Sometimes grandparents come up with what they think are harmless and fun little games, but when you’re a little kid, it can be more intimidating and frustrating than fun.

In today’s story, one grandfather wants everyone to say a certain phrase before getting on his boat, but it’s too hard for this mom’s little girl to repeat the words.

She’s not sure she handled the situation correctly, so she’s asking for advice.

Read on to see what happened.

AITAH for walking away from my FIL who wouldn’t let my 3 year old onto his boat?

My in-laws invite us & their kids to their lake house every year for a week for that past 11 years. My husband (35M) and I (42F) have 3 kids (youngest is 3) and we join every year.

Yesterday, everyone was planning to go on the boat, including my 3 year old who was excited.

My FIL was already on the boat and said to everyone “the rule is you have to say ‘permission to come aboard, Captain’ if you want to come on the boat.” (In the 11 years of being on his boat, I’ve never heard this rule.)

This was a hard phrase for her daughter to say.

My SIL & son said it and got on.

Then it was my daughter & I’s turn. My 3 year old doesn’t know 3 out of 5 of those words so she said “please, can I come on the boat.”

Her grandfather stared at her (not meanly but with no change in his stance or face).

A couple of seconds went by like this.

My daughter didn’t say anything else to her grandfather but turned to me and asked if I would say it.

She decided to say it for her daughter.

I said “permission to come aboard, Captain?”

My FIL continued to look at my daughter. He didn’t acknowledge that I said anything.

So I repeated a little louder.

My FIL continued to stare at my daughter. Everyone else saw this encounter and also didn’t move or say anything.

She’d had enough.

So I said nothing more and took my daughter’s hand and we walked back up to the house. I told her we could do something else fun.

My daughter started crying and said “why don’t they want me to go?” which broke my heart and made me angry simultaneously.

We went back down to try a 4th time.

Before having to ask again, my FIL said “come on, we want you to come with us.” So I swallowed my anger & pride and made sure my daughter had a good time.

My FIL & I haven’t brought-up the encounter.

She doesn’t want to talk to her husband about what happened.

I don’t care what my FIL thinks but I’m nervous to talk to my husband about this.

In 11 years of marriage, my husband has only blamed me when I have negative interactions with his parents like this. I do not speak around them except polite, surface-level things.

I also avoid talking to my husband because the end result is usually that I’ve done something wrong (in this case it will probably that I felt anger towards his dad when his dad didn’t do anything wrong).

So I probably won’t even talk to my husband but I wanted other peoples’ opinion on if I was the AH?

Grandpa probably thought he was being cute, but he should’ve said something instead of staring at his granddaughter, not letting her on the boat.

She was trying to protect her child. That’s what a good mom does.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person suggests couples therapy.

This person would’ve handled it differently.

She definitely has a problem.

This person calls for divorce.

Here’s the perspective from someone who had a negative experience with her grandpa.

She needs to talk to her husband, even if it’s in counseling.

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.