Here’s the thing about pranks – they’re almost never funny to the person on the butt end of them.
So, I’m going into this with the thought that encouraging kids to pull them is rarely, if ever, the right course of action.
It all began when OP and her husband left to spend her sister-in-law’s birthday with her.
Longer version: my husband and I (38F) went to my SIL’s house for her birthday.
It’s quite a long drive and so we drove up the day before and stayed overnight in their spare room (the birthday meal was going to be midday).
She has two kids aged 4 and 7. Husband and I went in separate cars as we were coming from different work places to get there.
OP needs her glasses to see, and always leaves them on her nightstand.
I am very short-sighted and literally can’t see 1ft in front of my face without my glasses.
Every night I take them off and put them on the nightstand right where I know I can reach them in the morning.
Now, apparently, SIL thought it would be a funny prank to get her kids to sneak into the room (I sleep with earplugs in because husband is a loud snorer) and take and hide my glasses.
When they were gone, she couldn’t understand what had happened.
In the morning of her birthday, I couldn’t find my glasses on the nightstand. I had to ask husband to help (in case they had fallen off and under the bed or something) but we couldn’t find them anywhere.
I was really distraught because as I said, I’m literally almost non-functional without them.
Husband helped me down to breakfast and I explained that I wouldn’t be able to take part in the meal midday (nearby restaurant) and couldn’t drive myself home. I was really upset.
They are also expensive glasses because I have to get the lenses thinned etc. so about £600.
The truth made her cry and immediately head for home.
SIL let this go on until they were literally about to go for her birthday lunch. I’d not been able to do much at all up until this point because *I CAN’T SEE* then she jokingly said to her kids, “Ok, that’s enough I think, go get them” and the kids ran off to fetch my glasses from where they’d hidden them.
She said not to blame them at all (I don’t… ish) and it was her idea and just a bit of harmless fun.
I put my glasses on, got in my car, said nothing at all and just drove home.
Now they’re saying she can’t take a joke.
My husband is on my side and has apologised on SIL’s behalf saying that she thought I would see the funny side. He is very apologetic and offered to skip her birthday meal as well and come home.
But HE is being apologetic. Not her.
I’ve had nothing from SIL except from an angry Whatsapp message to the group (not directly to me but to the family group) saying that her birthday had been ruined because “someone” couldn’t take a joke.
Apparently after I left she had a meltdown about how the day was ruined because I drove off and the kids were upset.
It is genuinely distressing for me to *not be able to see* but I see(!) how she might have thought this would be funny to get her kids to do.
AITA?
Does Reddit think she overreacted? Their judgement is below!
The top comment says they let it go on for too long to be funny.
And the bottom line is that it isn’t nice.
They say there’s nothing funny about it.
This person says her SIL doesn’t seem to like her.
Mother of the Year she is not.
I can’t imagine doing this to someone.
I also can’t imagine encouraging my kids to do it, either.
If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.