Mother refuses to force 16, 14, 12, and 3-year-old children to play inside with their introvert cousin, her sister accuses her children of excluding him: ‘My kids don't like to watch TV’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
May 8, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

When the sun is shining and the grass is greening, all kids want to do is get outside and feel the vitamin D sink into their skin as they build a fort with their best friends. The fort won't hold for longer than four seconds because they are too young to be civil engineers, but it's important to note that children have the spirit, and that's what matters.

Some children would prefer to stay inside with a nice book or cozy movie, which is also fine. Each child has their own definition of fun, and each child is different and knows what makes them happy (and what makes them sad). So, when the young cousin in this next story wants to play inside instead of going outside with his cousins, the cousins kindly refuse. After all, the weather is nice and the fort is almost built. Time is of the essence! The young cousin, however, did not take it lightly. The woman who posted this story explains that her sister, the young cousin's mom, accused her boys of exclusion. This comes after the woman freely babysat for the kids repeatedly. Luckily, the woman defends her kids to no end. Scroll below to read the full story.

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  • There's nothing wrong with introversion, let's get that straightened out. However, you can't force kids who are normally active children to sit inside if they don't want to, especially if only one child wants to do so. Forcing a child to do something they don't want to do a parenting fail, and you know how much we hate those here.

  • Cheezburger Image 10502772736
    via Lia Bekyan For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • "Aitah for not forcing my kids to play inside with my nephew?"

    I am 38F I have 4 kids ages 16M, 14M, 12M, and 3F. My sister (35F) has one kid age 12M. I also have a brother (30M) whose kids are 4M & 10M.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • After school every day all of the kids come to my house until their parents get off of work. 3F isn't in preschool yet so she is home all
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • day and 4M does half days preschool I pick him up at 12. I have a little fenced in play area for the babies and spend most of my time there.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • When the kids all get off the bus I normally have a snack ready and then most of them go outside and find somewhere to play. My
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • kids are pretty feral. 99% of the time they are headed straight for the woods to "the fort". My brother's oldest usually does whatever my kids are up to.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • The issue is my sister's son. He does not like to be outside and mostly sits on the couch and either watches TV or plays on his
    via Soggy_froggy
  • phone. Every now and then he will go play with the others by it's rare and he's back inside pretty quickly. He is just not an outside kid.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • Yesterday my nephew was upset because the others did not want to stay inside and watch a movie with him. He asked them and they all just wanted to go outside.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • Cheezburger Image 10502772992
    via Jay Skyler For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • When my sister came to pick him up he told her the other kids wouldn't watch a movie with him and he didn't want to play what
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • they were playing. So my sister is now upset and said all the other kids are excluding him and I should have made them stay with him instead.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • I told her my kids don't like to watch TV. They are working on their fort(there was a storm recently so they are rebuilding it) and enjoying being outside. If it
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • were raining or something sure I could have made them come inside but it was a nice day so I'm not forcing 4 boys to stay in the
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • house just because her kid wants to stay in the house. It was his decision not to go with them. They didn't say he couldn't they asked him if he wanted to go.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • Well now my sister and her husband are both upset and believe I am allowing my children/ nephew to exclude their son.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • Idk if I'm an ole here but I didn't feel like it was appropriate to force teenage/ preteen boys to sit inside and watch a movie when they wanted to be outside.
    via Soggy_froggy535
  • Fit_Base2089 I love that you encourage your kids to go outside and use their imaginations! Your nephew isn't into that, and that's fine, but he needs to realize that he can't make the other kids watch a movie with him if none of them want to do so.
    via Fit_Base2089
  • If your sister doesn't like the way you manage things in your home, she is free to seek after-school childcare elsewhere. It's entitled of her to demand that you cater to her child - one of SEVERAL who are in the home - when you are doing. her a favor. NTA
    via Fit_Base2089
  • scienceoftophats NTA and May I say how cool it is that you enable all these cousins to be together every day! Brava!
    via scienceoftophats
  • Federal-Wolverine-52 NTA. Nobody is excluding your your nephew. He chose to stay inside and watch TV. Tell your sister and her husband to get over it or find another sitter.
    via Federal-Wolverine-52

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family drama entitled parents married with children reddit story family feud parenting family reddit thread Reddit cousins Parenting Fail parents children cousin playing
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