35-year-old aunt steals from her 7-year-old niece, she tries to cover it up by blaming her 5 and 8-year-old daughters: “The girls left crying”

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
May 5, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world, but one of the most ubiquitous and overlooked. Maybe if we did view it as an occupation in a way, and less like something we need to do to feel complete, then people might have less children. I always felt like people have kids for the sake of having them, because they feel obligated to. People have children for so many reasons, but more current generations are looking into reasons why they're having kids, and considering whether they even want them or not. 

Having children affects them the rest of their lives. It may seem like an altruistic motive on the outside, but if you're not a stable, mature, or intelligent person to begin with, you might end up doing more damage to them than good. Children are like sponges, and the slightest comment or behavior could end up giving them a lifelong trauma. 

In the story below, it centers around a family dynamic in which one mother is not the healthiest person. She teaches her children to steal, and not just steal, but to steal from her own family. Read the full story below for all the juicy details. 

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  • 01

    AITAH for demanding to check my brother's girlfriend's bags before they leave my house?

    | “Vivian is not who she claims to be” 立
    via Joophotos from pixabay / Canva

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

  • 02
    A bit of background here, I (39F) have a brother (32M) who I'll call Chase. Chase has been with this girl (35F) that I'll call Vivian for almost 2 years now. About a month into their relationship, Vivian got pregnant with my nephew who is now almost a year old. Vivian also has 2 daughters (5F and 8F) from a
    via Reddit

  • When I read stories like these, I just feel so bad for the children of the woman who is caught stealing. They'll grow up with such distorted notions of healthy behaviors, how to treat others, possessions, and love. If this is how this woman treats her family, I don't want to see how she treats her worst enemies. 

  • 03
    previous relationship. Her daughters are very close in age to my daughter (7F) and up until last weekend everyone got along fine. They live in a different state than us but come to visit fairly often and stay with us because we have the extra room.
    via Reddit
  • 04
    Last weekend they came to stay again and about an hour before they left my daughter noticed that a few of her favorite toys were missing. The girls were playing all weekend so I didn't think much of it and offered to help her look for them. After about 20 minutes of searching we could not find the
    via Reddit
  • 05
    toys anywhere so I asked Vivian's girls if they remembered where they were playing with them last. The girls said no but acted a little guilty about it. I asked Chase and Vivian about it and Chase said he saw the exact toys in the room that Vivian's girls were sleeping in. We
    via Reddit
  • 06
    went to check and they were not there. He asked Vivian if she had moved them when she packed the girls things that morning and she said they were not there. We went back into the living room and I saw Vivian's girls huddled close together over a backpack and quickly closed it when they saw we were there. Chase asked the girls
    via Reddit
  • 07
    again if they knew where the toys were and this time they didn't say anything and just looked at their mom. Chase reached for the bag and Vivian lost it. She started yelling at me how dare I accuse her daughters of stealing and she tried to the bag away. Chase opened it and there were the
    via Reddit
  • 08
    opened it and there were the missing toys plus a few more. I was absolutely furious. I told her I wanted to see what else she had and demanded she open the 2 suitcases. She said that was an invasion of her privacy and tried to take them and leave. Chase stopped her and made her open
    via Reddit
  • 09
    them. She had taken several tops, a few skirts and dresses, and a brand new pair of Nikes that belonged to my daughter. I took everything back and told her she and her girls were not allowed back into my home. I have since received several texts from her and a few unknown numbers telling me I embarrassed
    via Reddit
  • 10
    her and upset her girls because they were promised the items. Chase is upset with her but said I was too mean to her in front of everyone and that I could have handled the situation more privately. I do feel awful that her girls left crying but AITHA for how I handled the situation?
    via Reddit
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    Cheezburger Image 10501404672
    via atlasstudio / Canva

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  • 12
    Edited to add: Answers to a few questions I keep getting: I am not sure who "promised" the girls the items, she would not elaborate but I'm assuming it was her. She wanted me to pull her aside into a different room away from Chase and the kids to talk the situation out. Also yes, I'm 99% sure the
    via Reddit
  • 13
    baby is his, he is almost a carbon copy of my brother when he was a baby. I do not believe the girls knew they were stealing the things, I really believe that their mom told them I said it was ok. We have never had problems with the girls before this, they really seem to be good kids.
    via Reddit
  • 14
    Also, I'll be talking with my brother tonight or tomorrow to discuss things further.
    via Reddit
  • 15
    Edit #2: I will be speaking with my brother in about an hour. I have been in contact with someone that knows her and a lot has come to light. I will update again if my brother says I can as it's his life and not mine. Vivian is not at all who she claims to be.
    via Reddit
  • 16
    Update 5/1: Thank you all so much for the responses. I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to everyone's comments as I really didn't think this would take off. I talked with my brother last night and showed him a lot of your comments and suggestions and thanks to someone in the comments we now know a lot
    via Reddit
  • 17
    more about Vivian and the kind of person she really is. I will not be able to tell you all everything, but I can tell you that my brother and nephew are now staying with us while he gets a DNA test and proceeds to cut ties with her. I may have more to give you all in the coming days or weeks depending on what the paternity test says. Again thank you all so much!
    via Reddit
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    abc 234 5878
    via Daria Kolpakova from Getty Images / Canva

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

  • 19
    Nowelo NTA holy sh that is a hot - mess. You should not feel bad for their crying but you might talk to your brother about his terrible choice in partners.
    via u/Nowelo
  • 20
    BulbasaurRanch Absolutely NTA You don't need to accommodate the feelings of thieves. She should feel embarrassed.
    via u/BulbasaurRanch
  • 21
    Her girls are crying because their mother is a filthy thief and a liar. Not your problem.
    via u/BulbasaurRanch
  • 22
    Intelligent_Menu8004 NTA- You simply recovered legally owned property that was deprived from you.
    via u/Intelligent_Menu8004
  • 23
    She can still get her kids those items—just not by stealing yours. And they should be embarrassed!
    via u/Intelligent_Menu8004
  • 24
    Most-Ad-4405 NTA. I do hope your brother reconsiders his relationship with Vivian though, YIKES
    via u/Most-Ad-4405

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