Mom Fakes Heart Attack When Son Mentions Marriage Plans
A 20-year-old woman watched her mother writhe on the floor claiming to have a fake heart attack and decided not to call 911. The dramatic episode happened right after her brother mentioned wanting to marry his girlfriend, sending their attention-seeking mother into full meltdown mode.
The Backstory
Our protagonist lives with her 55-year-old mother who she describes as a textbook narcissist. Mom has perfected the art of making every situation about herself through screaming, fake crying, and elaborate lies designed to steal the spotlight.
Recently, mother dearest escalated her attention-seeking tactics. She started faking medical issues after her usual drama stopped getting results. First came the fake gluten allergy while still eating bread. Then came obviously fake panic attacks whenever someone called out her behavior.
Her latest medical fiction involved claiming to have heart disease. She spent weeks talking about this supposed diagnosis, setting the stage for what would become the world’s most unconvincing medical emergency.
The Incident
During a family dinner, the 25-year-old brother casually mentioned wanting to marry his girlfriend. Mom absolutely hates this girlfriend despite barely knowing her, so she immediately launched into a screaming match.
Brother wasn’t having it and walked out. His sister followed, leaving mom alone with her tantrum. That’s when the Oscar-worthy performance began.
Mom collapsed and started her fake heart attack routine. She flopped around on the floor like a fish, making pain noises while trying to imitate a seizure. The siblings just stood there watching this adult woman throw the most elaborate tantrum they’d ever witnessed.
When she demanded they call 911, both kids refused. They recognized the performance for what it was and weren’t about to waste emergency resources on mom’s theatrical debut. After getting zero sympathy for several minutes, she magically recovered and started screaming about being abused.
The siblings left for the girlfriend’s house while mom took her show to Facebook. She posted about “surviving her heart attack” and publicly berated her children for being emotionally abusive and uncaring.
What Reddit Said
Most people said the daughter should have called 911 anyway, not to help mom but to stick her with a massive ambulance bill. They figured expensive consequences might cure her fake heart attack habit real quick.
Some pointed out that feeding into the drama would only make things worse. A healthcare worker commented that patients like this thrive on medical attention, and calling EMS would just validate her behavior and give her more material for future performances.
A few suggested learning “grey rocking” techniques or going low contact. They recognized that engaging with narcissistic behavior only encourages more of the same destructive patterns.
The family friend who criticized the daughter got pushback from commenters. People understood the frustration of dealing with someone who cries wolf constantly, especially when real emergencies might be ignored because of past fake ones.
The Verdict
Overall verdict: OP is NTA (Not the Asshole). While calling 911 might seem like the safe choice, these siblings know their mother’s patterns better than anyone. When someone repeatedly fakes medical emergencies for attention, they forfeit the right to automatic belief during future “crises.”
This story perfectly illustrates why boundaries matter in toxic relationships. Sometimes refusing to enable bad behavior is the kindest thing you can do, even when it looks harsh from the outside. Check out more AITA stories and family drama to see how others handle impossible relatives who turn every moment into their personal soap opera.
From r/AmItheAsshole (1,064 upvotes)