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We’ve all got those friends who are obsessed with their kids. They’re not just good parents – they barely seem to spend a moment not thinking about their child, and absolutely every conversation turns back to them, no matter how little interest you show. After ten minutes in their company you know everything about Baby Bobby’s sleep schedule, bowel movements, and everything in between.

And sure, it’s natural to love your kid. After all, you grew them, and they’re a little part of you and your partner walking the earth, under your care. It’s a serious job, but one that is rich in rewarding experiences. But not all of those little moments needs to be shared with your childfree friends – maybe just pick the highlights.

The oldest brother in this story has children of his own, as do three of his four siblings. The childfree sister has always been something of an outcast, but he wanted to keep including her anyway – until suddenly he didn’t any more.

Read on to find out what happened.

AITA for banning my sister from family parties because of her attitude towards kids?

I (41, male) am the oldest of five kids. My sister, Vera (31, female) is the third child. Our parents are long dead.

Now, my sister was always the quiet one. She never interacted with us much as a child – instead, she spent most time in her room, reading. She barely spoke and when she did, she had different conversation topics. She was gifted, I get it, but we were kids and got bored when she talked, so we just didn’t get along.

Fast forward, Vera now works optimizing administrative processes for big companies. She’s very authoritative, strategic and overconfident. Even her boyfriend would not take a business or financial decision without consulting her first because he’s convinced she’s the holy grial of management.

I get it, she’s good at what she does, has a big salary, and has good connections, but she’s just a bit much.

But that’s not the only issue he has with his sister.

One point here is that Vera is the only sibling who has no kids, and apparently her boyfriend got a vasectomy a few months ago. Good for him.

Thing is, when we gather at our childhood home all my siblings bring along their kids, well kids are kids – they are loud and like to play. They are sensitive too.

Vera doesn’t seem to understand this. She greets the kids from a distance, never hugs them, and if one of them comes to her she will keep them at arm length. She will be polite but way too serious and somehow cold with them.

Neither my siblings nor me like this, or the way she will refuse to do “uppies” with the toddlers or just refuses to play along with the older kids who want to ask questions, or just talk like kids do – let alone watch the kids even for fifteen minutes (I would not ask more from her).

And over time, this rift between the siblings is getting bigger.

Anyway, her behavior got worse after the last family gathering.

She brought along her laptop because she had some work to do, and one of the kids dropped it accidentally, damaging the screen. She went totally ballistic and demanded my youngest sister (who is a single mom living on welfare at the moment) paid the repair.

After some reasoning she dropped the subject, but then, she proceeded to stay even further away from the kids.

Hence, I spoke to my siblings and concluded it was best if we didn’t invite her over for the next gathering, which was this weekend.

But that plan didn’t go so well either.

I knew she would see the photos on Instagram, but I hoped she would see how her attitude had isolated her and she would learn a lesson.

Boy, I was wrong. She sent me a short, dead cold message asking why she wasn’t invited, I told her the reason and told her we expected her to behave like a member of the family if she wanted to be treated like family.

She responded “Okay” and proceeded to block us everywhere. Not only her, her boyfriend did too. Apparently she also blocked other members of our family who proceeded to send angry audios and messages to me and my siblings about it.

Am I in the wrong here? I just wanted to keep the kids on a friendly environment and expected her to be an adult.

AITA?

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Sure, Vera might have been a little bit out of line for getting so enraged about the laptop, because it seems logical not to have an expensive laptop at a family event that is full of children – even working at such an event seems a little rude.

But that’s not really the siblings’ complaint about their sister. Rather, it’s that she doesn’t know how to talk to the kids, doesn’t want to humour and play with them, and won’t randomly babysit at the drop of a hat.

Let’s be real: Vera maybe just doesn’t have patience or understanding of children. And that’s okay, we’re all different. But ostracising her because of that feels really harsh.

Let’s see what folks on Reddit thought about this.

This person thought that Vera was not to blame for anything that has happened.

While others thought that the siblings were unfair to their sister – just as they always have been.

Meanwhile, this Redditor thought that Vera might be better off without the rest of her family anyway.

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Author

Kyra Piperides

Kyra Piperides, PhD | Contributing Science Writer

Dr. Kyra Piperides is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter, specializing in Science & Discovery. Holding a PhD in English with a dedicated focus on the intersections of science, politics, and literature, she brings over 12 years of professional writing and editorial expertise to her reporting.

Kyra possesses a highly authoritative background in academic publishing, having served as the editor of an academic journal for three years. She is also the published author of two books and numerous research-driven articles. At TwistedSifter, she leverages her rigorous academic background to translate complex scientific concepts, global tech innovations, and environmental breakthroughs into highly engaging, accessible narratives for a mainstream audience.

Based in the UK, Kyra is an avid backpacker who spends her free time immersing herself in different cultures across distant shores—a passion that brings a rich, global perspective to her writing about Earth and nature.

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