What would the internet be without drama? Today we have an interesting story about a woman who took her grandkids to EPCOT while she was babysitting them and the drama that ensued. The drama ended up on the popular Reddit AITA (Am I The A*sshole) page.
What happened?
According to the woman who posted the story, she was asked to watch her grandchildren, aged four and five, for four nights and five days while her son and daughter-in-law went to Mexico for a wedding.
The poster claimed that she did not feel comfortable watching the children that long but begrudgingly agreed to do so. During that time, she was invited to a birthday party at EPCOT, so she took the kids, drove the two hours in, and went.
When the son and daughter-in-law returned, the daughter-in-law was very upset because she wanted to take the kids to Disney and had been saving up to do so. Which the mother-in-law claims she didn’t know. Now, the son and daughter-in-law want her to apologize and she refuses.
According to the woman who posted the story, her son set up the account and made her tell the story on the board, seemingly expecting the internet to agree with him and his wife, but it seems that most people sided with the mother-in-law.
It’s also worth mentioning that the son and his wife only live three hours from Walt Disney World and have not taken their kids to the parks but were fine to go to Mexico for a few days.
Here is the post:
“AITA for taking my grandchildren to Disney for the first time without their mother and refusing to apologize when confronted?
My son made this account and asked me to post this story, because he claims my normal meter is skewed and the internet is going to tell me I am an asshole.
I recently babysat my grandchildren (5 and 4) for a period of four nights and five days so my son and his wife could attend a wedding in Mexico, and spend a few days on vacation. They approached me since her mother would not be available, and I initially said I wasn’t comfortable with that. It seemed like a long time to watch the kids, and she has point blank told me that the woman’s family is more important than the man’s, so I was irritated I was being asked and not her mother. I will admit that I did give in when my son became very emotional, but I felt/feel like they were being manipulative.
While I had the kids I was invited to a birthday at Epcot and wanted to go. It didn’t even occur to me to run it by my son or daughter in law, as I had the kids for an extended period of time and obviously they knew they would be going where I went. My daughter in law had previously mentioned wanting to save up for Disney, but she’s said that about a lot of things, and never made me aware it was something super special to her. Also it was Epcot. It’s not like I took them to Magic Kingdom and they had some magical moment of seeing their favorite character.
When they returned and found out my daughter in law was furious and burst into tears. She said I stole one of her kids first and called me entitled. To be honest I didn’t react well to being called entitled, when she was the one who had previously demanded babysitting. My son asked me to apologize as she was distraught over missing their first Disney trip, but I declined and asked them to leave.
My son reached out again and said I should have asked for something that big, and his wife feels robbed. I know she is a huge Disney person, but it was Epcot, not quintessential Disney and I don’t feel I should have had to miss out on a birthday party I wanted to attend. I told my son I am not apologizing for anything and maybe they should think about how they made me feel when they didn’t respect my initial no. My son feels like Reddit is going to show me the error of my ways.”
While commentators on both sides make arguments, the consensus ended up being that the woman was not the a*sshole in this situation.
People posted that they hoped this humbled her son after he allegedly insisted his mother post the story. Others questioned if the son actually knew the mother posted it.
Others post that the family dynamic seems off and “immature,” and maybe they all need to work out their issues.
It’s also worth noting that there are two sides to every story. The mother-in-law was annoyed that she was watching the kids for so long. It is possible she wanted to get revenge.
I know for many people, a first trip to a Disney theme park with your kids is very special to them. But if I had only lived three hours away, my kids would have been to the park several times by now. Of course, that could just be me.
What do you think? Who do you side with? Do you think this is as messed up as most people seem to think it is?
Comment and let us know!
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