I banned my cousin from family outings after a disaster dinner – now my sister thinks I'm a terrible person
A Reddit user has sought advice online about a decision to ban her eight-year-old nephew from all family events they host.
The anonymous user took to the infamous 'Am I The A**hole' forum to share the doubts they had with her sister Charlotte's son Leo after the pair became closer as a family.
But she wrote that while it was nice to have family around, Leo's dinner appearance was “an absolute disaster.”
“He was jumping up and down between the stalls and shouting to get Charlotte's attention,” the poster wrote.
“I've told Charlotte she needs to get Leo under control and until she does, he's not welcome at any public events I host for the family.”
The Reddit user wrote that Charlotte called them “a terrible person” and that friends are “divided” over whether the line was good or bad.
A Reddit user asks if they're a ****** after an incident involving their eight-year-old nephew Leo led to them banning him from attending public family events
The user wrote that they had only seen Charlotte and Leo over the holidays before the couple moved.
Charlotte and Leo were invited to a family dinner shortly after moving, but things may have turned into a mess before the family members arrived at the restaurant.
“Charlotte called me while she was driving to the restaurant,” they wrote.
They added: 'I could hear Leo screaming in the background. Charlotte asked Leo to wait a few minutes until she finished calling and then she would give Leo her phone.
“She didn't do anything to actually discipline Leo.”
Shortly after all the family members arrived at the restaurant, the night started to go wrong.
Leo and his mother Charlotte went to the restaurant where he threw bread at a service dog and jumped up and down on a booth for attention (stock image)
Leo, who according to the Reddit user “acted like a two-year-old child,” even threw bread at a service dog in the restaurant.
“My father took the bread away after Leo ignored the first warning and Leo threw a tantrum,” they wrote.
'While all this was happening, Charlotte just said things like, “Oh Leo, you can play on my phone,” and did nothing to actually discipline my cousin.”
Restaurant patrons other than the family allegedly watched them during Leo's tantrums, which the Reddit user admitted they would have done as well.
After dinner, the Reddit user told Charlotte that she needs to “get Leo under control” and that he should not attend the family events they host until she does.
An upset Charlotte asked the Reddit user to think about how they would have felt if they were eight years old, knowing they were excluded from family events.
The Reddit user wrote in another post that Leo has not been diagnosed with a disability and that “he does not appear to be overstimulated.”
After telling Charlotte that Leo wasn't allowed to go to public family events, they said he could go to events at their home during the holidays.
The sibling's parents refuse to participate, and the Reddit user's friends have differing opinions on the ban.
“Some say Leo shouldn't even be in restaurants until Charlotte has him under control, and others claim what I did to Leo was normal child behavior,” they wrote.
The Reddit user later revealed that they told Charlotte Leo they could attend events at their home over the holidays.
More than 1,000 Reddit users commented on the post within the first three days it was on the platform.
According to other Reddit users, the apparently annoyed aunt in this situation is not the a****** (NTA).
Several users on the social media platform found Leo's behavior 'not normal' and 'unacceptable'.
Reddit users have said that the annoyed aunt is not the ****** (NTA) for not allowing her nephew to go to public family events that she organizes
The Reddit user has only responded to one comment since posting to the platform on January 2
Others have criticized Charlotte for her parenting, while criticizing Leo for his behavior at the family event.
'This is not normal behavior for children; at age eight they should be able to sit still at dinner,” another Reddit user wrote.
The user added: 'This is bad discipline from his parents – they didn't help him learn any self-control.'
There have also been ideas and questions thrown around about the situation with Leo and public family events.
The creator of the Reddit post responded to a comment from another user who had an idea of what to do about the situation.
The post commenter suggested that they “play restaurant at home” with Charlotte and Leo and talk to their families about how they can help them.
“Try to be a family and help each other through this adjustment,” they wrote.
The aunt thought playing restaurant was 'a great idea' and they would let Charlotte know.
“If my cousin proves he has learned how to behave, I will reconsider the rule.”