Losing a parent is always difficult, especially for kids. Everyone takes it in their own stride, as some go radio silent, while some might start lashing out in violent ways. When that happens, is it not the other parent’s duty to ensure there’s a stop to it?
This mother doesn’t think so, as she’s letting her 14-year-old son go rogue after her husband’s passing. Even when he burned her niece’s handmade bag, she just brushed it off as “grieving”, but her sister was beyond furious. Just read on to find out what she did!
More info: Reddit
When one parent passes away, it’s the other parent’s responsibility to discipline their kids
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster’s 9-year-old daughter worked extremely hard on knitting a bag so she could win a contest and use that money for a school trip they couldn’t afford
Image credits: electricrazorbaby
Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The kid was showing it to her grandma, but her 14-year-old cousin wanted it, and she refused, so he took it and burned it, but his mom came to his defense immediately
Image credits: electricrazorbaby
Image credits: Göksu Özkaya / Pexels (not the actual photo)
She has been letting him get away with such things since his dad passed and he’s “grieving”, but the poster is sure he’s taking advantage, and asked for compensation
Image credits: electricrazorbaby
Her sister dismissed it as having no value since it was made by a kid, and the poster got so furious that she is going no-contact with the two
Dear readers, today’s story is quite sad and also very annoying because of a mom who just refuses to discipline her teen son. He’s the original poster’s (OP) nephew and her sister lets his unruly behavior slide as “grieving” since his dad passed away 2 years back. On the other hand, OP has a 9-year-old daughter, who loves to knit and took part in a competition.
After weeks of effort she made a backpack, and if she won the contest, she was going to use that money for a school trip they couldn’t afford. The little one was showing it to her grandma, when the teen asked for it, and this is where the story gets dark. When she refused to give it to him, the 14-year-old set it on fire and just laughed while he watched the kid cry over it!
“A 14-year-old can definitely lash out after losing a parent. Grief at that age is intense, and they might not know how to deal with their emotions, so it can come out as violence. But here, it’s more about having power over a child, which is really problematic. It’s quite obvious that the kid needs therapy,” explained Eden Lobo, a counselor and psychology professor that Bored Panda interviewed.
However, the worst part of the story is that his mom started making excuses for him, without saying a word to the guy. OP just couldn’t believe this and asked her sister to refund the yarn and the little one’s efforts. This lady had the audacity to dismiss it, claiming that it had no value since a kid had made it, and the poor child was absolutely inconsolable after that!
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster also told us that grandma mostly sided with the elder sister and her son, as she was always the golden child. That’s horrible when the unfairness is right in front of her eyes. Prof. Lobo explained that in this case, the enabling behavior has been passed down from one generation to the next, where accountability for their actions has been completely wiped out.
She further elaborated, “When teens aren’t held accountable for their bad behavior, it can cause a lot of issues down the line. If no one calls them out or sets boundaries, they start thinking they can get away with anything. That can turn into them pushing limits more, not really caring how they treat people, and not learning how to deal with tough emotions in a healthy way.”
Prof. Lobo also stressed that without consequences, they miss out on learning important life stuff like respect, responsibility, and how to handle real-world challenges. According to her, it’s really about giving them structure and showing them what’s okay and what’s not. She believes that if they are not taught these things from a young age, they may lack empathy as they grow.
“The mom in the story should really reflect on her son’s problematic behavior and give him the therapeutic help that he clearly needs,” our expert concluded. Even the poster is concerned that he needs therapy, but she has decided to stay away from the woman after her irresponsible behavior. Netizens backed up her decision, but some also said she should sue.
She took their advice to heart and plans to take her sister to small claims court. Well, good for her, and we hope she wins! What would you do if you were in such a situation? Let us know in the comments!
Netizens were aghast by the guy’s mom, and said that she needed to discipline him or he would turn into something terrible before she knew it
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