Mom Balks Afer Religious Neighbor Scolds Her For Buying Her Young Daughters A Ouija Board

It's all fun and games until someone releases a dark spirit.

Isn't that what is said about using Ouija boards?

The Ouija board debate has been happening for generations.

Some people think nothing of them, others are sure they open a portal to evil.

Either way, fun can be had by all.

Right?

Redditor ouijamama wanted to discuss her experience and get some feedback. So naturally, she came to visit the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit.

She asked:

"WIBTA if I don't apologize for giving my children an Ouija board?"

The Original Poster (OP) explained:

"My wife and I (both 37-year-old women, just so you know how to refer to me in the comments) have lovely twin girls, ten years old."

"This weekend, I was doing errands with one of the twins, 'Sammy.'"

"In one of the big chain stores we stopped in, I noticed a Ouija board on the shelves and sort of laughed because I didn't think they sold those anymore."

"I pointed it out to Sammy and mentioned how I used to play Ouija all the time at sleepovers and how fun and spooky it was, especially around Halloween."

"Sammy thought this sounded awesome (both girls like age-appropriate creepy stuff) and asked if she could get it for her and her sister to play with."

'It wasn't super expensive, so I agreed."

"Sammy was messing around with the box in the car on the way home and was carrying it under her arm in the driveway."

"Our neighbor 'Mallory' (in her 60's I believe) was on her porch and asked her what she had."

"Sammy showed her the box and I thought that was that, but Mallory gestured me over as Sammy headed inside."

"She asked why on Earth I bought that for my girls and didn't I know I was opening up my home to dangerous spirits through such a form of divination etc?"

"This honestly floored me."

"I knew Mallory and her husband were religious, but they've always been fairly chill, and seeing that they gave my wife and me a really nice housewarming present, I assumed fairly modern as well."

"I just said something along the lines of 'Well, we don't see any harm in it' and she doubled down saying things like 'You say that now but you'll regret it later' and I cut her off by saying 'Sure sure I'll regret it when one of the girls gets possessed but right now it's fine.'"

"And I left saying "This convo is done, I'll see you later."'

"When I recounted the story to my wife later, she thought it was absolutely hilarious, but then Mallory's husband texted saying I had upset her greatly."

"I do NOT think I need to apologize, but I would like to keep the peace."

"My wife says I need to do nothing, especially since we're not going to take the girl's game away."

The OP was left to wonder:

"WIBTA if I don't apologize?"

Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA:

• NTA - Not The A**hole
• YTA – You're The A**hole
• NAH – No A**holes Here
• ESH - Everyone Sucks Here

Many Redditors declared OP was NOT the A**hole.

"NTA. Your kids, your household, and your beliefs about the supernatural and occult are the only ones that matter here."

"Mallory is a busybody."

"If you actually said 'These convos are done' as your goodbye, I think you were a bit rude, while still right."

"I'm not sure I could have given Mallory much more in the way of a polite response after she doubled down, but that's the only issue here."

'Is Mallory upset that you were rude or that you have a Ouija board now?"

"Those are different responses."

"If it's the rudeness, that warrants a conversation."

"If it's the Ouija board, she needs to mind her business."

"If you're in contact with the husband, and he seems more grounded, you could choose to message back that her insistence on putting her beliefs forward got your back up, and that you'd like to apologize for being curt."

"But also point out that you don't think the Ouija board is any more dangerous than a kids' magic set and won't be apologizing for the object, just conduct (and again, it's hardly necessary unless you think you were actually rude to her)." ~ rockology_adam

"NTA for what you asked about."

"I agree with the above that making amends with the neighbor may be for the best." ~ Farseth

"I don't think there is anything wrong with responding abruptly to someone imposing their judgemental beliefs on others the idea that anything other than obsequious respect is rude needs to go away."

"The neighbor got an appropriate and deserved response." ~ mbsyust

"NTA for not letting your neighbor make your parenting decisions."

"YTA for being the parent in the first act of a horror movie."

"Next you're going to schedule a sleepover, hire an inexperienced babysitter, and go out of town where you can't be reached for the night."

"Did you buy a house that was a great deal because of mysterious disappearances that the realtor didn't have to disclose because they weren't proven deaths?"

"Is there a door in the attic that leads nowhere and can't be opened?"

"Do you... okay, I'll stop."

"I get carried away."

"If you're going to keep the board, hide it from your other sapphic friends."

"Whichever ones are the witchiest or most into astrology will straight up burn it to get it out of your house (I assume that your friends are like my friends, and there is at least one witch in any quorum of lesbians)."

"The idea is basically that it's a tool with no brakes or bumpers."

