'She's a Brat': Internet Split Over Aunt Telling Niece She Doesn't Love Her

In a now-viral post, a woman admitted to telling her 8-year-old niece that she doesn't love her.

Posting in Reddit's "Am I The A**hole" forum under the username u/Obvious-Wrongdoer-18, the woman explained she made the comment during one of her niece's "tantrums." The post has garnered over 7,900 upvotes and thousands of comments from Redditors who couldn't agree whether or not she was wrong to say something so "cruel" to her niece.

In her post, the woman explained that she has two nieces—her sister Kim's daughter Laura, who is 8, and her brother Tom's daughter Amy, who is 6.

"Amy is a sweet energetic little girl [who] listens and knows to respect people's rules/boundaries, Laura does not," the woman continued. "Laura is entitled. Laura is impatient. Laura is whiny. Laura will through [sic] a massive tantrum if she is denied anything... ."

Why Tempter Tantrums Happen

According to Understood, a nonprofit organization dedicated to those with "thinking differences," tantrums are common among young kids. By 8 or 9 years old, however, "tantrums have tapered off for most kids."

"When older kids have tantrums, people may see them as spoiled or disrespectful. The truth isn't so simple, though. Tantrums happen for a reason," the organization said.

"As kids grow up, they typically develop language skills to express feelings like frustration and anger," Understood continued. "But some kids take longer to learn to handle strong emotions and cope with disappointment. They may struggle with self-control or anxiety, or have trouble putting feelings into words."

To prevent tantrums from happening, Understood reminded parents not to "cave in" to their upset child's requests and to "be clear" about rules. The nonprofit also encouraged parents to make a note of when tantrums happen.

"Over time you may see patterns that help you predict (and prevent) future tantrums," Understood explained.

'I Don't Love You'

Unfortunately, Kim frequently caves to Laura's demands, which is why Laura throws so many tantrums, according to u/Obvious-Wrongdoer-18. As such, the woman refuses to babysit Laura. However, she loves to see Amy whenever she can, so when her friends backed out of a Disney trip, the woman invited Tom and his family to accompany her.

"They were delighted and we all decided to go, [but] obviously Kim found out and wanted to come too but we all knew she couldn't afford it, so I thought everything was settled," the woman said.

During a recent family dinner, however, Laura pestered her aunt about the trip, demanding that she pay for everything.

"[She] said, 'Auntie, you have a nice job and no kids you can pay [for] everything...you can pay for me and mommy to go,'" the woman recalled.

Of course, she refused to cover Laura's and Kim's costs, prompting Laura to throw a fit.

"It was awful and she kept screaming 'Why' and saying that if I really loved her I'd make her happy by paying for the trip...I finally snapped and yelled back that I didn't love her. That she was a mean little girl and that I didn't like being around her," the woman wrote. "AITA?"

Redditors React

Many Redditors slammed u/Obvious-Wrongdoer-18's "cruel" comment.

"YTA [you're the a**hole]—words hurt and can not be taken back. You could have said, 'I don't love the way you are acting,' rather than telling her that you don't love her. You are not obligated to pay for her, but you are obligated to be conscious of your words," u/Spare_Recognition998 argued.

"Your niece is eight...You screamed at her that you don't love her and that she's a mean little girl? Really? The appropriate thing to do would've been to stop replying to her at all and tell your sister to deal with it. Walk away from the situation," u/chickadeedeedee_ said.

Redditor u/steffy0212 added: "ESH [everyone sucks here]. Yeah, she's a brat. Still very cruel to tell a little girl you don't love her."

Others, however, felt u/Obvious-Wrongdoer-18 did nothing wrong.

"NTA [not the a**hole]. Her mom should have cut the conversation short after you said no. Harsh af [as f**k] yes. But I mean Kim should control her daughter if she doesn't want her feelings to get hurt," u/mangos2018 wrote.

"NTA. Eight-year-old sounds like a real nasty piece of work," u/belle-_-boo said.

Newsweek was unable to reach out to u/Obvious-Wrongdoer-18 for comment.

Other 'AITA' Moments

Redditors slammed a bride on Monday who removed her brother's girlfriend from her wedding photos because she's "too dark."

Last week, a man received viral support for leaving his niece stranded at the airport after she purposely missed her flight.

A teen was also praised last week for refusing to feed his stepmother's relatives during a family emergency.