The internet applauded a woman for leaving her 5-year-old niece's party after a fight occurred between her and her sister-in-law.
Taken to Reddit's infamous r/AmITheA**hole forum, a woman under the username u/bearwear671 shared her story in order to get opinions to see if she was in the wrong. The popular post has over 8,000 upvotes and 1,000 comments.
The original poster (OP) began her story by explaining that her sister-in-law, "Megan," recently threw her oldest daughter a birthday party. Megan is also currently pregnant with her fourth child.
When the OP received her invitation, she noticed a note that reminded everyone to "not forget about the mommy when shopping for birthday gifts." The Reddit user refused to get her sister-in-law a gift as it was not her birthday, it was her daughter's.
"I will be honest I'm not Megan's biggest fan, I've always found her to be a large drama queen. So when I read that I was supposed to bring her a present to her daughter's birthday party I was annoyed and knew I would be doing no such thing," she wrote.
The OP decided to make a hand-crocheted blanket and a teddy bear to match. At the party, when it was time to open gifts, Megan sat herself in the center of the room while her children sat on the floor next to her. She opened all the gifts even if they were for her daughter. Once she was finished, she handed it to her daughter. Once she opened the OP's gift, she saw the gift for her daughter and then began to look for hers. When Megan asked if there was one for her, she said no.
The user said, "Disappointed Megan took the blanket out of the box and proceeded to ask me questions like 'where did you get such a cute blanket' and 'I hope you didn't break the bank with such an extravagant present.' Her tone of voice came across as sincere but the way she stared at me across the room definitely gave me a different impression."
"I responded to her questions by saying that I made the teddy bear and blanket myself and that it was no trouble for my little niece. Megan chuckles and asks me in front of the whole party if I had actually made the gifts, I responded absolutely. Megan and I go back and forth in front of everyone for a minute but Megan ends the conversation by saying I didn't actually make the gifts because I didn't collect the wool for the blanket or make the buttons on the bear myself. That for something to be handmade you have to use only your hands from start to fish otherwise it doesn't count," she continued.
The OP's mother-in-law had a conversation with her after the fight with her sister-in-law, saying that she was upset that she "antagonized" Megan. The OP admitted that no one in her family liked Megan but her in-laws tolerate her. When they didn't, Megan and her husband moved away and had recently moved back to town. The OP's mother-in-law asked her to "keep the peace" and leave the party to grab Megan a gift and also come back with an apology.
Newsweek reached out to u/Bearwear671 for comment.
She didn't return to the party as she took her gift with her. She wrote that she would give her gift to her niece at a later date. Since she left, many family members and friends of Megan said that she ruined the party by stealing her niece's birthday present.
Do you have a young niece or nephew in your life and are having trouble figuring out what to get them as a gift? The perfect presents for younger children include building blocks for kids, magnet tiles, sidewalk chalk, a croquet set, card games and a mini razor scooter, according to verywellfamily.com.
Are you having trouble dealing with your sister-in-law? Here are a few methods to try in order for the both of you to get along. Try to find something that both of you have in common, ask questions, choose your battles, try your best not to be alone with her and find someone to always be with the both of you, per brides.com.
The "AITA" community was quick to comment in defense of the OP.
"[Not the a**hole]. It's really strange that an adult woman would try and make her daughter's birthday about herself. That's what her own birthday is for," u/Quiet_Attitude exclaimed, receiving the top comment with over 10,000 upvotes.
"So your sister in law threw a party for herself on your niece's birthday and got mad when you only brought a present for your niece?" asked u/mdthomas. "I'd go no contact with her. This woman may have had a baby but she clearly is no adult. [Not the a**hole]."
"[Not the a**hole]. Your sister-in-law sounds unbearable, she also doesn't sound like she's cut out to be a mom. Having children means putting them first not taking over the spotlight every opportunity you get," u/Flower197755 added.
"[Not the a**hole] Megan sounds exhausting. I think it's time to not visit her anymore, or your MIL either. It's not keeping the peace when people expect you to be a doormat to people," u/Limerase commented.
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