No one wants to get the reputation of a gossiper.

People won’t trust you and they’ll actively avoid you because they think you can’t be trusted.

So you can understand where this parent was coming from when they held back information from their son’s teacher, right?

Read their story below and see if you think they were out of line.

AITA for telling my kid’s teacher I wasn’t upfront because she and her son are gossipers?

“My son Dawson is in the 6th grade and has been rather anxious.

He has to give a victim impact statement and has been preparing for it all this week. He’s trying to keep it together and has been sleeping in my bed all those month.

He has a oral report due on Friday for his social studies class and obviously he can’t do it because he has to be in court.

I spoke to his teacher, Mrs T , and said he has an appointment on Friday that he can’t miss and if he could possibly do this report on Monday.

She asked why can’t he do it on Thursday.

They weren’t seeing eye to eye…

I said that was a totally fair question but there’s something going on with him and he’s emotionally distraught. I don’t want him breaking down in class and being made fun of.

She said there was no good excuse to punt an oral exam because Dawson has the jitters.

I said it’s way more than that.

She said he can give his oral report Thursday or Friday or take a zero.

I said I understand and he’ll take a zero. Your class isn’t important in the grand scheme of things anyways. My son’s emotional health is way more important.

But he wasn’t going to budge.

She was surprised that I said to give him a zero because I’m a very involved dad.

She told me to be upfront with her about what was going on and I said I’m not telling you any more.

Later I got a call from the vice principal who said that I had a “hostile” conversation with Mrs T and requested that she give my son a zero.

I said that’s not really accurate. I told him off the record that my son has to give a victim impact statement on Friday. He’s a mess.

He quickly said by all means let him stay home tomorrow and Friday. He’d work something out with his teachers.

I said I do NOT want anyone knowing his business. He assured me be wouldn’t give any reason.

He was clear with the teacher about where he stood.

I got an email from Mrs T who said she wished that I had been more open about what was going on because she cares about Dawson. She’s worried about him now.

I responded that I didn’t tell her details because you and especially your son (he’s in the same grade as Dawson) are gossip queens and I don’t trust you.

She told me that what I said was very hurtful. I said then don’t ask and don’t fish for information.”

Here’s how folks reacted.

This person said they’re NTA at all.

Another individual agreed and said teachers don’t need to know everything…

One reader said this teacher crossed the line.

Another Reddit user who is a teacher shared their thoughts.

And this individual who is a teacher said they’d never do this.

Nobody likes a gossiper.

Now zip your lip!

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.