On the one hand, it would be nice to have some help at work once in a while.

On the other, I think most normal parents would laugh in your face if you asked them to come help you finish your shift.

This one is weird, because the person in charge said they should have let the parents help, because family is important.

Check out all the details below for yourself.

Parents Don’t Help You at Work

Background: I work as, amongst other things, as an art gallery assistant.

We hang shows and sell artwork; it is similar to retail in many ways.

Lots of work, long hours, and people that make you question humanity and its knowledge.

He was stressed so he asked the new guy to come in.

This weekend I had the job of taking down an art show.

My boss is gone for the next few weeks, so I’ve been in charge.

Stressful doesn’t being to cover it. I rent the company van and pick up our interns who are college students looking to gain exp. in the field.

One is trained and the new one, let’s call him Bob, is not.

Bob is not there.

On the way to work he sends a text saying his family is in town and he is not coming in.

I’m not happy.

My boss is expecting me to have all this work done, and I need Bob because he is the only muscle we have. I tell him to come by after he is done eating with his parents if he can.

Bob says okay.

But he showed up with his family. All of them.

Fast forward to being at work.

The other intern and I are beginning our shift, seeing what pieces didn’t sell and those that did. Bob sends another message saying that he is outside.

Bob then comes in with his girlfriend and ENTIRE family.

His mother then begins to yell at me.

And his mom wasn’t about to keep silent.

Mom: “How dare you make my son come into work today when we are in town?! This is the only day we can see him and you are ruining our brunch!!!”

Me: baffled “Well…ma’am…your son has known that he has had to work today for two weeks. I saw him two days ago and confirmed that he would be here. If you want, you guys can go out to eat and drop him off here later. I can take him back to his dorm.”

Mom: “No! No! Forget it! We are already here! We’re gonna help him so he can leave early!”

Me: “Umm…your son is already late for his shift, but I can have him out of here by 2:00. Unfortunately, I cannot use your help. You are welcome to look around or go explore downtown until it gets closer to 2:00.”

Mom: “FINE!”

He never could have guessed what would happen next.

I then went back to getting Bob started.

The father stops me to ask an absurd question, which I answer in my best retail voice when I hear Bob calling for me.

He is confused on how to get a screw out of the wall…with a hammer. Bless his heart. I take Bob to our storeroom where we have….wait for it….a drill.

I am explaining how to drill works when I hear a loud CRASH.

I run out to find Bob’s irate mother standing there with a broken sculpture all over the floor.

I now know what fear and angry feels like when combined in a perfect storm.

Does anyone actually think they’re allowed to touch the art?!

Me: shaking in rage while giving a Meryl Streep performance of retail smiles “What are you doing with the art?!”

Mom: cannot even see death in front of her “I’m helping my son so he can leave early.”

Me: “You are not allowed to handle the art. I can handle it because that’s my job and I have been trained. Intern has been trained. Today I was going to train your son. Not you. Not your husband or daughter or Bob’s girlfriend, but Bob. You have no right to be handling a piece.”

If he thought he was surprised at first, it only got better when he called his boss.

The guard is located and a report is filed out. The parents keep getting in my face and asking me questions until I have to leave and call my boss to report what has happened. Boss is not happy and as shocked as me. Tells me to send Bob and Company away.

I return to Bob and his entourage and tell them to please leave. The father spends 20 minutes arguing with me.

Dad: “What makes you qualified? You’re just a kid. Will my son get in trouble? Will we have to pay for it? It said NFS, so it’s like free right? How much does it cost? 20 bucks? 100?”

Me: “I have held this job for over two years, and I have never damaged a piece or had one of the interns damage one. I don’t know what will happen regarding your son’s position or payment for the broken art. NFS means not for sale. That piece is easily worth $6000. It is generally understood that interns don’t bring their parents to work nor do pedestrians touch artwork.”

Dad: “Oh well, haha! Accidents happen!”

Me: “Not on my watch they don’t. I don’t break art, and my interns don’t break art. Your wife did, however, because she had no business touching the work. I have spoken with my supervisor and she has said that you all and Bob should leave.”

Then, there was the subsequent meeting.

The family then left, the mother hiding behind a column and glaring at me the entire time.

The rest of the day was full of panic and tears on my behalf. I will most likely lose my job.

During a staff meeting a few days ago (when boss returned), Boss spoke with me and Bob. Bob was told he had a strike against him for being late to his shift and was dismissed.

Afterwards, Boss spent roughly twenty minutes lecturing me how parents should always trump work, and how it is not Bob’s fault but mine since this is his first job and not mine.

I made it very clear that I had given Bob and his parents the option to go; Bob’s mom acted on her own and looking back there was little I could do to stop it.

Nowhere have I ever been allowed to miss a shift for wanting to hang out with my family-especially last minute.

I politely said this, and that how in many other jobs, this type of mindset and behavior would result in termination. Boss said its better to agree than disagree.

This was quite the whirlwind.

Let’s find out which side Reddit is on for this one.

The family is definitely a bunch of idiots.

Adulting is really hard for some people.

It seems like maybe this wasn’t the job for Bob.

This guy wasn’t at fault, though.

Free advice for everyone.

You can’t fix stupid.

So you probably shouldn’t hire it, either.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.