Holiday traditions are important to families as they help strengthen the bond between them. In addition, these traditions connect people to history and are passed down from generation to generation.
In this story, a teenager, whom we’ll call OP, revealed to two kids she used to babysit that their family holiday tradition was fake, accidentally. It got her blacklisted in the neighborhood. Now she wants to know if she was wrong for replying to the kids the way she did.
Halloween Candies
Six years ago, when OP was thirteen (she's nineteen now), she used to babysit for her next-door neighbors. A day after Halloween, she babysat after going trick-or-treating the previous day.
She even brought some candy to share with the kids while they watched “kid-friendly spooky movies.” During the movie, they finished the popcorn she made, so she brought out the candy.
It could have been a candy frenzy, but their mom was a “health nut,” so she only gave each kid a fun-sized chocolate bar and a bag of chips. Then, the kids asked her what the “Switch Witch” had gotten her for Halloween.
The Switch Witch? I don’t know who that is, but it sounds exciting.
OP was taken aback by the unknown person. She asked questions about what they meant. They replied and asked if she had more candy at home, to which she said yes.
The Unwanted Truth
After that conversation, they seemed upset, and she didn't understand what had gone wrong. With kids, it’s not too hard to guess. But OP never thought it was the Switch Witch conversation.
When their mom returned, she told her she had fed the kids and left. OP was still confused.
She was shocked when she received a call from a furious mom a few minutes after. Apparently, the mom only gives them six pieces of Halloween candy each and tells them that a magical witch (Switch Witch) will come and take the rest of the candy and leave a toy in its place.
Because of OP, the kids now know that the Switch Witch isn't real and are asking about the other “guardians.”
Honestly, the kids would find out one way or another, and it looks like a mistake anyone could have made.
Still, OP is not over this. After six years, she’s still wondering if she did wrong.
The kids’ mom blacklisted her and told the other parents not to let her babysit for them because she ruined the holidays for her children.
OP narrated this story to her partner, and he didn't seem to understand the big deal.
Now, she's wondering if the guilt she felt, and still feels, was worth it.
The Snitch Witch
OP may have snitched and ruined an important tradition, but how was she to know?
Others online express their thoughts on the matter.
u/YMMV-But shared a valid opinion, “NTA. Until I read your post, I never heard of the Switch Witch, & I gather you hadn’t either. You can’t be blamed for not knowing every tradition that a family follows if the parents never bothered to tell you. It’s not like you told them that a well-known character, e.g., Santa Claus, wasn’t real.”
u/Maternalnudge blames the mom instead. They believe that she should have told OP and blacklisting was unnecessary.
“NTA. That is her fault for taking a well-known holiday and changing it entirely without telling her babysitter, who obviously would need to maintain the lie. Anybody else would have had the same response as you did to the ‘switch witch.' That is so wrong of her to try to blacklist you, and sometimes there is nothing you can do to make things right…”
u/EmpressJainaSolo, like me, thinks it was just an honest mistake.
“The Switch Witch is a new creation that is semi-popular. I know quite a few kids who believe in it. I also know quite a few kids who have never heard of it.
You asked what it was and then answered appropriately. I’m not sure why this couldn’t be saved by their mum telling them adults don’t get visits from the witch anymore.”
Finally
Well, OP has no reason to feel guilty about the incident. The mom should've told her about their tradition if it was that important, instead of making her look bad in front of the other parents.
OP needs to accept that she wasn’t to blame and move on from it, don’t you think?
A thread inspired this post.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.
Boloere Seibidor, fondly called B.S. is a Nigerian-based writer and poet. Her favorite topics to cover include music, especially Hip-Hop, film, lifestyle, and fashion. She's been published by Feral Journal, Fantasy Magazine, The Temz Review, and most notably, Wealth of Geeks. She enjoys romantic dinners, movie nights, and touring new sites. When she's not writing, she's delving back in time to the underground world of Hip-Hop, watching TikTok, or visiting the cinema.