This Redditor’s wife had had enough of a child’s crazy antics, so she blew up. People accuse his wife of being immature, but he’s defending her and thinks she did the right thing!
Crazy Family Dynamics
OP (Original Poster) and his wife are both 34 and child-free. On the other hand, OP has a younger brother, Mack, who started dating Heather, a single mom of three kids.
Heather’s first child, Anna, is 12, and OP thinks she’s a “problem child.” Meanwhile, her younger brothers, who are six and eight, are “great.”
Pre-teen Angst?
Anna, unfortunately, purposefully does “s***” to “p*** people off” at every turn.
OP wrote, “She is extremely defiant, and her mother lets her get away with it.”
BBQ Party Hosts
Then, OP explained that he and his wife own a camp on the lake, and once a year, they host a large barbeque and weekend stay for their entire family.
The year before this story was posted, Mack brought Heather and her kids to the family gathering.
A Problem Child
Sadly, Anna was a “s***” all weekend. She would pick fights with people, throw tantrums, hit others, and more.
Throughout all this, Heather just stood back, saying, “I don’t know why she acts like that.” She wouldn’t do or try anything to correct her daughter, though.
Trying to Keep Her Cool
OP’s wife was getting noticeably more “p***** off” by the second. Still, things got incredibly worse the day before this story was posted.
He explained, “Yesterday, we were all sitting out on the deck talking and enjoying a coffee, and Anna was underfoot, per usual. She was told to go play with the other kids several times, and she refused—finding excuses to be involved in the conversation, which included picking up a fly swatter and swatting at flies around all the adults, knocking over our coffees several times.”
Targeting His Wife
Anna was also targeting OP’s wife, trying to upset her. She would smack his wife with the swatter and repeatedly say there were flies on her when there wasn’t even a single one.
OP wrote, “My wife at one point looked at Heather and said, ‘Either get your kid the f*** out of here or I’m going to lose my s***.’”
Dismissive Mom
OP explained that he had spoken to his brother several times prior, trying to get him to intervene, especially since Anna dumped his wife’s fresh, cold coffee all over the place—including on her—twice!
However, his brother didn’t do anything. What’s even more upsetting was Heather just said a clipped, “Anna, go play,” with no follow through.
The Last Straw
Anna still didn’t listen and instead came back, slapped OP’s wife on the forehead with the swatter, and said, “Bug; missed him.” Boiling in anger, OP’s wife took her cold coffee, which she had just made, and flung it at Anna!
The girl immediately started crying, and Heather and OP’s brother flipped out!
Words You Can’t Take Back
Heather and OP’s brother started verbally attacking OP’s wife, saying Anna was “just a f****** kid” and she was being an “immature c***!”
OP’s wife calmly put her cup of coffee down. She continued the conversation as if nothing happened—all while Heather, Anna, and OP’s brother flipped out.
Demon Spawn
Furious, Heather then asked his wife, “Do you have anything to f****** say for yourself?” But OP’s wife wasn’t cowering in fear, nor was she intimidated.
She told Heather, “Don’t let the door hit you and your demon spawn on the a** on the way out.”
Others’ Whispers
Some other adults they were with think an apology is needed. They think OP and his wife were “a**holes” for not saying sorry, but OP believes they didn’t deserve it.
He explained, “There were plenty of times my wife specifically had told Anna to stop, and she had even taken the fly swatter from her at one point. Anna went and mocked my wife and then grabbed a new swatter, while Heather and my brother ignored Anna and what she was doing. Hence, why Anna kept doing it.”
They Knew How Bad It Was
OP also noted that other adults had something to say to Anna, so he was sure they understood why his wife acted the way she did.
He said, “Several times, the other adults spoke up to this kid as well and spoke to Heather about ‘stepping up’ and telling her kid to stop and actually following through.”
It Wasn’t Unfounded
He also defended his wife, saying “many steps were taken” before it reached that point. OP said that his wife shouldn’t need to “remove herself from the equation” since they were on their property, and everything was on their dime.
The Right Way to Go About Things
OP noted that instead of people thinking he and his wife were the villains, his brother and his “sorry excuse of a mom girlfriend” should have corrected the issue from the beginning.
He said, “Twelve is plenty old enough to know right from wrong. Even her brothers don’t pull that s***.”
Child-Free by Choice
In another defense for his wife, OP said it was not her job to set an example. He said, “We are kid-free for a reason.”
OP noted that Anna and her mom were “warned several times” by OP’s wife, him, and the other adults. So, beyond that, it was a “them issue.”
What Redditors Think
Users said if their kids acted as Anna did, they’d be the first ones to correct their mistakes. So, it was unfathomable for them how Heather acted.
A top commenter wrote, “I would have launched my kid into outer space if she did that to an adult. The fact that her mother tacitly encouraged it by doing s*** to stop it is interesting.”
Another person said, “The tricky part about being a parent is figuring out when being a kid stops being an excuse. At some point, you have to teach them to be functioning humans who understand boundaries and consequences. Twelve is way too late to start that process.”
Kids Are Normal Humans, Too!
People also commend parents worldwide who discipline and teach their children manners.
“There is something so unbelievably charming about parents who just treat their kids like a normal human. They don’t coddle them and make excuses for them. It’s beautiful,” commented one Redditor.
Do you think OP’s wife went too far? What would you do if you were in his wife’s shoes?
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This post first appeared as A Childless Woman Deliberately Dumped Coffee on a 12-Year-Old and Called Her a “Demon Spawn” to Put Her in Place. She’s Shunned for Being “Immature,” but the Kid Deserved It! on Quote Ambition.
