Woman Is No Longer Inviting Her Sister’s ‘iPad Kid’ To Family Events Because He’s Never Disciplined For His ‘Unacceptable’ Behavior
Emily Wade / Unsplash An aunt confessed that she no longer invites her nephew to family events because he's an iPad kid who is never disciplined for his bad behavior. Unfortunately, that decision is causing a rift between sisters, and healing it might be difficult.
A woman named Maya. who has built a following on TikTok by recounting stories people share on Reddit, recently discussed the aunt's family drama, which centered on her sister and an eight-year-old nephew. The parenting debate is delicate, especially when family members disagree on fundamental principles such as discipline and screen time.
A woman decided to stop inviting her sister’s ‘iPad kid’ to family events because he’s never disciplined for his ‘unacceptable’ behavior.
“I treat my family to dinners out and other events fairly often,” she shared. “My sister, Charlotte, recently moved closer to me and my parents. Before then, I only saw her and my nephew, Leo, for holidays.” The woman invited them both out to dinner, which ended up being “an absolute disaster because of Leo.”
“Charlotte called me while she was driving to the restaurant. I could hear Leo yelling in the background. Charlotte asked Leo to wait a few minutes until she was done calling me, and then she would give Leo her phone.”
“I think we all know where this is going,” Maya interjected, before continuing her narration. According to the woman, “My nephew’s behavior was no better inside the restaurant. Leo is eight, and yet he was acting like some kind of two-year-old. He was jumping up and down in the booths, yelling to get Charlotte’s attention,” the woman reported, yet that wasn’t the worst of his behavior: “He threw bread at another patron’s service dog.”
“My dad took away the bread after Leo ignored the first warning. Leo threw a tantrum. People were staring at us, and I would have been, too,” the woman recalled. “This behavior was completely unacceptable.” She continued, “While all this was happening, Charlotte just said things like, ‘Oh, Leo, you can play on my phone,’ and wasn’t doing anything to actually discipline my nephew.”
Research suggests that screen time could adversely affect children's behavior.
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According to the article, “Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development,” published in The Cureus Journal of Medical Science in July 2023, children’s overuse of screen time is a public health issue. The article posits that while electronic devices, like iPads, can have positive effects on kids, they also can harm children’s cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth.
The article maintains that excessive screen time can “obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one's psychological health in general.”
By setting boundaries on screen time, parents can curb the negative effects associated with their kids using devices. Yet Charlotte didn’t seem open to setting boundaries or doing the hard work of disciplining Leo, as the woman soon found out.
“While we were outside leaving, and Leo was with his grandparents, out of earshot, I told Charlotte that this could never happen again,” she recalled. “I told Charlotte that she needed to get Leo under control, and until she does, he is not welcome at any events in public that I host for the family.” Maya shared her opinion on the boundary the woman tried to set, saying, “That’s super fair.”
The woman’s sister didn’t think the boundary was fair, calling her ‘a horrible person for excluding a child.’
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Charlotte implored the woman to consider how she would have felt if she’d been excluded from family events as an eight-year-old.
“If Charlotte doesn’t want to hurt Leo’s feelings, then she can not tell him about the family events that I host, or actually do something to discipline Leo,” the woman countered.
“Our parents understandably asked to not get involved in our disagreement,” she said. “My friends are divided, because some are saying Leo shouldn’t even be in restaurants until Charlotte gets him under control, and others claim that what I described Leo doing was normal kid behavior.”
The sisters can agree to disagree, but that doesn't mean this woman has to alter her decision.
There’s truth to the adage that parenting is easiest when you don’t actually have kids of your own, but still, the woman set a reasonable boundary: She doesn’t want to host her nephew in public if he continues to behave poorly.
While eight is old enough to know not to antagonize a service dog, kids tend to push boundaries in order to determine what they can get away with, and in Leo’s case, it seems like he gets away with a lot. Ultimately, it’s up to Charlotte to set boundaries for her son. If she’s not willing to do so, the woman doesn’t have to be expected to tolerate her nephew’s behavior, especially if she’s the one treating the family to dinner.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.
