Parents tend to be a little bit picky about how other people explain the world to their children, since they likely have their own ideas and preferences.

In this case, a mother shares how her sister-in-law planted a seed in her children’s minds that they should live a simple life and “have less.”.

She did not like that, and they ended up arguing about it.

But who is in the wrong?

Let’s analyze this situation.

AITA for telling my sister-in-law to stop “Playing poor” around my kids?

My sister-in-law “Lily” has been close with my family ever since her recent divorce.

She’s had a bit of a rough time financially since then, so she’s really embraced the “simple life.”

She often talks about how she doesn’t need much, how money is a distraction, and how “having less is freeing.”

My kids are 11 and 12, and Lily’s started babysitting them sometimes.

But I’ve noticed that after hanging out with her, they make little comments like, “Why do we need a big house?” or, “Why buy new clothes if we don’t really need them?”

She realized a change in her children’s behavior and she didn’t like it.

To be clear, I’m all for teaching gratitude, but I also feel it’s important for my kids to see that success and comfort don’t have to be negative things.

I didn’t grow up with much, and my husband and I worked hard to build our life so that our kids could have opportunities we didn’t have.

I don’t want them to feel guilty for what we have, but Lily’s influence seems to be making them second-guess our lifestyle.

When I asked her (as gently as I could) to stop making these comments around my kids, Lily was hurt and said I was “trying to erase her reality” and accused me of being “materialistic.”

Well, that escalated quickly.

She said it’s her duty to show them the world isn’t all about money and things, which I get.

But I think there’s a line between that and making them feel uncomfortable about our lifestyle.

The conversation got heated after Lily called me materialistic and I snapped and told her to “just stop playing poor.”

Now, my husband’s family thinks I’m overreacting and says Lily is just sharing her values.

His mum said that I’m being snobby and trying to shelter my kids from other viewpoints.

AITA?

Both of them have good intentions, but their communication could use some work.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this.

A commenter shares their thoughts.

This person also thinks she might be a good influence on them.

This reader shares their point of view.

Another commenter chimes in.

Someone thinks she could be more understanding.

This reader mentions a few important points to consider.

I think both of them are positive influences on the kids.

Balance is everything.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.