Personal space matters, especially in a shared home.

This person keeps their room open for their cat, but their toddler niece keeps following the cat inside.

They don’t like it that the child grabs her belongings and risks breaking valuable items.

But their mom thinks they are the problem for not organizing their stuff in the room.

Do you agree? Read the full story below and weigh in.

AITA for not letting my 1-year-old step-niece into my room and for pulling her high chair away from the table?

I (21NB) live with my mom and stepfather.

My room is messy, largely because I lack proper storage for my books and belongings.

I also keep my door open for my cat, Boris.

As his food, water, and litter box are in my room.

Meet Allie…

The issue is my stepsister’s visits with her 1-year-old daughter, Allie (fake name).

Allie loves Boris, but he is clearly uncomfortable with her loud, eager approaches.

So he always runs away. Since he retreats to my room, she follows him in there.

Allie touches everything.

She grabs trinkets, goes for my plushies, and risks damage to my school laptop or textbooks.

Many of the plushies are expensive, limited edition, or deeply sentimental.

I’m worried she’ll break something or choke.

This person repeatedly reminds their family that Allie shouldn’t wander inside their room.

I’ve repeatedly told my family I don’t want Allie in my room.

My mom dismisses me and says I should just clean my room.

It is difficult to clean without proper storage.

There’s hypocrisy, too.

She warns me to keep Allie away from Boris’ blankets due to cat hair.

She has no issue with Allie rolling on my fur-covered bed.

Their mom accused them of being cruel.

Once, I closed my door to create a safe space for Boris and protect my things.

Allie cried because she couldn’t get to the cat.

My mom acted like I was being cruel.

Allie cried again.

The final straw was a mealtime incident.

Allie constantly tests boundaries by putting her feet on the table.

I calmly told her if she did it again, I’d move her chair.

She did, so I followed through.

I pulled her high chair back so her feet couldn’t reach. She cried.

Now, they are being painted as the bad guys in front of the kid.

Later, my mom criticized my “attitude,” saying I should have “at least smiled” to make it seem nicer.

I disagree. I believe discipline should be calm and consistent, not turned into a game.

Now, I’m being painted as the bad guy for setting boundaries.

I don’t hate Allie. I just want to protect my cat and my possessions.

Am I the jerk for trying to set a boundary?

Let’s check out the comments of other people.

It’s not okay to let a toddler chase a cat, says this one.

True this.

Lol. This one makes sense.

This one makes a valid point, too.

Finally, here’s some straightforward advice.

Children should learn to respect boundaries at a young age.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.