Imagine eating dinner when you notice that you accidentally spilled. It happens, right?

Well, if you’re the mom of the teenage girl in this story, a small spill can be a very big deal. Now, the teen is wondering if she really does have a bad attitude or if her mom is just overreacting.

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA, I don’t think my “attitude” is that bad?

I 16F was eating dinner at the table and chatting with my mum and siblings.

My sister points out a bit of sauce landed on my placemat that left a small mark.

I said thank you and cleaned it up.

My mum started glaring at me and said “seriously? I just cleaned that”

Apologizing wasn’t good enough.

I apologised and wiped it up.

She asked how I managed that considering I was using a bowl.

I smiled (I thought it was a bit funny how i managed it, reflecting now, this was a bit immature) and she said I was laughing at her misfortune, and that my attitude is bad. She started tearing up and saying how I’m creating so much more work for her.

I said that she didn’t need to do more work because I cleaned it up.

Her mom sounds pretty overwhelmed with life to be reacting so severely to a small mess.

She said I was downplaying her feelings and the situation. She said I have to work on myself, and that she hates how my go to is to smile and laugh.

I apologised multiple times and reassured her that I cleaned it up.

I feel like she wants me to change my personality.

She’s saying if I don’t change my “attitude” by myself, she’ll force me.

They have opposite views on life.

Arguments like this happen constantly over very small things, I try my hardest to be understanding but sometimes I think something this small has no reason for argument.

This is of course just one situation, so large assumptions cannot be made, but my mother hates my attitude of over positivity and laughing/ smiling.

For some context on my mum and myself: I tend to be over positive, always seeing the good, I laugh and joke a lot, not that I don’t see there is negativity in the world, I choose to focus on positivity.

My mum, due to some poor experiences eg. divorce has a downturned view on life, says she doesn’t like “silliness” and gets frustrated when others are too loud and playful, she also assumes the worst in everyone.

She wants another opinion on this situation.

Our relationship has always been rocky due to major clash in personality but there’s always attempt to remain civil, I love my mum no matter what and won’t let things be bad between us.

Is my attitude that bad? Please be honest, I feel like I need someone older and mature (other than my mum) to evaluate, because I know being a teenager makes me not see how I can be rude and immature.

It sounds like life has been hard on the mom and left her irritable. But, to OP’s question, is being overly positive a bad attitude?

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

The mom probably has something else she’s concerned about.

The placemat did its job.

This is true.

Nobody thinks this teen has an attitude problem.

I wonder what her mom is really upset about.

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.