Mom bans dad from reading bedtime stories to their kids after he renames fictional villains after her family members: 'My husband has never been on good terms with my family.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jun 26, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

It is extremely common to dislike your in-laws. I'd say it's one of the most run-of-the-mill family dynamics anyone can have. While your negative feelings towards your mother-in-law might have some valid cause, it doesn't mean you should be telling your kids that grandma's a menace to society. That will make them feel confused as to how they should feel about grandma, or what the adults in their life expect them to feel about grandma. If Dad hates Grandma and Mom loves Grandma, the kids will feel like they're betraying one of their parents, regardless of how they feel about Grandma. Of course, there are ways to approach this conflict within the family. The parents must present a united front to the kids. They either cut or limit contact with grandma as much as possible, or the parent who doesn't like grandma grins and bears it when they're around their kids. 

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  • 01

    Aitah for banning my husband from reading bedtime stories to our kids?

    I don't know where to begin, but my husband has never been on good terms with my family. He'd always keep his distance and doesn't participate in family celebrations or get-togethers often. At first I thought that he doesn't like gatherings in general
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423

  • The dad in this story tells his kids that he dislikes their mom's side of the family in a cruel, creative way. He regularly changes the names of storybook villains to those of his wife's family members. When she takes a stand against it, he starts majorly gaslighting her.

  • 02
    WED DIRECT FROM RINGSIDE AT 14 TH JANI DOORS OPEN ALS 9:00 PM RINGIDC IS WHERE IT'S AT ✶✶ 110 111
    via Katherine Hanlon

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

  • 03
    til one day he honestly said to me "I just don't like your family". He said he didn't this way about them right away, but as he got to know them he began to have "some realizations" as he puts it.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 04
    He acts politely around them do I didn't think it would be an issue. However, I recently discovered that he's been using names of family members as villains or bad guys in the bedtime story that he reads to our kids. The kids are old enough to understand and few days ago, my son mentioned how (uncle's name) was a bad guy etc..
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10522104832
    via Rowen Smith (Unsplash+)

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

  • 06
    I was initially confused then when I asked my son he said his dad read the story about the evil (uncle name) guy few days ago. I was floored. My brother glanced at me but didn't say anything.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 07
    I went home, I checked the storybook and talked to the kids and found out my husband has been using family members names as villain in the stories, some of them are famous children stories that's why my brother was shocked. I blew up at my husband and told him this was petty and so inappropriate.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10522105344
    via Blake Cheek (Unsplash+)

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

  • 09
    He said it was just "fun" and that kids love it but I told him he won't be reading bedtime stories for the kids anymore. He argued I was being ridiculous and even jealous because I work night shifts and I don't get to read to the kids etc. We fought for hours then we stopped talking. He's saying I'm ab ive now.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 10
    QuantumCactus_9572 yo this made me weirdly emotional. grew up with a parent who did the same "funny villain" stuff with names and it made me super paranoid around family.wish someone had stepped in for me sooner, fr.don't let him gaslight you into thinking you're the bad guy for protecting your kids.
    via u/QuantumCactus_9572
  • 11
    cuntizzimo It also made me emotional but because it reminded me of an aunt that hated me so I was the funny villain in her story. I do not talk to my family if its not a special day like a birthday, or christmas, I dont even call my grandma on Mother's Day, because I had to grow up emotionally detached from my family since I was never sure if they liked me or not.
    via u/cuntizzimo
  • 12
    Logical_Fuel7423 OP Oh my! I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I'm glad I found people who agree that it's not okay and that it's not a non-issue as he's saying.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 13
    LovingWisdom NTA. He's training your children to dislike your family member through their association with the villains. It's a monstrous thing to do, and incredibly childish as well. Unless your children already felt this way about your family he has no excuse. Why does he dislike your family? What were his realisations?
    via u/LovingWisdom
  • 14
    Logical_Fuel7423 OP My family is an average family. My siblings are all married save for my youngest brother. We're just a normal family. My father is deceased but mom is alive. Like I said, my husband doesn't even spend much time around them. He doesn't have a family. His mom's de d and his step-dad is alive but he cut contact with him years ago.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 15
    Loving Wisdom So what were his "realisations"?
    via u/LovingWisdom
  • 16
    Logical_Fuel7423 Nothing specific. Just passive comments on the family like how he didn't like how they chose x day for a celebration, or how he disagreed with mom on selling the farm which he thought would've been a great investment etc...he always makes these...complaints BTW.
    via u/Logical_Fuel7423
  • 17
    teatimecats I don't see the validity in any of those reasons to use their names (and probably likenesses) for villains in bedtime stories. These stories are confusing your kids who seem to already be associating what your husband is doing to the real people. That's called alienation.
    via u/teatimecats
  • 18
    I only have this small snippet to evaluate your husband, but he sounds like an a hole who doesn't value other people. Being annoyed by people and not hanging around them is one thing, we all have our weird feelings. But actively confusing the kids by associating only your family members' names with villains in stories is just a move. If it's just "fun," why is it only your family he's doing this to? Nah, he's playing the "it's just fun" comment to avoid responsibility and owning up to his malici
    via u/teatimecats
  • 19
    Intelligent-Pause260 This is so incredibly manipulative. You guys need to schedule a few sessions with a marriage counselor and discuss this. This is not ok. "Banning Story Time" doesn't solve the issue. The issue is manipulating your children to dislike your family. Is it possible your husband is a narcissist? This sound like narcissist behavior, which if this is the case, there is NO fixing it, ever.
    via u/Intelligent-Pause260
  • 20
    Mysterious_Spark Yes. This is the tip of the iceberg. This behavior demonstrates a pattern of behavior, a personality trait, that is not limited only to 'story time'. There is a lot more going on, a deep hostility that he is directing towards the kids. I even wonder if he is using his wife's family as a whipping boy to express hostility towards his wife.
    via u/Mysterious_Spark
  • 21
    This marriage may not survive, and if it doesn't, then the kids may end up in the control of this ab ive man at times, without the mother there to supervise or protect them. Be careful who you choose to father your children.
    via u/Mysterious_Spark
  • 22
    Gennevieve1 NTA. He's manipulating your kids to hate your family. That's not OK. With divorced parents it's called parental alienation and it's a big no-no at family court. This needs to stop.
    via u/Gennevieve1
  • 23
    holyforkingshirt0701 Even if your family are actually all objectively terrible people, your husband is still an a h le here because you don't put kids in the middle like that. Obviously a nighttime story ban isn't going to happen, first of all, with you not there lol but also wouldn't solve the root problem anyway.
    via u/holyforkingshirt0701
  • 24
    PonyGrl29 The fact that you won't tell us the why reasons here is telling. INFO
    via u/PonyGrl29
  • 25
    Junior_Fig_2274 Right?! I hate my husband's immediate family (for many valid reasons), but I don't tell our kid about it. We just have nothing to do with them. This has “missing reasons" written all over it. Either the family is ab ive, or her husband is.
    via u/Junior_Fig_2274

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family drama reading kids crazy things parents say bedtime villains bedtime story bad parents parenting dad uncle family mom parents children villain
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