Not everyone finds certain jokes as funny as others.
Especially when the jokes in question are about us.
True, sometimes we can’t help but join in and laugh when a friend pokes fun at something about us.
But finding the humor in a joke made at our expense isn’t always easy.
Redditor PurposeDisastrous486 enjoyed partaking in a somewhat unusual hobby.
A hobby the original poster (OP)’s mother and sister felt compelled to mock in a fairly public way.
Prompting the OP to stop partaking in this hobby.
After being told by her mother that she couldn’t “take a joke”, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for not jumping on my trampoline?”
The OP explained why she became self-conscious while performing her favorite hobby:
“I (16 F[emale]) am a trampolinist and I enjoy jumping on the trampoline in my free time while listening to music.”
“I like to dance around a bit while I do.”
“But recently my sister (18 F) and mum (41F), have been filming me and posting it on Facebook.”
“The captions often poke fun at me and people in the comments are also making fun of me, so I’ve stopped jumping on the trampoline recently because I don’t like it, but my mum asked at dinner why I stopped and I answered honestly.”
“I told her I no longer liked it because of her filming me and posting it online, she got upset with me telling me to ‘lighten up and take a joke’.”
“Which annoyed me, so I tried to explain that it makes me feel uncomfortable if some one is watching me just have fun.”
“Then my sister pointed on people watch me when I participate in competitions, which I feel is different, I’m showing off my skills to judges, not hopping around while listening to music.”
“Now I understand I may look weird when I’m listening to my music, but it makes me feel uncomfortable knowing my sister or mum is filming me, so am I wrong?”
“Am I just being too sensitive?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for stopping jumping on her trampoline after becoming tired of her mother and sister filming her.
Everyone agreed that the OP’s mother and sister filming her was not only a blatant invasion of her privacy, but also bullying, with some even urging the OP to seriously consider filing criminal charges.
“NTA.”
“‘She got upset with me telling me to ‘lighten up and take a joke’.”
“‘Parent up and stop bullying’.”- StAlvis
“NTA.”
“Start filming them while they are doing something just for them.”
“Cooking or on a game, watching TV, or whatever.”
“If they get annoyed, ask them what the actual difference is?”
“Drum home to them that private is private.”- Organic-Mix-9422
“NTA.”
“As a mother, if one of my kids said ‘I stopped doing something that I enjoyed because you posted it online and it embarrassed me’ I’d be entirely mortified and feel horrible’.”
“The difference between competition and fun is that you’re consenting to people watching you when you’re competing.”
“Someone recording you and posting it without permission is not giving consent.”
“Especially if they’re doing it with the intent to poke fun at you.”- TrashPandaLJTAR
“NTA.”
“Your mom and sister are having fun at YOUR expense.”
“That’s bullying.”- MissyOzark
“NTA.”
“What they’re doing is both weird and mean.”
“I’m sorry they’ve sullied something you found joy in.”- Time_Oil_V
“NTA.”
“You are completely right, they are a**holes who wont respect your feelings.”
“And if you said stop then they should stop, it’s not like they are the ones being more or less shamed on the internet for doing what makes them happy.”- SignIntelligent360
“NTA.”
“But you might need to find a time and discuss with your family.”
“Because posting your private life online and going on competition are two different things.”
“During competition, you need to tense up and be professional.”
“On the other hand, in your private life, you just want to relax alone or with someone who is close to you.”
“Tell them, filming you makes you uncomfortable and will make you stress out.”
“Help them understand this point of view.”- Personal-Temporary11
“NTA.”
“They’re literally bullying you for likes, this is more than the trampoline, you need to settle this and get them to stop.”
“So that you can start enjoying your life, and your trampoline, again.”
“Home is supposed to be a safe space, not another place for frat girls to bully you, and that’s what your mom and sister are acting like.”
“Cringe.”- CommunistRingworld
“I agree with everyone else.”
“Start recording them back and see how they like it.”
“NTA and also show these responses so that they know heaps of people are against them and let it rot in their heads.”- oesophagus_unite
“NTA.”
“Competing and have fun when no one’s looking is wayyyy different.”
“Report through account and posts, your a minor and you gave no permission and people are bullying you.”
“It’s not poking fun if your not laughing or having fun.”
“That’s bullying.”- CoCoaStitchesArt
“NTA.”
“It’s a joke only if everyone is laughing.”
“It’s bullying when the subject of the ‘joke’ is upset with everyone else laughing at them.”
“Ask your mum or your sister if you secretly film them while they are ‘off the clock’ and was doing something you know they will be embarrassed if people saw, then post it to Facebook with a funny caption like ‘OMG MY MUM/SISTER IS PICKING HER NOSE AND EATING IT!’ and opening it to comments from strangers, how would they feel?”- aikigrl
“Definitely NTA.”
“What your mom is doing can be turned creepy by the wrong people.”
“She may not mean anything from it, but anything online can and will be used for creepy things.”
“There used to be a show where part of it was women jumping on trampolines.”
“Creepy then, even creepier now.”
“Your mom’s privacy settings may not prevent people you or she don’t want seeing it from seeing it.”
“Or sharing it throughout the Internet.”- MsPennyP
“So they’re illegally filming you and posting it online without your consent?”
“Hello, lawsuit/criminal charges.”
“NTA.”
“Blast Disney music.”
“Disney will remove the video instantly from the internet.”
“No one takes copyright laws more seriously than Disney.”- CinnamonPumpkin13
“Share your moms post and talk about how pathetic and embarrassing it is to make fun of your own kid.”
“NTA.”- Ok_Bit_6169
“NTA.”
“If they want to record you, let that be when you’re competing.”
“Otherwise you have the right to private enjoyment in your own home, especially if you feel like you’re being made fun of just by doing something casually that you find joy in.”- throwaway0w40
“Send them this thread where we point out they’re being exploitative jerks and bullying you for a few likes online and see how much they like to be on the receiving end of it.”
“NTA.”- Special_Lemon1487
“TIL competitive trampolining is a thing.”
“Also: NTA.”- Denzelian
“Time to film them doing something they enjoy and post it to FB with captions that poke fun at them.”
“NTA.”- embopbopbopdoowop
“NTA.”
“They should be smart enough to know the difference between performing in a competition and being recorded on their phones.”
“It’s not your responsibility to educate them. It’s their responsibility to educate themselves.”
“But, just in case you want a comeback, the difference is consent.”
“That’s it.”
“Their behaviour is vile and I’m so sorry that it’s robbing you of this joy.”- HestiaWarren
“NTA.”
“They’re posting videos of you online WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION, and that’s not ok.”
“Can you talk to your dad about it?”- MelG146
“So instead of saying ‘sorry, it was meant as a joke, and I didn’t see how much it hurt you,.'”
“‘I won’t do it again so you can enjoy your passion’ or anything like that. Your mother basically said, ‘Do it again, I want to make more fun of you!'”
“Of course NTA.”- Dimirosch
The OP later returned, to thank everyone who took the time to comment while also clarifying one thing she will definitely not do when dealing with her mother and sister:
“Thank you all for the kind words, and please stop saying I should sue my mother. I’m 16, and where I live, there is a one-way consent law for recording, so I have zero grounds to sue.”
It’s hard to say what is more confusing.
That the OP’s mother and sister were surprised that the OP stopped trampolining after learning they were ridiculing her online. Or that they recorded her without her permission and then posted those videos online while making fun of her in the first place.
In this day and age, it sadly doesn’t come as a surprise when a school bully does something like this.
But one should at the very least expect their own family to not do something like this.
Let alone a mother of two teenage girls.