Everyone has a hobby to pass the time or to help them get out of a funk and in a better mood.
Not everyone might see the appeal in our hobby, be it crocheting, baking, or painting, which might result in them looking down on us or making fun of us.
Thankfully, there’s also bound to be at least one other person who shares the love of your personal hobby and will gladly spend hours talking with you about it… if they don’t outright join you.
Redditor Neo_Confusion was pleased to discover that her sickly niece had not only found a hobby to lift her spirits but said hobby happened to be one the original poster (OP) was an avid fan of herself.
Indeed, the OP was highly accomplished in this hobby and had the accolades to prove it.
Sadly, the shared love of this hobby between the OP and her niece eventually went sour, when her niece made a request the OP was unwilling to oblige.
Worried that she was being selfish, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**Hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for refusing to give up my Neopets account to my niece?”
The OP explained why she didn’t think she was obligated to oblige a major favor her sickly niece asked of her.
“For those who don’t know, Neopets is a virtual pet game site that was really popular around the late 90s/early 2000s.”
“It kind of died a bit for a while but has recently started to get popular again.”
“I have been playing for years.”
“My account is 18 years old, and it has the stats to reflect that (pets/avatars/stamps/gallery/trophies etc.). If you don’t play, it may not mean a lot, and not to brag, but I have a rather impressive account due to the fact I have been playing so long.”
“I 34 F[emale] have no kids (not childfree, just don’t have any).”
“My sister 32 F and Brother-in-Law [BIL] 34 M[ale] have a daughter 11F who has been very sickly all her life.”
“I’ll not go into exactly what is wrong with her, but she’s been in and out of hospitals a lot in her young life and recently had to go back in again for a few weeks.”
“I recently learned that she’s been playing on Neopets.com for a few months to help pass the time when she’s not feeling well.”
“She’s really gotten into it and, from what my sister says, talks about it a lot.”
“She was excited to learn I also play, and we talked about it when I visited her.”
“I looked up her account and gifted her a bunch of stuff, expensive stuff that would be hard for a newer account to get.”
“In-game stuff using In-game money, which can be kind of hard to earn in large amounts.”
“Anyway, long story short, she asked how I can afford the stuff I sent her (it was worth millions of NP) and how I have all the stuff my account has.”
“I explained I had been playing for 18 years, did every plot/event etc.”
“Well, apparently, she got upset at the huge difference between our two accounts and asked for more stuff.”
“When I told her no, she started crying to my sister and BIL about it.”
“My BIL came over and asked if I could gift my account to my niece for her upcoming birthday (which she has to spend in the hospital).”
“Said it would mean to world to her.”
“I said no.”
“I’ve had this account since before she was born before we even met my BIL.”
“I don’t want to get rid of it.”
“I still play on it literally every day.”
“Well, he got mad and tried guilt-tripping me.”
“I’m an adult, and she’s a child, and it would make her happy in a rough time in her life.”
“I’m happy to help her learn the tricks and trades of the game but I’m not giving away my account.”
“He tried to buy it off me, but I still said no.”
“Now he is super pissed and got my sister and parents on their side.”
“I’m being hounded every day for this and being called an a**hole because it’s all my niece will talk about, and she really, really wants it.”
“I feel bad because she’s just a little girl in the hospital and guilty for not giving it.”
“I offered to send a bunch of stuff to her account again, but she wants my stats so she’s not treated like such a newbie who doesn’t know anything by other players too.”
“I feel guilty for this but I want to keep my account.”
“AITA?”
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: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to give over her Neopets to his sickly niece.
Everyone agreed that asking the OP to give her longstanding, prolific account over to her niece was an extremely unreasonable request, regardless of her health. The OP had worked very hard to achieve her status and was already being generous to her niece by gifting her all the added bonuses for the games.
“NTA.”
“And if you could ask your BIL if I could have his car, please as it would mean the world to me.”- 75oharas
“You’ve been playing for 18 YEARS.”
“It obviously means a lot to you.”
“I’m sorry for your Sis and your BIL that their child is sickly, but what a bunch of entitled AH to insist you just give these 18 years of your life up for your niece!”
“Her parents are obviously used to giving in to her every wimp.”
“They should start parenting and learn her that the world doesn’t revolve around her.”
“NTA.”
“And please don’t give her your account.”
“She should learn to work for something instead of having it handed over because she wants it.”-DoIwantToKnow6417
“NTA.”
“I’d say your family is the A for even asking that of you.”
“Your niece can work and earn the things she wants. That’s the whole point of the game.”
“Games like that become significantly less fun when you’re just handed all of the money and items, anyway.”- gottahavewine
“NTA.”
“You should be under no obligation to give up what means so much to you as a gift to anyone.”
“I’m big into cycling, and if someone asked me to gift my bike to make their kid happy I’d tell them to f*ck off.”
“NTA.”- uh_no_
“No, you’re NTA.”
“As the adult parties involved in this are reading, let me tell them that they are being a**holes.”
“You’re correct… it’s your account, and you can do with it what you please.”
“If you choose to gift it, that’s your right, and equally, it’s your right to hang onto it.”
“You’re clearly invested, both financially and emotionally, and your family is not respecting this and your boundaries.”
“The little girl is another matter.”
“She’s a child.”
“However, I think you’ve been more than fair, gifting her items from the game and offering to interact with her in-game.”
“Kids, whether they’re sick or not, need to learn about boundaries, too.”
“It’s not good parenting to just give children everything they demand.”- Comfortable_Meet_872
“Hey, another Neopian!”
“Always fun to find each other in the wild.”
“Also, NTA, she can earn her stats just like you did.”- BananaButtock
“NTA.”
“She’s sick, yes.”
“But your BIL cannot demand something you spent years building because of that sickness.”
“It’s not his to bargain for.”
“Your niece needs to learn that she will have to build her account up the same way you have.”- 12b332
“NTA.”
“There’s no reason a child can’t learn to earn their rewards.”
“She will have way more fun and feel proud of herself if she plays the game and earns things on her own.”
“The fact that she doesn’t understand that seems like she isn’t that interested in the game, and it’s just a passing interest for her.”
“Keep your account, you’ve earned it, and you should enjoy it!”
“You’ve already been super generous by gifting her those items.”- Windy_Breezer
The OP later returned with an update on her immediate plans with her niece and the rest of her family.
“Hopefully, we can have a civil conversation about it after reading all this.”
“I have a nice NC background I know my niece will love. I plan on sending her for her birthday.”
Everyone wants to come to the aid of a sickly child, particularly if they can provide them with something to take their mind off their illness.
But to ask the OP to hand over something she had been working so hard towards for her entire life is a lot to expect.
Something one would have thought the OP’s sister and brother-in-law would appreciate, and perhaps with a little more perspective, they will.