April 21, 2026 at 10:23 am

Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

by Michael Levanduski

Woman who overslept

Shutterstock, Reddit

Getting kids ready for school in the morning can be a lot of work since you are on a strict deadline, so you need your kids to help where they can.

What would you do if you overslept, and even though your child got up on time, he played video games instead of waking you up or getting ready?

That is what happened to the parent in this story, so she grounded him because he was late, even though it was partly her own fault.

AITAH for grounding my 8 year old son for not getting to school on time today

I [26] F slept through my alarm this morning which resulted in me waking up a half an hour later than normally.

If mom normally wakes the kid up, how it his fault if she slept in?

Due to this my son didn’t make it to school on time.

Him and I are not seeing eye to eye on this because he believes it’s my responsibility to get up and help him get ready which, he’s right.

He is only eight, but honestly, he shouldn’t have played video games.

I can’t argue with that I messed up there.

However, my issue is in the fact that he woke up on time to his own alarm and instead of coming to get me or putting on his clothes I had ready for him the previous night he decided to play video games knowing that he did have school this morning.

Hopefully, he isn’t grounded for too long.

So, for that reason I grounded him. I have talked with him and let him know that him and I both made a mistake here.

I should have been more responsible and he should have too. I apologized.

No consequences for herself.

I’m wondering though if it was warranted to ground him in the first place? After all, I made a mistake too and I don’t have any consequences.

I also don’t want him thinking that he can just sneak off and play games in these situations though.

AITA?

This is a difficult situation because she does need to teach her son responsibility, but it was also kind of her fault. I think a modest punishment is fine.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

This commenter sums it up nicely.

Comment 5 37 Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

She really should have taken ownership.

Comment 4 40 Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

It was all mom’s fault.

Comment 3 40 Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

Yup, this was a missed opportunity.

Comment 2 40 Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

Yeah, the kid is too little for this.

Comment 1 40 Mom Overslept And When Her Son Woke Up For School, He Played Video Games Instead Of Waking Her Or Getting Ready, So She Grounded Him

This is a teaching moment, not one for punishment.

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.

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.