When relationships end, the connections that formed around them don’t always get a clean ending too.

This college student had a painful breakup with his ex and ran into her at a campus event while his young sibling was with him. The two had been close during the relationship, so his ex tried to say hello to her.

But remembering how toxic his ex had been during the breakup, he quickly stepped in and shut the interaction down, telling her that she wasn’t allowed contact with anyone in his family.

So when his sister was left upset, his family accused him of overreacting.

Read on to decide for yourself if they’re right.

AITAH for telling my ex girlfriend to stop interacting with my little sister?

I (20M) dated a young woman (20F) around a year ago.

We had a messy and drawn out breakup where she said some things that really hurt me, including calling me hateful names.

I was definitely not perfect in the relationship either, but I have learned from my mistakes.

The two finally went their separate ways, but that wasn’t the last they’d see of each other.

Although we go to colleges in different cities, my ex and I live in the same city during the summer, so we sometimes cross paths.

Sometimes, I bring my little sister (8F) to my college events for quality time and so she can see what school is like.

My ex was there one day, and she tried interacting with my little sister.

When the couple was together, this was all well and good, but now, the interaction makes him quite uncomfortable.

For context, my little sister and my ex adored each other. They grew quite close and my little sister still talks about her sometimes.

I immediately told her “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable with you talking with my little sister, please leave us alone.”

She responded with “I think that’s something for (my little sister) to decide.”

Regardless, he held strong.

Finally I said “We broke up, that means you don’t interact with me or with my family.”

She left us alone after that.

His younger sibling wasn’t happy though, which caught the attention of the rest of the family.

My little sister was devastated and my family and friends are saying that I overreacted and that I should have let them talk some.

I understand where they are coming from, but it just seems weird to talk to your ex’s sibling.

This has been on my mind for the past week.

AITAH?

No one can blame this man for still feeling a little tender about the whole thing, especially considering it was such a rough breakup.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a young woman who didn’t expect closing her door to study to lead to a sibling blowout.

What did Reddit have to say?

His sibling may only be 8, but if he explains it the right way, she should understand.

Letting your ex be friends with your family only leans to more awkwardness and hurt.

Ex or not, his impressionable young sister doesn’t need to be hanging out with someone like this.

This user takes a bit of a different stance.

A messy breakup with someone who said genuinely hurtful things doesn’t come with a clean boundary manual, and this student was working with what he had in the moment.

All his family saw was a little girl who lost contact with someone she liked, but what they might not be fully accounting for is who that ex actually is and what she’s capable of.

He went through something real with his ex. Letting her back into his family’s life through a side door was never going to sit right with him.

His sister was upset in the moment, but a child’s short-term disappointment is easier to recover from than long-term exposure to someone who proved they could be harmful.

Temporary discomfort is worth upholding a good boundary.