Emily Duprie
Being an aunt or uncle has its perks. You can experience all the fun of having a kid without actually having to raise them! Sometimes though, it’s quite painful to watch your sibling raise a little monster and not be able to do anything about it. One Redditor recently came to the AITA? subreddit to ask if she was justified for spritzing her nephew with the spray bottle she uses to discipline her cat. Below is her story.
One fed up Aunt asked the “Am I The A-hole?” community: “AITA for using a spray bottle to train my nephew?”
She started her story by explaining her nephew’s unique birth:
My nephew is a rainbow baby. My sister had a lot of trouble conceiving, and he was a miracle. She was 42 when she finally managed to give birth. She was on bed rest for the last three months of her pregnancy.
The miracle that was his pregnancy, was just that- because little nephew turned out to be rotten.
My nephew is now six, and while I love him, he is a monster. He throws tantrums when things don’t go his way. He screams if he loses playing a game. He refuses to understand why he can’t ride my seven-year-old St Bernard.
And he thinks any food is his. My husband is diabetic, and he loves cookies. I found a bakery that makes terrific sugar-free cookies but is expensive. I budget for them because my husband deserves his treats when he gets home from work.
He’s one of those kids who “wants” everything he sees, and usually gets it.
My sister was visiting, and my nephew was running around like a squirrel. He tripped and started crying, so my sister picked him up. He saw the cookie container on the counter and started asking for some. I said no, that they were special cookies for his uncle.
Being a kind Aunt, OP gave in…
I offered him a regular cookie or some fruit, but he got all upset that he was being denied. My sister asked if he could please have a cookie. I relented and gave him one. He took a bite, said it was yucky, and threw it on the ground. I was a little upset.
The audacity he showed next was enough to consider the nearby spray bottle
A little while later, he came back and asked for another cookie. I said no. My sister said to give him one. I told her no, and he wasted the last one. He started screaming that he wanted a cookie. I stood my ground. He eventually went away.
Back! *spritz spritz* Get back!
The next time he came, he didn’t ask. He just went for the container. I grabbed the spray bottle I used to keep the cat off the counter. I gave him a couple of squirts and said, “NO.” He got startled and ran away. My sister said her son isn’t an animal to be reprimanded with water. The next time he entered the kitchen, I put my hand on the spray bottle. He didn’t even look at the counter, and he went away.
Despite her method being effective, OP’s sister was not amused.
My sister called my parents to tell me to treat her kid like that. They are mad at me for not giving in to the poor baby.
Commenters had some entertaining things to say about this little terror:
If getting a little wet solves the problem, keep a spray bottle in every room in the house!
