AITA for not saving money for my son’s college and now planning to disinherit him?

Life as a military mom is not for the faint of heart. Eighteen years in the Army, raising three kids while navigating deployments, poverty, and personal sacrifice — it’s been a battlefield both in and out of uniform. I’ve fought hard to give my children stability, but not every relationship has survived the strain. With my middle child, a 23-year-old son, things have been especially fractured. Now, after years of tension, hurtful words, and estrangement, I’m faced with a decision that could sever the last remaining thread between us: whether to leave him out of my will and life insurance entirely.

A Military Mom’s Journey

The GI Bill Battle

Radio Silence and Round Two

The Decision

Let’s find out what other Redditors think about this story.

After everything — the years of service, the sacrifices, the attempts to reconcile — I’m left wondering where my responsibility as a mother ends and my right to peace begins. Do I honor the bond of blood despite the bitterness, or do I protect my legacy for those who truly stand by me? It’s a choice that will shape the final chapter of my life’s story, and I can’t help but ask: does protecting myself now make me heartless… or finally free?