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Every parent wants to protect their kid from the world, but not everyone agrees on the best way to do it.

One mom had a daughter who was thriving by all accounts: perfect grades, a spot as head of student council, and a close-knit circle of friends.

Things started to change in the mom’s eyes when the girl took up hobby horsing, spent $200 of her own allowance on a show-ready horse on a stick, and started talking about launching a club at her school.

The mom, who was bullied badly growing up, sat her daughter down and warned that she might get picked on for it. She suggested finding a new hobby.

So when her daughter burst into tears, she started questioning her own parenting.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for telling my daughter she might get bullied for hobby horsing?

My daughter (13F) has been flourishing both academically and socially. She’s head of student council, gets straight As, and she’s everything I wanted walking into that hospital thirteen years ago and more.

There are some things you have to say no to as a mother. For example, when she was 10, she wanted red hair.

Soon her daughter picked up a new hobby.

Well, just two weeks ago, she started picking up hobby horsing.

She spent 200 dollars of her allowance on a “show-ready” (her words) horse on a stick.

She’s been talking about how she wants to start up a hobby horsing club at her school. She’s one hundred percent serious about this.

I didn’t know what it was until she told me, and from what I do know now, this is just the ticket to getting 12 swirlies per day in high school next year.

She has a few concerns about whether this hobby will really be good for her.

I don’t want her to get viciously bullied like I did coming up, so I had a sit-down conversation with her. I told her that she might get bullied for this “sport” and that maybe she should find a new hobby.

The tears started swelling up in her eyes as soon as I said the word “bullied,” and she screamed, “Tell me something I don’t know, Mom!” and ran to her room in tears.

Now she feels terrible, but part of her still feels a little justified.

I feel awful, but I just want the best for her… and the best probably isn’t running around on a horse stick jumping through hoops.

AITA?

This mom meant well, but that doesn’t mean she still didn’t manage to majorly screw things up.

Redditors aren’t going to like this one bit.

This user goes as far to call this mother just another bully.

The time to intervene has already come and go.

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This user think this hobby deserves more credit than it gets.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who can’t complete her work-from-home duties because her mom’s houseguest won’t stop talking.

This user doesn’t pull a single punch.

This mom loves her daughter, but ultimately handled a tender moment with a sledgehammer.

Redditors came down hard on her. A kid who earns straight As, runs student council, and has the nerve to start a club about something she loves is doing exactly what many parents hope for.

The bullying warning came from a real place, since the mom lived it herself. But in all likelihood, her smart daughter already knew the risks.

What her daughter needed in this moment was support, not another person making her doubt herself.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.