"If you HAPPEN to connect to anything there is no way to disconnect, so pretty much anybody into the woo-woo is vehemently against them." ~ Big_Zucchini_9800

"I deadpan to people like your neighbor that it's made by Hasbro and sold, like you said, in big box stores."

"The idea that it is anything other than a toy is ludicrous." ~ beyond-dimensions

"NTA. How are we going to raise the next generation of spooky little girls if we don't give them Ouija boards?"

"The spirits aren't going to contact themselves." ~ revengeofthebiscuit

"This is so wild to me because I grew up in the Deep South Bible Belt, church three times a week, and fifty years ago NOBODY CARED that my sister and I and our friends had ouija boards and tarot cards."

"They were regarded as harmless entertainment." ~ ButterflyEmergency30

"NTA. It's amazing when I look back on how scared suburban adults tried to make us kids of Ouija boards."

"It's absolutely nuts."

"Like, they were made in a factory somewhere."

"But please don't be too bothered by your neighbor."

"Growing up in a southern suburb, pretty much every adult urgently warned us that satan was inside those boxes."

"Luckily some of us went back and re-examined how silly that was."

"But plenty of people probably never gave it a second thought."

"Just do your best to ignore her."

"If you push back too hard she's going to assume the devil got ya... lol." ~ MrStealYourWorm

"NTA. Speaking as a religious person, I would never have a Ouija board in my home."

"However, what someone else chooses to bring into their home is not my business."

"Your neighbor is being too nosey."

"If you want to keep the peace, then have a conversation."

"Lay down the boundary."

"Your neighbor has crossed a boundary, and it needs to be reset."

"Something like, I am sorry for my tone during the conversation."

"However, what I purchase for my children and my home is my business, and I will not be discussing it with neighbors."

"And if she comes in with a but or still trying to talk about it, just repeat the statement."

"If your neighbor doesn't drop it, then that's that."

"They chose to ignore the peace." ~ throaway33942

"NTA, but she seemed genuinely worried, and you were kinda rough with her."

"I wouldn't apologize, but I'd make sure I kept saying hello and being pleasant when I saw them."

"I might reply to the message with, 'That wasn't my intention, hope she's okay.'"

"Because that isn't apologizing, but it might help keep the peace if they're usually okay neighbors." ~ Important_Sprinkles9

"Lol, easy NTA."

"Mallory needs to mind her business. Simple." ~ applebum8807

"NTA. I think a skeptic debunker (Penn/Teller?) did a test with Ouija boards."

"When people knew the answer that they were looking for, 100%."

"If not told the answer, total fail."

"It's a kid's toy and can't contact what isn't there." ~ vonnostrum2022

"NTA. You bought a plastic Ouija board from Walmart or wherever."

"Now if it was from some old estate sale and the thing was made of wood and crystals and stuff, well then that's a different story." ~ Paulie_Knuckles

"NTA. Ouija is mass manufactured by Hasbro, which is a publicly-traded company, and no shareholders are going to stand for the margin hit and profitability implications of using real demon-infused chipboard bases or occult-oriented polypropylene for the plinth."

"They increase the cost of goods considerably."

"Interestingly, both materials pass safety standards for the 8+ age grade." ~ WizardsOfTheRoast

"NTA. You are under no obligation to play along with her imaginary game, especially in your own house." ~ DrPhysicsGirl

"Mallory has been watching way too many scary movies and reading way too many Stephen King books."

"If you really want to rock her world - buy the Jumanji game and casually say that you hope the kids don't roll a 5 on the dice because you wouldn't want to explain to the police how one of your children disappeared."

"Ignore her and her husband. NTA." ~ Canadian987

"NTA, but if she starts talking about a captain howdy call a priest." ~ Shot_Western_2755

"The power of Hasbro compels you!!" ~ FairBaker315

OP came back with a few more details...

"I don't know why I thought this wouldn't matter, but I don't believe in ghosts."

"I don't believe in the devil."

"Neither does my wife."

"We are raising our girls to be good, kind people because we believe that that is how humans should be, not because some 'great what if' in a book compels us to be."

"I want them to be smart."

"I want them to be loving."

"I'll eat a spotted lantern fly if the girls manage to talk to a ghost."

"I am 0.000000% worried about bringing an Ouija board into my home."

"I was more upset when my brother gave them liquid slime with glitter."

"Do you know how tough that s**t was to get out of the grout on the tiles in my kitchen?"

Reddit has your back, OP.

Though it may be from a distance should the girls conjure a spirit.

Your neighbor is free to have her own opinion.

And she can keep it to herself.

Have fun with the ghosts.