In times of adversity, family needs to stick together. So when Reddit user AnyPower9451‘s sister-in-law and her family fell into financial trouble, they agreed to have the woman babysit their 11-year-old daughter and pay her daycare prices.
However, during the very first appointment, when the little one was at her relative’s home, she ate what little food they had left. So when the parent came to pick her up, a heated conflict quickly arose.
It ended up with the Redditor taking their child and terminating their deal. But after talking with others, they started having doubts about their actions. So the parent made a post on the subreddit r/AITAH, asking for an outside perspective.
This parent made a deal with their struggling sister-in-law, and agreed to pay her daycare prices for babysitting their daughter
Image credits: Southwest Virginia Community College (not the actual photo)
However, things got heated when the girl stole food from her relatives
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: AnyPower9451
Since she’s 11, the girl probably was aware that what she was doing was wrong
Stealing often causes serious concern to parents because it may happen outside the home and may affect other people.
During the school years, stealing may be a sign of a problem, so it is important to look at the whole situation.
Children under the age of 3 take things because they don’t understand fully the difference between what is “mine” and what is not. They then may become possessive of their things and protect them. They do not steal with bad intentions.
Children between the ages of 3 and 7 usually start to respect things that belong to others. However, this age group will trade property without regard to value if they want something else. The respect for property continues in the school-aged child.
By the time the child is 9 years old, the child should respect the possessions of others and understand that stealing is wrong. So the Redditor’s daughter must’ve known what she was doing.
Image credits: August de Richelieu (not the actual photo)
However, we don’t have the full picture and it’s hard to judge her
But according to Sandra G. Hassink, MD, FAAP, plenty of children sneak food, often believing (or hoping) that they will never get caught.
Sometimes kids find emotions simply too hard to handle, and they find food soothing and comforting. Other times, they might be feeling anxious, stressed, bored, or sad.
Who knows what the girl was going through that day. It wasn’t obvious from the post. Maybe she doesn’t get along with that family, or maybe there was something else on her mind. It’s impossible to say.
What we do know, however, is that parenting often makes in-law relationships difficult. For example, Terri Apter, a psychologist and senior tutor at Newnham College, Cambridge University, who conducted more than two decades of research in the field, found that 60% of women admitted the relationship with their female in-law caused them long-term unhappiness and stress. One of the explanations for the prevalence of female in-law tension is child-rearing and the impact it has on women, which could potentially compound any pre-existing disagreements.
Similarly, a Finnish study discovered that compared to child-free couples, mothers and fathers were as likely to report conflict with their own parents, but more likely to report individual conflict with their in-laws.
Again, it’s hard to assign blame without having all the details but maybe instead of escalating the conflict, the author of this Reddit post could’ve at least volunteered to reimburse the food their daughter took without permission.
Image credits: Ron Lach (not the actual photo)
People unanimously said the parent could’ve handled the situation better
The post Mom Asks If She Handled The Situation Over Struggling SIL’s Food Like A Jerk, Gets No Sympathy first appeared on Bored Panda.