Sharing a hobby with family can be rewarding, but it doesn’t always work out the way you expect.

So, what would you do if you invested time and money in an activity and then realized the other person had no interest in improving or even playing the game properly? Would you keep going just to spend time together? Or would you consider quitting because they don’t take it seriously?

In the following story, one son finds himself in this situation and is thinking about quitting. Here’s what’s going on.

WIBTA to quit pickleball because they refuse to learn rules or keep score?

I have been playing pickleball 3-5 times a week with my mom for 9 months. I was helping her find a hobby before she retires in a few years.

We started at a local park outdoor court using a cheap starter set I bought. When winter hit, we joined a local club that’s $50 per month. She wants to play for an hour, at least 3 times a week, in the afternoon when she finishes work.

She doesn’t want to play actual games. She just wants to hit the ball back & forth.

His mother isn’t interested in learning the sport.

I have suggested we keep score & play up to 11 best of 3 about 5-6 times, but have to explain every rule, why it’s whose serve or why a point was or wasn’t scored. She refuses to read the rules or play with new people. We have been asked many times to play doubles.

She is only interested in counting how many times we can hit it back and forth without missing.

I believe a sport is about improving your game, meeting new people, and getting in shape, so this seems silly to me, and lately seems like a waste of my time. So, I kind of want to quit.

AITA?

Wow! That does sound pretty frustrating.

Let’s check out how the people at Reddit think he should handle it.

This reader asks his goal.

Here’s someone who wants more info.

According to this person, it’s therapy, not a competition.

As this reader points out, she doesn’t want to actually play.

He needs to look at this differently.

When playing with his mom, it’s for fun. But if he wants to take it seriously, he should do that on his time.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.