Game night can be a fun activity for friends or family, but not if someone is overly competitive or a sore loser.
Anyone who can't handle losing can really derail everyone else's fun.
An adult child turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback after inviting their mom to game night resulted in conflict.
SleepyN00dle asked:
"AITA for 'kicking my mother out of my house' over games?"
The original poster (OP) explained:
"So this past weekend, my spouse and I invited my mother over for Family Game Night. The group consisted of 5 people total."
"We played Scattergories and had a bit of debate on if several answers counted. Every decision was put to the group for a vote."
"Example, does a restaurant count as a 'store'? My mother quickly became unhappy with some of her answers getting outvoted."
"The last straw came when the question was 'things you replace', the assigned letter was T, and I said 'toilets'. She immediately said 'well I've never seen anyone replace their toilet so that shouldn't count either'."
"I tried to defend myself and mentioned there is a south park episode all about Randy Marsh replacing his toilet. She responded with 'WELL, if it happened on TV then THAT must make it real, right?'"
"Everyone was uncomfortably quiet."
"Here's where I might be the a**hole..."
"I've spent most of my life quietly taking these nasty comments from her and I decided to stand up for myself. I asked her 'Do you have an issue we should talk about?'"
"She said 'well this game was a bad idea because its all up to whatever you think counts or doesn't'."
"I told her 'Every answer has been a vote. Do you want to move on and play a different game with a better attitude, or would you like to leave? Because right now you are making me uncomfortable'."
"She decided to leave, and the rest of the group decided we'd like to continue playing other games without her. Now, I've heard from other family members that she said I 'kicked her out of my home just for disagreeing with me'."
"From my perspective, she had the option to stay if she could stop being rude and making everyone else have less fun. My brother suggested I could have debated less during the game, or just moved on without calling her out."
"Everyone had a few answers shut down—I don't think hers were more often, but honestly I didn't keep track. My spouse particularly enjoys debating silly answers, for them that's the point of the game."
"I definitely did not intend to make her feel unwelcome. It was my idea to invite her since she complains of feeling left out if we get together without her."
"So, AITA?"
The OP summed up why they might be the a**hole in their situation.
"I spoke up against my mother for being rude. It caused her to leave my house and potentially ruined our gathering."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors were divided in their judgment with some voting not the a**hole (NTA)...
"NTA! Scattergories is my favorite game! For those who don't know, you roll a 20+ sided die to pick a letter for the round."
"Obviously, this round was Letter-T and when the clock is ticking down, you sometimes have to scramble for a word. I remember a fervent debate between my uncle and the rest of the group that indeed, donuts could be a pizza topping!"
"And if there is debate, you vote and the group decides if it counts. Different groups may vote differently. Obviously, your mom is a poor sport and couldn't handle rules of the game." ~ literacyshmiteracy
"NTA. Sounds like it was well overdue that someone stood up to her. Tell your brother that from now, he's more than welcome to host her for family events." ~ NopeNinjaSquirrel
"NTA. She was consistently being rude and her attitude was bringing down the evening. She chose to leave. There's a way to debate nicely and kindly (and even with humour) during a game, and it sounds like she was being a sore loser instead." ~ beneficialmirror13
"NTA. Boundaries are important in any relationship, parental, romantic, platonic, etc. You set one, she ignored it, and was then offered a choice to make. You should not have to deal with being bullied in your own home, let alone by a parent!"
"Tell the rest of your family that unless they were there that night, they are basing opinions of secondhand information and can please keep their opinions to themselves. I HIGHLY suggest you keep this boundary in place with your mom."
"I also suggest not inviting mom to the next game night and keep it to adults who can self-regulate." ~ Discount_Mithral
"NTA. Our parents sometimes have a difficult time remembering that we are people, not Muppets. She's allowed her opinion, and you yours."
"You asked her if she'd play the games without the attitude, and she chose, instead, to leave. That is 100% on her."
