Family Feud Erupts When Woman Rejects Siblings’ Demands To Childproof Her Home For Thanksgiving

Nov 16, 2022 by apost team

Hosting Thanksgiving dinners is a very challenging task to do. From preparing the menu to decorating your home and even choosing the right cooking method for the turkey roast is as crucial as everything else. 

For many, just the thought of cooking, especially if you’re not one who usually spends time in the kitchen, is already overwhelming, let alone hosting a party. Some might say this could be an impossible task to fulfill, especially if you are somehow forced or compelled to do it. 

Reddit user u/HelpEducational8357 shares this sentiment. Although her issue is about her duties as a Thanksgiving dinner host, she also has to deal with the attitude of relatives that are very demanding about the condition of her home.

Faced with uncertainty about her situation ahead of Thanksgiving 2022, she shared her story on the official “Am I The A**hole?” forum on Reddit. OP (original poster), who is a 30-year-old childless female wondered if she was in the wrong for denying her guests’ requests to childproof her home for the coming Thanksgiving dinner party. 

“I don’t have kids hence no need to childproof my house. Of course I don’t have swords sticking out of my walls but my stairs don’t have baby gates, etc.,” OP explained. 

For OP, childproofing isn’t something she has to do, considering she has no children in the first place. However, her family, particularly her siblings, suggested changes she could make, which she pushed back on, leading to a complicated situation for all. Read on to learn more about what OP wanted and what her siblings did. 

In her post, OP explained that her family had been pushing her to host the Thanksgiving party since she has the biggest house among all of the family members. As the eldest in the family, she has five siblings, and all of those younger siblings have two to four children each — so the main family alone is massive already; not to mention her uncles, aunts and parents too. 

OP had hesitations at first but she eventually caved in. However, the caveat of her hosting is a particular set of simple and fair rules for her household. 

First, she will be planning the menu and the party will be a potluck so everyone can contribute. Second, since she has no children of her own, she asked everyone to bring entertainment for their own kids. As a gracious host, OP offered to make one room in her home a quiet space where the kids can nap. But still, the parents had to provide everything their kids needed. 

Lastly, no one can enter the parrot room without her. The room is located on the top floor of the house, a space that OP transformed to cage her pet parrots so they could fly around the room. OP also noted that she did this as parrots are easily stressed and can be fragile, especially the small ones. 

However, it seemed like OP’s siblings had other thoughts about her rules. She explained in her post:

“I thought these were simple and fair but my siblings are now demanding that I baby proof my house because it’s unsafe. What if the(y) fall off the stairs. That I must allow kids to see the parrots as they want to play with them and it’ll keep the kids quiet.”

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OP, in return, pushed back on her siblings’ demands and said she would not go to such lengths. 

“I told them that they would have to keep an eye on their kids because I’m not going to install childproof system for one day and they will simply have to keep an eye on their kids. I also said that there was absolutely no way that I would allow kids inside the parrot room,” she warned.

However, OP’s siblings started calling her names — “a**hole,” “lazy,” “bum” and even “spoiled kid,” even though she is the oldest.  

Because of this, OP threatened her siblings that if they kept on complaining, she would cancel the Thanksgiving dinner at her house. She revealed that she is not on speaking terms with two of her sisters and her mother has sided with them, but her father remains loyal to her. 

“My father is on my side (but) my mother has my siblings side and I’m not sure anymore. Should I cave in? Am I really the a**hole in this situation?” she asked.  

Redditors flocked to the thread and gave their own thoughts about OP’s question. 

“Just tell them that you have to cancel because your house is too dangerous for small children. The parrots could peck their eyes out,” user Disastogirl jokingly said. 

“NTA Cancel Thanksgiving at your house. They are already being unreasonably entitled and their kids will get into everything, break things, and completely stress out or even injure your pets — and the parents won't think it's a big deal,” user jwjnthrowawaykfeiofj shared. 

“As a mom of two kids, NTA. Your house, your rules, and not your kids. I would never have expected friends or family to go out of their way to make their home suitable for my kids,” another commented. 

Do you think OP is in the wrong for refusing to childproof her home? Would you have done the same or differently? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones!