Aunt refuses to drive her 14-year-old nephew to his sports practice after he repeatedly screams at her: 'My sister-in-law said he has been like that at home too.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Feb 15, 2026 8:00 AM EST

She didn't sign up to be an unpaid chauffeur to a spoiled, rotten brat

If you choose to participate in carpooling, there is a large chance that you're going to be responsible for transporting the most annoying kid in the world. My family did our fair share of carpooling to extracurricular activities when we were kids, and my parents still remember the names of the most irritating kids who ever rode in their car. Suffice it to say, we did not continue the carpooling relationship with those families. There's only so much you can take, and screaming in the car for 20 minutes is understandably intolerable. 

Nobody loves driving kids to and from soccer practice, but it's a job that needs to be done if you live in a suburb where kids can't get themselves around. There are ways to make chauffeuring your teenager around town more tolerable, but even if you have a great kid whom you love spending time with, it can be quite a pain. If you decide to become a parent, you agree to do everything that entails, including driving your child to their extracurricular activities, no matter how miserable it may be. If there were a world where kids could safely take Uber to their baseball tournaments, that would be great if your family could afford it. But that world will probably never exist, so unless you live somewhere where a 13-year-old can take the bus or the train, you have to live with the car line at least until they turn 16. 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • Little boy looking at screen of his gadget travelling by car
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The aunt in this story decided to drive her nephew to his activities out of the kindness of her heart, but it's become increasingly clear that his bad behavior and his parents' enabling will bring this arrangement to an end. 

  • Am I wrong for telling my sister-in-law I'm done driving her son to his sports program if he keeps treating me like garbage

    My husbands brother and his wife have a 14 year old son. Long story but theyre both working opposite shifts right now and have been struggling to keep up with everything.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • A group of young men playing basketball
    via Nik Shuliahin 💛💙

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • We live close to them and I work remotely so when their son got accepted into this competitive travel sports program earlier this year they asked if I could help with transportation a few times a week since practices are about 40 minutes from their house but only like 10 from mine.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I said sure. I really didnt mind. I like the kid and I wanted to help.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • That was five months ago and somehow I went from helping a few times a week to being his full time chauffeur.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • Im driving him there and back almost every single practice and game day. His parents have taken him maybe three times total.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I rearrange my entire work schedule around this kids practice times. I have two kids of my own and Ive had to shuffle their stuff around to make it work.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • But I kept doing it because family right. Heres where it gets bad. This kids attitude has gotten progressively worse toward me.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • If Im even a few minutes late he gets in the car and doesnt say hi just immediately starts complaining.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • He told me to shut up once when I asked him how practice went. He demanded I stop at a drive thru on the way home and when I said not today he didnt speak to me for the entire ride and slammed my car door when he got out.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • Last week I was ten minutes late picking him up because I was at a conference at my own kids school.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • A group of people sitting around a table in front of a whiteboard
    via Kübra Arslaner (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story

  • He got in the car and started screaming at me about how I was going to make him late and I dont take his schedule seriously.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I pulled over and told him he does not get to talk to me like that.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I am doing him and his parents a favor and I deserve basic respect. He told me I was being dramatic.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I called my SIL that night and told her what happened. She apologized and said yeah hes been like that at home too.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I asked what consequences hes getting and she basically said they try but he throws a fit and they dont want to escalate things.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • Which means nothing is happening. This weekend was the final straw. His parents asked my husband to drive him to a game on our one day off together.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • My husband said no we have plans. They guilt tripped him until he agreed. Then after the game they called asking us to pick him up too even though they were literally fifteen minutes closer to the field than we were.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • I told my husband Im done. He agrees. But now Im scared that telling them is going to blow up because theyre going to act like were abandoning their kid when really were just done being disrespected by a teenager whose own parents wont discipline him.
    via u/Due_Grass_781
  • NTA. snustynanging You volunteered to help. You didn't sign up to be a free Uber for a kid who treats you like trash. The second he started yelling and slamming doors, that's where it should've stopped. His parents not disciplining him isn't your problem to absorb. You set a boundary. That's healthy. If they're closer to the field and still calling you? Yeah, they got way too comfortable. You're not abandoning him. You're opting out of being disrespected.
    via u/snustynanging
  • Mickleblade Did you know you are allowed to tell family to f off? And then tell the rest of the family why? Being public about it does help too
    via u/Mickleblade
  • PensionLegitimate 706 You're NTA but definitely a doormat. You "somehow" drive him every day now? You allowed it to happen and do nothing when he treats you like crop. You rearrange your owns kids schedules for this kid? Seriously, family or not, why are YOU allowing this?
    via u/PensionLegitimate706
  • Public_Ad_1411 NTA. Kid needs parental discipline.
    via u/Public_Ad_1411
  • Hopeful-ForEternity5 NTJ. The parents need to parent; it's kind of a full time situation. Even if the kid wasn't disrespectful you are re-arranging your schedule to help them. They need to figure out what they can do themselves to manage their household. The answer to them is no we cannot pick up, drop off or watch anyone any longer... do not ask again. Period. Let them be upset; that's not your problem.
    via u/Hopeful-ForEternity5
  • Bunster04 Poor kid he is probably feeling angry because his parents aren't there for him. Not your fault and you are bending over backwards to help him but it's time his parents put on some effort they are abandoning him not you especially if they were closer.
    via u/Bunster04
  • WallaboutDenizen What's the competitive travel sports program that he's participating in? Where do you pick him up from? Are you being compensated in any manner?
    via u/WallaboutDenizen
  • Annual_Stranger_5520 I'm always amazed how people can let themselves be emotionally hijacked when simply helping others, When you are done. helping, say you're done, and move on with your life. Grateful people will say thank you and move to plan B. Ungrateful people will b, guilt-trip, and move to plan B. Secondarily. I'm not driving anyone else's kids around on a schedule without a camera to record behavior inside the vehicle. Call out bad behavior in real time.
    via u/Annual_Stranger_5520
  • Equivalent-Ad-495 "My work hours just changed and I'm going to be unavailable to keep driving him for the next 6 month's at least. I can give you until <this date x days to figure things out or get him uber rides> Or "I can no longer drive him because of the way he speaks me. I wanted to help because we're family, but the way he acts towards me is not acceptable."
    via u/Equivalent-Ad-495
  • Positive_Tank_80 The kid isn't being held accountable for his actions, the parents aren't being held accountable for their actions, and somehow this is OP's fault.
    via u/Positive_Tank_80

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

sports spoiled rotten brat teenagers driving parenting sister in law driver aunt family nephew
Scroll Down For The Next Article