"She didn't like being told to behave appropriately by her child, regardless of your age, and went home sulking."
"To those that disagree with you, here's the thing: we all choose how we react, what we say, and how we behave. You have expectations of appropriate behavior in a group setting, and she chose not to abide by it. Simple as that." ~ Glittoris20
"NTA. She chose to leave. Which is very different from, 'Get the f*ck out of my house!'."
"By the way, I've replaced three toilets." ~ No_Olive_1110
"My wife and I have replaced all of the toilets in our 11-year old home because the ones the builder put in were not very good. There's a reason home renovation stores have an entire aisle of toilets. NTA." ~ Wonderful_Two_6710
"NTA. That's literally the rules of the game, you can defend your answer but it's ultimately up to a group vote whether it's valid. I think it's telling that everyone else there decided they wanted to continue playing after she left rather than leaving with her." ~ 40DegreeDays
"NTA, she was being a bad sport and then ratcheted things up with her comment, making everyone uncomfortable. If she was noticeably unhappy about being outvoted and then turned nasty that is not a fun time for anyone."
"Is that how the game should have continued? I don't think so."
"Besides, if she turned from fun debate to cutting remarks as a way to 'win' without the vote going her way, that is no longer part of the game and is just her taking things personally and wanting to come out on top in real life." ~ kurokomainu
"NTA. Tell your mother toilets do need replacing, I had to replace my toilet two or three years ago due to it breaking. Like quite literally the glass or ceramic, or whatever the heavens toilets are made out of broke for like the bowl, and so the whole toilet needed to be replaced." ~ Rowan-The-Writer
"NTA. This was Reactive Abuse and you did a good job of handling it carefully, especially considering the history y'all probably have. You need individual therapy and she needs to be excluded from things when she gets nasty." ~ plotthick
...while others felt everyone sucked (ESH).
"I'm going with ESH. Your mother overreacted, but you used ONE example of someone in a cartoon replacing their toilet as proof. Generally people don't replace their toilets unless they break." ~ Queasy-Bat-7399
"ESH. Know your group when you play games, and adapt to the group vibe. Playing games with my closest friend group is nothing like games with my family, for example."
"Your mom wasn't with the vibe and that's her own issue, but you handled it poorly. Don't invite people of mixed vibe to game night." ~ bcbdrums
"ESH. Sounds like a typical outing for family game night. You two need to work out the underlying issue. Whatever that is." ~ billythevnenthusiast
"ESH I feel like with game nights people either want to win or they want to have fun, but it is not possible to do both."
"I am quite sure your mother deserved a tongue lashing from years of abuse, but you did pick a strange time to die on that hill." ~ jensmith20055002
"I think you guys should probably dish out your differences that have nothing to do with family game night anywhere but family game night." ~ cheesygarlicbreadfan
"ESH. There's obviously a long history here that you barely shared."
"No one replaces their toilet(s) on a regular basis. Letting that trigger you was a poor choice, especially since it was you who invited everyone to your home."
"Picking a 'Family Game Night' to make a stand effectively telling her to 'give up or leave' was...not a great choice." ~ wesmorgan1
"ESH. Her reactions were out of line. You were a bit tart with her even if she did deserve it." ~ VinRow
"ESH—game night is supposed to be fun for everyone, and it sounds like the debating went a little too hard. Yeah, mom overreacted and is a poor sport, but it sounds like it was justifiably building up over time." ~ EdithVinger
The OP might want to pick another activity to invite their mother to.
















New Mom Irate After Father-In-Law Ruins Her Birthday With 'Vulgar' Comment About Her Breasts
There's nothing quite like the feeling of going through all the work to prepare a fun celebration, just for someone to undo it with an unkind or gross comment.
That feeling just gets worse when it's your birthday, and that comment was made by someone who's supposed to care about you, sympathized the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor Rude-Pepper-2389 had recently given birth and decided to have a special birthday celebration to reconnect with her loved ones after becoming a mom.
