding that night and haven't spoken to any of them since.

My parents have called a few times, but never to apologize. They want to know why I'm "being dramatic" and "ruining Jessie's happiness" by "holding grudges."

Jessie texted me last week: "I miss you, but you need to get over this. Dad was just being honest about how proud he is of me. Why can't you be happy for me?"

She still doesn't understand that you can be proud of one child without publicly humiliating the other.

I'm in therapy now, working through 28 years of being the "disappointing" daughter. My therapist says what they did was emotional abuse, not honest parenting.

The hardest part isn't losing my parents. It's realizing that my sister, who I spent my whole life supporting and celebrating, thinks I deserved to be humiliated because I'm not as "successful" as her.