Narcissistic SIL abused my brother and niece, favoring her kids, encouraged them to bully my niec...

[@MiraTheWarlock]

I had an ex like Shannon, narciccistic, fake mental and medical conditions, fake tragic backstories, compulsive liar, would treat everyone like dirt, and use said conditions or sad backstory to make anyone confronting her back down I can forgive a doormat. I was after all one, so it'd be hypocritical if I couldn't What I can't get past is for 10 years that poor little girl had to be a meatshield due to having a weak father

[@Only1199]

Shannon's kid are going to damage the wrong persons property and it's going to end very badly for them and for Shannon

[@hennigadient4265]

SHAME on the father to not protect his little girl from that monster! SHAME on HIM! what a horrible father

[@Nicho_Ldn]

I’m curious about the role of Esme‘s biological mother. How did the OP’s brother end up with primary custody in the first place? Why was she never sufficiently present and able to be someone that her daughter could confide in? With her not being part of Shannon‘s abusive relationships that external perspective could’ve been important.

[@BlueFire728]

Being a doormat is one thing. But being a doormat to a point where your kids are being abused is a red line that should never be crossed. If you are a doormat, don't have kids until you know how to stand up for yourself.

[@shuichisaiharasimp]

The only thing Shannon was right about is that yes, OP's brother is indeed stupid.

[@cameron765]

I'm sorry I can't feel bad for OP brother This dude sound like a straight up doormat

[@Nicho_Ldn]

I think people accusing the brother of being a doormat are wrong. We certainly wouldn’t jump to that conclusion were the victim a woman. Whilst he was clearly in a controlling and abusive relationship with Shannon, I do wish that he could’ve at least made an attempt to separate earlier for his daughter’s sake if no one else. Of course, he’s probably saying that to himself now as well. It’s a difficult situation.

[@hennigadient4265]

he didnt protect his child! she is traumatized and deeply mistrusted people. that is his fault. And he didnt even ended it! that monster left him. he needs therapy and im sorry for his trauma and what he went true. But that doesn't take his failure to disappear.. we all should be able to separate this to things. I can be deeply sorry for him and wish him to heal and at the same time be bad at him bc he failed as a father.

[@Only1199]

He is a doormat, he's allowed his daughter to have her stuff stolen by Shannon's kids, stuff that was bought for her by others as gifts, he literally went with Shannon to his mothers house where he watched Shannon verbally attack his mother over facebook, stayed silent to learn the truth and once the truth came out, he left with Shannon instead of giving her a verbal lashing for spouting lies.

[@RoseKoneko]

People absolutely call abused women doormats, how much about Reddit do you know of? He isn’t a doormat, and I mostly agree with the first response. I wish he didn’t have to go through such an abusive relationship but I also wish he would have put his daughter first and left her sooner.

[@BlueFire728]

No. Brother is a doormat. He should have stood up for his daughter. For the record, I don't give women who let their husbands abuse their children any excuses either.

[@gothcsm]

We certainly would come to that conclusion if the victim in this story were a woman. People aren’t calling him a doormat for being manipulated into taking the ab*se, people are calling him a doormat because he couldn’t do the bare minimum as a parent and protect his child. Manipulation or not, there is absolutely NO excuse for a parent willingly letting their child be ab*sed. He turned into his wife’s accomplice the moment he let her ab*se his child, and he doesn’t get a free pass for his actions just because he’s a victim too.

[@FieryIcyk6727]

The brother has “doormat” tattooed on his forehead or smth

[@Dreamer12888]

I disagree with OP on one single issue. Reporting someone for the distribution of underage explicit images. These types of actions ruin lives. If what happened was true then the boy deserves the consequences of his actions. If Minnie is lying than the child deserves the consequences of her actions. Those laws are in place to protect the victims in these situations. Just because a perpetrator is 'young' and 'has a whole future ahead of them' shouldn't absolve them of the punishment they deserve for their guilty actions.

[@austinfowler2707]

Yeah im going with a highly depressed doormat. Which makes it easy for them to be doormats.