At a family BBQ, this Reddit user witnessed his unruly nephews and nieces running amok while their parents remained oblivious. When the kids found themselves in a bit of trouble, he chose not to step in, thinking it was their parents’ job. Now, his siblings are upset with him. But was he really at fault?
The Background
The Original Poster (OP) starts by explaining that he doesn’t get on very well with his two sisters, their husbands, or their kids. Hence why he didn’t want to attend a recent family BBQ at his parents’ house. However, after pressure from his wife (who’d been pressured by his mom), he agreed to go.
There Was a Lot Going On
When OP and his wife arrived at the party, there were around 20 other people there. His sisters and in-laws were already drunk. OP’s mom was busy trying to keep his young nieces and nephews under control. And his Dad had “strategically retreated to the whirlpool part of the pool with a small cooler full of beers.”
The Kids Pushed Someone In
After about 45 minutes of being there, OP watched as two of the kids charged at one of the guests (a neighbor) stood next to the swimming pool and pushed her in. She obviously wasn’t very happy about it, but she didn’t cause a fuss – choosing to leave the party instead. OP notes that his siblings and brothers-in-law found it hilarious.
They Tried to Push Him in Next
Soon after, OP was chatting to another guest next to the pool. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three of the kids come charging at him. However, unwilling to suffer the same fate as the neighbor, he “jumped out of their way at the last second.” The result? All three of the kids ended up running straight into the pool…
His Siblings Were Furious
Pandemonium erupted. Most of the other people at the party (including OP and his wife) found it hilarious, but his two sisters freaked out and their kids had burst into tears. Apparently, despite wearing swimsuits, two of them couldn’t swim. Not only that, but they’d been holding their parents’ smartphones when they fell in the pool…
Everyone Was Yelling
OP says that it didn’t take long before “all hell broke loose.” The drunk parents were shouting at everybody – especially at OP, for “nearly letting their kids drown.” One of his brothers-in-law tried to get the phones from the pool. But, as OP puts it, his “BMI and BAC [blood alcohol content] made that impossible.”
An Argument Ensued
OP pointed out to his sisters that they should have been watching their kids. The fact they weren’t meant that if something serious had happened to them, it would have been their fault, not his. That didn’t go down well. And both parties swapped “some pretty strong words.” From their perspective, OP should have let the kids knock him into the pool “and have their fun.” But what did Reddit think?
Reddit Was On OP’s Side
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, people on Reddit thought OP had nothing to apologize for. The blame lay exclusively with his siblings. You know, the drunk ones who weren’t watching their kids – who couldn’t swim – as they charged around the pool?
As one person said, “…What kind of semi-intelligent parent takes their non-swimmer kid to a pool party and then gets drunk?? Don’t rely on other people to look after your kids unless you want to pay them to play lifeguard.”
The Kids Sound Terrible
Other people pointed out that the kids’ behaviour was totally inappropriate. One wrote: “They are lucky the neighbor they pushed didn’t get hurt, those kids sound terrible.” And another said, “If the parents’ phones got ruined in the process, that’s on them for not controlling their little hellions.”
What Do You Think?
So what’s your take on OP’s story? Are you on his side, too? Or did he do something wrong here? Should he have stopped his nieces and nephews from falling in the pool? Or was he only being sensible by dodging out of the way as they tried to push him in? Drop a comment with your thoughts.
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The images in this article are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent anybody in the story.
Source: Reddit.