AITA For creating a rule that when I host an event for the family, my sister’s son is not allowed to come?
I treat my family to dinners out and other events fairly often. My sister Charlotte recently moved closer to me and our parents. Before then I only saw her and my nephew Leo for holidays. I invited Charlotte on a family dinner out and it was an absolute disaster because of Leo.
Charlotte called me while she was driving to the restaurant. I could hear Leo yelling in the background. Charlotte asked Leo to wait a few minutes until she was done calling me and then she would give Leo her phone. She wasn’t doing anything to actually discipline Leo.
My nephew’s behavior was no better inside the restaurant. Leo is 8 and yet he was acting like some kind of 2-year-old. He was jumping up and down the booths, yelling to get Charlotte’s attention. He threw bread at another patron’s service dog. My dad took away the bread after Leo ignored the first warning and Leo threw a tantrum.
People were staring at us and I would have been too. Leo’s behavior was completely unacceptable! While all of this was happening, Charlotte just said things like “Oh, Leo, you can play on my phone” and wasn’t doing anything to actually discipline my nephew.
While we were outside leaving and Leo was with his grandparents out of earshot, I told Charlotte that this could never happen again. I told Charlotte that she needs to get Leo under control and until she does, he is not welcome at any events in public that I host for the family.
Charlotte said I was a horrible person for excluding a child and to think about how I would have felt as an 8-year-old to know I wasn’t welcome at family gatherings. If Charlotte doesn’t want to hurt Leo’s feelings then she can not mention the family events I host or actually do something to discipline Leo.
Our parents understandably asked to not get involved in our disagreement. Friends are divided because some are saying Leo shouldn’t even be in restaurants until Charlotte gets him under control and others claim what I described Leo doing was normal kid behavior. AITA?
