Dad walks out of 5-year-old son's kindergarten play after his wife makes a scene in the audience: 'She began loudly ranting to herself. Over time she gradually got louder and louder'

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Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 14, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

As a former community theater child actor, I have seen my fair share of crazy stage parents. The craziest ones weren't screaming from the audience saying, "Sing out Louise," but were constantly putting ideas in their child's head about how they had to be the best puppy in the production of 101 Dalmations KIDS or else! I definitely think giving notes to your 8-year-old about how they could improve their performance is much more damaging than being an overly enthusiastic audience member. 

The mom in this story is both a bad audience member and a harsh critic. When her 5-year-old son was onstage during his Kindergarten play, he was sucking on the strings of the giraffe hat he was wearing. If he were ten and doing that, it would be cause for concern, but at this age, parents can only laugh at harmless mistakes like that, or so I thought. This mom decided to bark at him from the audience to tell him to stop sucking on the string, much to the dismay of her husband.

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    Cheezburger Image 10416246528
    via Daria Trofimova

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITAH for walking out of my son's kindergarten play because my wife wouldn't shut up?
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 03
    Today, my [32m] son's [5m] kindergarten had a little play. It was a short story involving a bunch of bunnies, giraffes, and sheep. My son, Kevin, was one of the giraffes. I was looking forward to it all week, but I was also anxious because my wife, Claire [31f], tends to get very bad when we're in front of other people. She'll often become aggressive, short-tempered, and will be incredibly towards me. I think she does it performatively because she thinks it makes her look cool.
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 04
    Anyway, Claire and I arrived early to get front-row seats in their small auditorium. First, as we waited, Claire began by putting her bag and other belongings on the two seats next to her. I had to get her to put them under her chair because other people might want to sit there. She accosted me because, "Of course I know that! I was going to move them when it got crowded!" Then she began setting up a camera on a tripod on top of the seat, which would have obstructed the view of anyone else behin
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 05
    The performance started, and our son did a great job. But he had a little giraffe hat on with a cord to go under his chin, and he put the cord in his mouth during the play. Claire would simply not shut up about this. As all the parents took videos, she was constantly saying things like "I TOLD him not to chew on it" and "Kevin! Take the cord out of your mouth!" I could tell other parents were getting irritated with her because her voice was getting on their video of their children. I lightly sug
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 06
    Claire did not take this well. She began loudly ranting to herself. She would repeat things like "God I want him to shut the " and mock my voice with "kEvin CaN'T hEaR YOU." Over time she gradually got louder and louder.
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 07
    Finally, when I was pretty sure Kevin's part in the play was done, I stood up and walked out. I waited in the car. Claire and Kevin came out about 20 minutes later. She opened the door and immediately began tearing into her about "abandoning" her and Kevin. When I responded that she was embarrassing me, she began sulking and ranting about how she's "such an embarrassment" to her family. I don't know what I could have done better. Should I have handled this differently?
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 08
    Fresh Mistake8678 Wife is gonna ruin every moment of the kids life and take OP down with her. His wife likes attention on her, and imagine graduation and wedding ouff
    via u/Fresh_Mistake8678
  • 09
    Majestic-Constant714 She's 100% showing up in a white dress to the wedding.
    via u/Majestic-Constant714
  • 10
    QuantumKittydynamics I was late to my high school graduation because my narcissist mother spent ages doing her makeup (which she didn't allow me to wear). When I told her we were going to be late, she screamed that "today isn't all about you!!". My graduation day wasn't about me... So I didn't invite her to my bachelor's graduation. Or my master's graduation. Or my PhD defense. Or my PhD graduation. But if I don't still remember that high school graduation day...not the graduation itself, I just
    via u/QuantumKittydynamics
  • 11
    Fresh Mistake8678 OP needs to read this. That kid is gonna resent him for not protecting him from narc mom. Kids do listen and feel what is happening around them. He was performing today yet somehow the day turned into wife show (pointing issues and complaints)
    via u/Fresh_Mistake8678
  • 12
    Ron Ron8888 I think she craves for attention. Any kind will do.
    via u/RonRon8888
  • 13
    Kitelingka Exactly! It sounds like she's stirring things up just to be the center of attention, even if it's negative. Not healthy at all.
    via u/Kitelingka
  • 14
    InternationalYam3130 My husband loves attention and doesn't do this. It manifests as being a goof sometimes when he needs to be serious. This is beyond attention seeking and just abusive.
    via u/InternationalYam3130
  • 15
    Wise_Date_5357 Kevin is 5. He understands words. On the day he got up to act in public, a huge achievement for a 5 year old, he spent a car ride back with his parents. You know what he should have been expecting to hear, ALL the way back home? You make a great giraffe Kevin. You were so brave and you got all your lines right, we are so proud of you! You know what he heard instead, all the way back? Your father thinks I'm an embarrassment. You were chewing your hat.
    via u/Wise_Date_5357
  • 16
    That is unacceptable and the fact you're staying with this woman who would not only treat you this way (clearly at the very least verbally abusive) when you'd been looking forward to this all week but that would ruin something so big for your son, that is deeply wrong. I would never call someone in an abusive relationship an A H but please get out of there. NTA for walking out.
    via u/Wise_Date_5357
  • 17
    crazyacct101 And take Kevin with you.
    via u/crazyacct101
  • 18
    Beginning Pizza2196 OP I realized this and it made me really sad. I put Kevin to bed. I praised him on his giraffe performance and told him that everyone has habits they can't control (when talking about biting his hat cord). I'm not sure he understood, but I also told him that Mommy is very sick, and sometimes she can't control herself, but that's different because it hurts other people. It was a hard conversation to have with him, but I did the best I could.
    via u/Beginning_Pizza2196
  • 19
    dawkholiday Brotha. I was in a relationship with someone like her. God you love them but you hate to be with them in public. Walking on eggshells. Take some time and think if you want this the rest of your life. Do what you need to do for your happiness if you decide you dont want to live like this. You already knew what she was going to be like. You've seen it plenty of times and recognized the signs. She just sounds insufferable in public but I bet you love her at home. I had it in my own home
    via u/dawkholiday
  • 20
    Emotional Builder_24 NTA. Why are you married to such a foul human being? She sounds like such a miserable person to be around.
    via u/Emotional_Builder_24
  • 21
    Emotional_Builder_24 She sounds like a narcissistic mother in the making.
    via u/Emotional_Builder_24
  • 22
    Snow Crash Bandicoot Definitely sounds like some type of narcissistic personality disorder to me. She clearly does obnoxious things for attention then portrays herself as the victim when anyone objects.
    via u/Snow_Crash_Bandicoot

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