When her father-in-law stopped by unexpectedly and then made comments about her body, the Original Poster (OP) was left so uncomfortable that it ruined the whole celebration for her.
She asked the sub:
The OP wanted to have a special birthday celebration after her baby was born.
"I currently have a five-month-old and haven’t really been taking care of myself or dressing up since having the baby."
"It’s my (25 Female) birthday, and we were having friends over at our house for a private dinner to celebrate."
"My husband (24 Male) and I have been together since we were 18."
"I decided to put on this new silk shirt I got, which, admittedly, was low-cut, but I felt cute in it and felt comfortable around the friends we were having over."
Everything was fine until the OP's father-in-law (FIL) stopped by unexpectedly.
"My husband's dad decided to stop by on his way home from work."
"I will say, he was likely drunk. He works two hours away and proudly told my husband he's down to only four beers on his drive home each day... so, that's healthy."
"When he came in, I was on the couch with my baby propped up beside me, bottle feeding him. Keep in mind, I am not breastfeeding, so no, my breasts are not any larger right now."
"My husband's dad leaned down to look at the baby and then suddenly shouted, 'D**n, son, she could knock you out with those things in bed! Like cracking two coconuts together.'"
"This was fully and undoubtedly in reference to my breasts."
The OP was shocked by the comment and very uncomfortable.
"It made me deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed."
"I was so stunned, I couldn’t even process what he said to me, and our friends just stared at me, blinking."
"He’s a redneck, so he's said some pretty vulgar stuff over the years, but this just seems to take the cake, as it was the first time it was directed at me."
"When he stepped out, I told my husband he needed to speak to him, and that the comment wasn’t okay."
"I went to change clothes and decided to never ever wear that shirt again."
"When I brought it up to my husband, he said he didn't hear the comment at first, but then he laughed when I told him what he said. He's always laughed when he feels awkward and has always had a hard time standing up to his parents in any capacity."
"When he and my father-in-law spoke, my FIL just said, 'I shouldn’t have said that to her, I know how she can be,' which just feels even more like I’m just being dramatic."
"Since then, I think my husband just wants me to drop it and move on, truthfully."
The OP wasn't sure what to do after what happened.
"This genuinely ruined my entire night. Am I just too sensitive, or was this an inappropriate thing to say?"
"There's also been no apology since then. This happened on Thursday, and then my father-in-law came by again on Friday with flowers to wish me a happy Mother's Day before Mother's Day Sunday."
"I think that was his way of trying to just breeze past the awkwardness. He's never gotten me a gift the whole seven years I've known him, so the flowers were odd. But I still feel really uncomfortable."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that her father-in-law's comments were rude and just plain creepy.
"NOR at all. That was really rude of him. Anyone would be offended." - Bookbringer
"NOR. That’s firmly in the category of what should be an 'inside thought,' and we should learn what those are at a much younger age than this guy is."
"F**king h**l, this is an absolutely mental thing to say out loud, let alone to your daughter-in-law." - Electronic-Fennel828
"FIL is an AH. I love that you think his being a redneck excuses it, but d**n. Even rednecks should know better than to speak that way to their son's wife."
"What does your husband have to say? Does he understand how breath-takingly rude his father was, or is he Team 'That's Just How He Is'?"
"I'd go very low contact with the old perv. NOR, he put you in an uncomfortable position with his crude remark. Is he married? I'd tell the MIL. I'd tell the whole family. Yes, it's embarrassing, but he is the one who should be embarrassed. Don't accept his non-apology." - Top-Bit85
"Maybe I’m desensitized after having large breasts since I was 13 (I’m 28 now), but I let out a little snort based on how immature of a joke it was. I’d simply tell FIL, 'Yes, I know, my boobs are big,' and move on."
"That said, I would never make such a comment about another person's body. Just because I'm technically fine with it doesn't mean I assume anyone else is!"
