Self-centered aunt ruins her nephew’s eighth birthday party, never apologizes, and gets offended when she’s not ‘the fun aunt’ anymore

What is it with people so full of themselves who do what they want without caring how it affects others?

The issue with self-centered people is that they won't admit when they are wrong. That's what happened with this aunt and her 8-year-old nephew. The boy's mom shared on r/AITH that her boy was organizing his own party, since he has a taste for organization. His aunt is usually referred to as "the fun aunt." She stepped in and said she would make things more interesting and that all children like surprises. The mother wasn't sure, but she let it go. The day of the party, the aunt disappeared for 20 minutes and came back with a guy disguised as a dinosaur. The birthday boy was afraid of that kind of costume, so he ran off and locked himself in his mom's room. The aunt never apologized, and her sister is not happy with calling her "the fun aunt" anymore. 

Some adults who don't have children sometimes have issues empathizing with them. They think they know best because they are adults, and children still don't know what they like or want. This kind of thought is the one that usually leads children to keep a distance from their family later in life. It sends the message that they don't really care about their opinions, wishes, or needs, and they should just agree with everything because they are kids. 

What they don't realize is that, even though they are young, many kids have a strong personality and already have an established sense of what they like and what they don't. While it is not possible or healthy for them if adults give them everything they want, some exceptions can be made under special circumstances, like the kids' birthday. If a kid is excited over planning their birthday the way they want, and what they ask for is doable for the family, there's no reason to suddenly change the plans and do something that, from the adults' perspective, is better. The child will be stuck with a party they don't like. If the aunt had been a little less self-centered and acknowledged her nephews' plan, her sister wouldn't be mad at her, and she would still be called "the fun aunt."