Woman Called Out For Telling Niece She Probably Won't Get Autograph From NFL Player At Game

They say honesty is the best policy, but with children, that can be somewhat debatable.

Sometimes, it's good to let children use their imagination and not spoil them with certain truths that could impact their happiness.

Other times, a frank reality check is necessary.

Which direction to follow, however, can be a very fine line.

Redditor puzzledsquish had an exciting outing with her niece planned.

The original poster (OP)'s 12-year-old niece expected the outing to end in a certain way.

The OP knew that wasn't going to happen, and made a point of telling her niece.

After being scolded for doing so, the OP took to the subreddit "Am I The A**Hole" (AITA)< where she asked fellow Redditors:

"AITA for warning my niece she's probably not getting an autograph?"

The OP explained why she found herself at odds with her niece's mother because of her honesty:

"I (20's, F[emale]) will be attending an NFL game with my niece 'Lucy' (8 F) in a few weeks."

"Lucy is quite smitten with one of the players, and is convinced she's going to get his autograph."

"Has been talking about it NON-stop."

"I warned Lucy that she's probably not getting an autograph."

"I told her that we can try, but there's a very strong chance she might not get one."

"Apparently the possibility of not getting one hadn't occured to her, because she got super upset about it."

"Now Lucy's mom is mad at me."

"She says I've 'ruined the excitement' of attending the game for Lucy, because she was mostly excited about the autograph, and now she's going to 'be worrying about not getting one the whole time'."

"AITA for warning my niece she's probably not getting an autograph?"

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
• NAH – No A**holes Here
• ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
• INFO - More Information Needed

The Reddit community firmly agreed that the OP was not the a**Hole for being honest with her niece.

Everyone thought that the OP did the right thing by setting her niece up with realistic expectations, and her niece's mother was likely only setting her up for disappointment:

"If she really wants one, have her send a request through the old school mail."

"A nice letter addressed to the player c/o the team's address."

"Also make sure to send a self-addressed and stamped return envelope, and the player's card or whatever she'd like signed, and she may be able to get one that way."

"Good luck!"

"Hope you guys have fun at the game."

"NTA."

"You set real expectations, good job."- Infinite_stardust

"NTA."

"Where exactly does she think this will happen?"

"You can go into detail about 'we'll go here so we'll be close to when they come in the stadium, then we'll go here where they've given autographs before."

"And if we're really lucky..you might just get one'."

"Maybe show her video of players giving autographs so she can see that what...5 kids get one?"

"Anyway, then she sees what to expect and you can do whatever you can, within reason, to get her where she needs to be."-LiveKindly01

"NTA."

"Kids can't always get what they want; have to be real."- Rofocal10

"I think this was on her parents to tell her, but they should've told her."

"This is a real 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation."

"NTA."

"You were probably going to end up with a sad little girl either way."

"But I think you saved yourself more misery by giving her more realistic expectations going in (and unless you have seats right behind the players' benches, the chances of getting an autograph at a game are extremely low) versus her going in with very high expectations and having them crushed when it didn't happen."- Sith_Lord_Onyx

"Lucy’s mom sounds like an awful parent setting her kid up for lifelong failure."

"NTA."- malak1000

"NTA."

'If this were a concert, theater performance, or something else where there's a reasonable expectation to perhaps get an autograph, then yeah, I'd say you shouldn't have said anything."

"But as far as I know, getting an autograph at an NFL game is pretty tough, depending on the stadium."

"If your niece is only looking forward to the game for the autograph, it would be very misleading to pretend getting a signature is likely."

"I know if it were my 8-year-old, I would 100% help him manage his expectations; otherwise, he would be so crushed that I let him think it was a possibility."

"He would have a full-blown meltdown."

"Since the game hasn't happened yet, maybe (with her mom's permission) you and Lucy can research together the best way to get an autograph at your particular stadium."

"I think in general it involves getting there early."

"And as a backup, if she doesn't get it at the game, you could try sending something to the team to get an autograph."- Familiar-Soup

"NTA."

"Life isn't all rainbows and sunshine."- tacodorifto

"NTA."

"You could have softened it by reminding her how much fun the game itself will be."

"Make the autograph a bonus, not the whole reason for going."- BeterP

"So her mom wants to have a meltdown at the game cause she expects to get one?"

"NTA."- ImaginationClean583

"NTA."

"Managing expectations that could avoid a potential meltdown at the venue is a good thing."

"Can you uninvite your niece?"- fizzinator9000

"NTA."

"Managing expectations is perfectly appropriate."

"Just convince her getting the player's jersey is even better than getting his autograph, then get her a jersey."- Beautiful_Arm8364

"NTA."

"Imagine how much happier she'll be if she does end up getting an autograph, instead of taking it for granted!"- Fluffy_Optimist

"NTA."

"But this is an opportunity to reframe it as getting to see her favorite player up close."

"And then look up the address online where she can write fan mail and request an autograph."

"And she can also look up autograph sessions and see that there isn’t one that day, and then she will not be upset or anxious because she will know she’s getting an autograph through the mail (maybe) and can enjoy the game instead."

"All stuff the parents should be doing and not you, but someone’s gotta.- Fireblaster2001

"NTA."

"It is hard during a game day to meet players."

"Her parents should have mentioned this beforehand."- jma7400

"NTA."

"You are just trying to set realistic expectations."

"If she got upset now, she would have also been upset after the game when she didn’t get an autograph."- bmanley620

"NTA."

"It is better to tell her the truth now than later."- opelan

"NTA."

"I have a few autographed things, but I've never gotten one at a game."

"There just is not the opportunity."

'Even if you were to go to a training camp with a dedicated signing section/time, there is no guarantee that you get a signature from the guy you really want."

"I don't know what a Mahomes signature goes for, but I know the cheapest Caleb Williams thing when he was drafted was still like $300-400"- Mindless_Dog_5956

"I think you were wise to try to manage her expectations."

"Imagine the meltdown if you hadn't?"

"At least this way, she has some hope of enjoying the game, and if she gets an autograph, it's a bonus."

"NTA."- Ribena41

"NTA."

"Next you should tell her that Santa isn’t real."

"Lol I’m not being sarcastic, I’m glad you told her how reality works."- BigTaco_Boss

"NTA."

"Best bet is to find some team event where players are more accessible to getting an autograph."- thatjerkatwork

"Idk what her mom on about, its either she is aware it might not happen and maybe be less upset when it happens or be excited she will get one this entire time but her entire day is now ruined because she didn't get one."

"It will hurt more when she doesn't realize that."

"NTA."- Shadou_Wolf

"NTA."

"I think it doesn't hurt to be a little realistic."

"Most likely, it's not going to happen."

"Whether you warned her or not...the meltdown was going to happen."

"Just going off personal experience."

"My dad and my older brother have had season tickets to the Seahawks for years (like 20ish now) and, in the past couple of years, they've gotten 'sideline passes' for a game, which lets them go down onto the field beforehand while the players are warming up."

"Even with that, only 'team member' they've been able to interact with was Taima....the auger hawk they release during the team's entrance."- TALieutenant