In every family, each member plays a role.

The role of the younger brother in this story is that of a mischief-making bully.

He was known for his pranks, but when he challenged his brother’s patience one time too many, it forced a reckoning that divided the family.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for losing my composure at a family gathering

I ended up calling my brother out in front of our family at a recent gathering.

My (40m) bag (basically a fanny pack) was sitting on a table at the entrance of where we were, the bag contains my keys, phone, kid’s meds, etc.

I watched my brother (30m) pick up my bag and take it into another room.

He immediately calls his brother out, but his brother just taunts him further.

I soon made my way to where he was and asked him to hand it over, stating I observed him pick it up and walk away with it.

With a smile on his face, he suggested I go tattle on him, stating “no one will believe you, I always win, go ahead, see what happens” while claiming he doesn’t have it.

So he tries to get help from someone else, but his brother wraps her up into the prank too.

I made my way to the room where his wife was, stating what had happened and asked for her help.

She went and talked to him, returning to tell me he didn’t have it and for me to leave him alone.

He sticks his head around the corner and smirks, mouthing “told ya so”.

So finally, he’s done playing his brother’s dumb game.

I gathered my partner and our kid and said we needed to leave. I didn’t swear or name call, but I was not calm, cool or collected in my haste.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, being on the receiving end of his nonsense.

His family was not understanding at all.

I was reprimanded by a handful of people for being over the top, and that my behavior was concerning.

Eventually he disclosed where he hid my bag, we then left immediately.

I am usually happy-go-lucky, I have the disposition of a ska band.

He’s sick and tired of being taunted, and he can’t understand why his family enables the behavior.

I will never understand blaming a victim for reacting with big emotions to something they shouldn’t have endured in the first place.

If this isn’t the appropriate perspective and there is a better position to take, I would like to understand why and what I could do differently when involved with these situations.

AITA?

Family may be family, but it doesn’t mean tolerating abuse.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter wonders how his brother’s immaturity even got to this level.

This commenter thinks self-preservation is the way to go for any future gatherings – that is, if he still decides to go at all.

Act like a child, get treated like a child.

Or, act like a naughty cat, get treated like a naughty cat.

Sure, it was a small bag, but it carried big consequences.

The only way to win with his brother was to refuse to play the game.

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.