Spending time with family can be sweet, but sometimes the visits cause more stress than they're worth.
For one Redditor, their experience trying to blend families was a bitter one.
Here's The Story
OP is 26 and recently had a baby she named “Jack.”
Her sister is 28 and has 7 children. Recently, she brought her oldest, 12, and her six-year-old for a visit.
OP says the 12-year-old was “great with Jack,” but her six-year-old niece was the exact opposite.
According to OP, she would throw a fit whenever she wasn't holding Jack. This included kicking the stroller, even if Jack was in the stroller. To complicate matters, OP says her sister would complain about ‘being tired' and constantly yelled at her oldest daughter for virtually nothing to stop the six-year-old.
When they came back to the house, OP said her younger niece repeatedly took Jack from his stroller, despite being told “no.” The situation escalated to the point where OP snapped and yelled at the young girl.
OP says her sister came in and shouted at her, then her family left early. She also heard her sister blaming the oldest for having to leave early. Now, her family is messaging her and berating her, saying that her younger niece was “just being curious” about the baby.
Here's What Reddit Thinks
User @MaeLee7 thinks OP is NTA and that someone needs to ‘look out for her oldest niece.'
“NTA. Maybe shouting wasn't the best approach but someone needs to parent that little turd as her mother is not. Please lookout your oldest neice, she is going to need someone on her side.”
@BrickMysterious8591 thinks OP definitely ‘did the right thing.'
“NTA. You have a duty to protect your newborn. The 6 yo's behaviour is alarming, as if she thinks your baby is a toy. You did the right thing.”
Redditor @charliecloude that OP's sister is TA for not parenting her children well.
“Yeah the 6 year old isn’t then AH, it’s the mum for doing absolutely no parenting and abusing her older daughter. She sounds like a terrible parent. NTA.”
User @anaisaknits thinks OP is NTA and that the oldest daughter is ‘not the mother.'
“NTA. Sounds like your sister has a major brat and refuses to address it and instead blames the older daughter. That is abusive behavior. Your job as a mom is to protect your child. Someone needs to sit down with your sister and tell her she has major issues and needs addressing. Her daughter is not the mother.”
User @purplegreypunk thinks OP should either take her older niece in or call Child Protective Services
“NTA…but your sister is emotionally abusive to her 12 year old. It’s called scapegoating. If you have the means to take in the 12 year old, please do rescue that child. If you can’t do that but your country has some form of child protective services, please make the call.”
Redditor @Alecto_On_Fire knows not all 6-year-old children are created equal and that something can be done for the 12-year-old.
“NTA. The fact that the tantrums include kicking the pram make me worry for how the 6yo would react to being instructed on simply holding the baby the correct way.
You are absolutely right to protect your baby. Not all 6 year olds are created equal. She needs to learn boundaries…
I hope you feel some sort of responsibility to be able to talk to your sister about her behavior towards the 12yo…
It sounds like your sister needs a reality check. I'm sorry she's created a life that led to this stressful and disturbing situation. I wish you the best of luck going forward, and congrats on the baby boy ♥︎”
In The End
Aunts walk a fine line when dealing with nieces and nephews. Would you have done the same, given OP's circumstances?
Read the full story here.
This article is produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.