"Not everyone is the same, and if OP felt uncomfortable, she’s NOR. Her body, her boundaries." - Both_Original2094
"I’m sorry. That’s upsetting. My father is like this with his father. Even if it’s very offensive comments, he’s uncomfortable and has problems confronting him. It sounds like your husband isn’t going to have a talk with him, which is hurtful."
"I would explain to your husband how uncomfortable the situation was for you and that it’s a serious matter, especially if it happens again. And if he still tries to brush it off, then I would tell him you no longer want your FIL coming to your home."
"It’s your life, too, and he’s not the one being hurt here, you are." - w_coastultraviolence
Others were specifically angry about the tactics the father-in-law used to try to get out of trouble.
"Seriously? Saying 'I know how she can be' is a classic way to blame the victim for having boundaries. It’s your birthday, not a Hooters convention. What a creep. If he can’t look at the baby without checking out your breast, he shouldn't be invited to the house." - Specific_Parsnip3264
"'I know how she can be' is so f**ked up. He's the one being a disgusting person. You need to shine up your husband's spine to properly call him out at the time next time, because there will be a next time." - dancepantz
"The bit that pisses me off the most is, 'I know how she can be,' which is his way of making it her problem that she doesn't like her FiL sexualising her in front of her friends." - Outside-Partait-8935
"The 'joke' comment is gross, but that follow-up comment is infuriating. NOR, OP. But this guy will be in your life for a while, so firmly & calmly shutting this stuff down is completely appropriate."
"I'd wear the d**n shirt again to the next family function and look him right in the eyes next time!" - RationalFish
"When we let things like this slide for others, it's not long before it ends up on our doorstep, and of course, nobody says anything because keeping the peace is the norm. It doesn't have to be getting into their face and yelling abuse back. Just a comment such as, 'Well, that's super tacky to say,' or asking them why they'd say that." - Kattnapped
"The OP said, 'He's said some pretty vulgar stuff over the years... but this is the first time it was directed to me.'"
"Normalise calling stuff out when they are talking about others, and they won't feel so comfortable saying it to you."
"It's a gross thing for him to say, but I guess him buying you flowers is his way of saying sorry."
"Sounds like you are in the situation of a lot of new mothers, where you suddenly realise this stuff matters because you want better influences for your child, and better support for yourself. NOR." - Jumpy-Jello-
Now, about that shirt...
"Please re-think your decision to never wear the cute shirt again, girl!! It's something that you liked very much because it made you feel good about yourself. Don't let some backwoods id**t ruin that for you."
"Wear that shirt till it's worn out and can't be worn anymore!! You should be able to feel good about yourself in whatever you like to wear."
"Your husband should have immediately checked his father, not waited until he was told to do so after his father left the room. In front of everyone there, your husband should have told his father not to ever speak about you or to you in that kind of manner, and if his father doesn't like it, he knows where the door is."
"Hubby should have called him out for his response as well. You did absolutely nothing wrong. You were not the problem; his dad was. This comes down to your husband needing to protect his wife, and he didn't do that." - Lynzo141982
"If he is a redneck, like you said, he won't outright apologize, but flowers are his way of saying sorry."
"I hope he won't say anything again, or else you can expect a nicely tended garden for at least a year."
"About your top, I hope you can wear it again. It takes a lot to feel cute, being a new mum."
"If not, get some fabric dye, dye the top a different color, and embroider a flower on it. This makes the top new, different, and every time you wear it, you can use the mantra ... I'm cute, I don't care what anyone says."
"You've got this!!" - No_Kangaroo_6637
Even if the father-in-law was joking and meant no harm, this is one of those situations where he needs to admit that his joke did not land well, he did cause harm, and he needs to apologize. Just because some people enjoy joking in that manner does not mean that everyone will be comfortable with it, and it's important to respect everyone's boundaries and zones of comfort.