Family Dinner Falls Apart After Man Refuses to Join Sister and Her Children at Restaurant
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It can be really disappointing when someone changes plans you were looking forward to without asking first.
Today, we meet a man who expected to have dinner alone with his parents at his favorite restaurant.
Then, his mother invited his sister and her two children without mentioning it until the day of the meal.
Since his three-year-old niece often makes restaurant visits miserable, he decided he’d rather stay home.
Now, his mother thinks he’s overreacting and insists the dinner will be fine.
Read on to see what you think about this whole thing.
AITA for refusing to go to dinner after my parents invited my sister and her kids?
I [20M] was supposed to go for a meal with my parents today, just the three of us. I don’t often get to spend a lot of time with them both because my dad is pretty busy with work, so I was looking forward to it, especially because they were taking me to my favorite restaurant.
This morning, my mother casually told me that she invited my sister (and, by default, her kids too). And of course she said yes because she will take any opportunity to dine for free.
My mother told me this like it was no big deal and I would have no reaction to it. I don’t particularly enjoy my sister’s company, but it’s bearable, so I wouldn’t have a problem going to a restaurant with her, though I would be annoyed. My niece, on the other hand, is a different story.
He has a good reason for not wanting to go.
My sister has 2 kids, ages a few months and 3. The baby is fine because she can’t walk or talk, but my older niece is feral, and I would never invite her anywhere I knew I would be because she is not pleasant to be around.
Being in public with her in general is a disaster, but I have been in restaurants with her a couple of times, and it has been a nightmare every time. She doesn’t stay in her seat and runs around, she sticks her fingers in glasses, she doesn’t even eat the food most of the time, and she whines nonstop.
And it’s embarrassing because no one wants to be at the table with an unruly child.
Frustrated, he tried to talk to his mother.
I told my mother that I thought it was just us 3, and she said she decided to invite them because it would be nice for them.
I said I don’t want them there and that my niece would ruin it, and she said she couldn’t exactly tell them not to come after inviting them and that I need to stop complaining because it will be fine.
Being at a table with my niece is a terrible experience and genuinely would ruin the meal, so I told her I didn’t want to go anymore. She thought I was joking, but I told her I wasn’t and that if they want to go for dinner with my sister, it’s fine, but I’m not going. And she said I was being ridiculous.
AITA?
Oh no. That sounds like it probably hurt his feelings a little.
Let’s see what the fine folks over at Reddit have to say.
This reader had to set a boundary with his mother.
These are great questions.
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Yes! You’d think we’d be past all of that.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a woman who got family pushback after gifting jewelry to her stepdaughter.
He sure wouldn’t.
He’s not wrong for deciding he’d rather stay home.
His sister needs to get a better handle on her daughter before expecting everyone else to enjoy taking her to restaurants.
But also, their mom should focus less on forcing everyone together and more on why these outings keep becoming such a problem.
Until something changes, he shouldn’t have to spend a meal he was excited about feeling miserable.
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