After a long, chaotic travel day with two overtired kids—including a screaming toddler who barely napped—a dad was just ready to get everyone home and into bed.

But when his mother-in-law tried to invite her visiting brother over without asking, it threatened to make the day even worse.

He put his foot down, but he’s wondering if that was the wrong decision.

Read on for the story.

AITA for not letting my MIL’s brother see my children after a travel day?

Yesterday my wife and I flew back from Chicago with our two kids (4 years old and 18 months old).

The flight was delayed about an hour and a half, and during both the delay and the flight our youngest screamed for around two hours straight as the flight was over her regular nap window where she usually sleeps 2-3 hours.

Unfortunately, although she was exhausted she couldn’t fall asleep more than 20 minutes.

By the time we finally got home (landed at 6pm), everyone was wiped out mentally and physically.

They really needed to rest.

My MIL actually picked us up from the airport, which was very kind of her, but she talked about wanting her brother (who was in town and driving back to Florida the next morning) to stop by our house that evening to meet the kids.

She called him up and tried to invite him over once we got home without even consulting my wife or me.

Luckily I overheard her on the phone and interrupted her and told her flat out no, the kids were going straight to bed and I refused to accommodate her brother.

Mind you it was already almost 7pm, and since we’d been on CST in Chicago, for the kids it felt even later.

The kids needed their sleep.

My MIL was offended that I wouldn’t “put off bedtime” so her brother could see them before he drove back today in the morning, and she made it clear she thought I was being rude when I told her under no circumstances would he be seeing my children that evening not even my oldest.

From my perspective, we had just survived a brutal travel day, the kids were overtired and melting down, and forcing them to stay up so a relative could say hi felt unfair to them and us as parents.

I know family is important, but AITHA for preventing a family member who was really only a 5 minute car ride away from visiting my kids?

Reddit overwhelmingly said NTA, agreeing that protecting kids’ rest (and parents’ sanity) trumps last-minute social calls.

This person made a solid point.

This person praised him for setting boundaries and not letting guilt or family pressure dictate bedtime.

And this person said MIL was wayyy out of line.

Sometimes “family time” can wait.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.