Long-standing tension between family members has a way of making small moments feel bigger than they are.

So when a grandmother gave her granddaughter a snack that left a mess, her daughter decided not to clean it up, and the quiet resentment between them spilled over.

Should she have cleaned up the mess, or was she right to make a stand?

Read on for the full story.

AITA for not cleaning up after my daughter after my mom gave her snacks

We live near my parents, and today my mom was waiting at the letterbox when we walked past after school pickup.

She told my daughter she wanted to show her something, so we all went in.

But here’s where the trouble started.

While she was showing her the thing, Mom also got out an apple and a bag of popcorn. She let my daughter peel the apple.

It made a mess.

When we left, I was about to clean up but then thought, nah, that’s my Mom’s mess. I didn’t give the kid any food or let her make a mess.

But her mother didn’t agree with this decision at all.

She got upset and told me I was being rude and disrespectful for not cleaning up.

I’m torn because normally I would have, but I’m also learning not to be a people pleaser, and that means not cleaning up after other people’s messes, real or metaphorical.

There’s more family drama that’s been adding to a building resentment.

As an additional note, my Mom does a huge amount for my sister that she doesn’t do for me, including cleaning and babysitting. I’ll admit that I partly didn’t clean it up because I get ticked off about that situation.

But another additional is that I’m really struggling, so I thought, forget it, I need a break — this is one small thing she can help me with.

But neither of those things were said out loud; I just walked out and left the (small) mess there.

AITA?

Sounds like this mother-daughter duo is only getting further away from a mutual understanding. What does Reddit think about this situation?

This user thinks there’s enough blame to go around here.

This user finds the mother’s response to be overly petty.

Is this entitlement just a sign of the times?

It’s time for her to start taking some responsibility.

She missed a chance to model responsibility for her daughter.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.