Alrighty, folks, gather ‘round because we’re diving into a real doozy today. Picture it: a classic “Am I The Asshole?” situation dredged directly from the bottomless well we all know and love—Reddit. Buckle up, dear readers, because we’re stepping into Roger’s Court of Candid Commentary. Today’s case? A family feud involving ear infections, kiddie slides, and trust issues thicker than your grandma’s gravy. Let’s get to it!
Chapter 1: The Setup
Our tale begins with our protagonist, let’s call him “Dad” (37M), and his wife (34F). They’ve been married for four years and have been blessed—or cursed, you decide—with two little boys aged 3 and 1. Now, these poor kiddos have seen more of their pediatrician than some folks see of their own mothers. With every sneeze, cough, and rash, their house could double as an infirmary. But hey, they’re getting by through teamwork, some family support, and sheer willpower, y’all.
Chapter 2: The Incident
Fast forward to a sunny weekend when the in-laws—wife’s mom and stepdad—take the kids to a nearby park. Just a leisurely day out, right? How innocent and sweet. They return, but uh-oh—Houston, we have a problem. The one-year-old is crankier than a cat in a bathtub, and he’s not putting weight on his leg. Dr. Mom and Dad switch into panic mode, thinking a nap and some food might fix the issue. Guess again!
When Junior wakes up, he’s still limping around like a miniature pirate. Red flags are flying higher than a bald eagle on the 4th of July. Urgent care, here we come! After some X-rays, it’s confirmed: a toddler’s spiral fracture. So now, the little guy is rocking a cast, and the docs have sealed their fate as MVPs for not requiring surgery. Still, the question looms: What in tarnation happened at the park?
Chapter 3: The Mystery Unfolds
Mom and Dad need answers, and they’re not getting them from the in-laws, who are dodging questions like Neo in The Matrix. Meanwhile, Super Sleuth Dad heads to the park with the three-year-old to get his take on the whole ordeal. And wouldn’t you know it, the kid drops some knowledge: Lil’ Bro was on the slide with Grandma, slid off, went boom, and got hurt. Eureka!
But when they relay this intel to the in-laws, they stick to their vagueness like mayo on a PB&J—not a good mix, folks. The Mom-in-law denies three-year-old’s statement, and now Dad is hopping mad. He erupts like a human volcano, scolding them for their secrecy and, quite simply, losing all trust. He demands that these particular grandparents be put on the banned babysitters list for eternity. Sound harsh? Maybe. Justified? Perhaps. Stay tuned.
Chapter 4: The Fallout
As you’d expect, this triggers a domestic showdown. Wife thinks Dad’s being harsh, accusing her mom of lying and being careless. Dad’s firm on his stance, arguing that withholding crucial info about their kid’s injury is a cardinal sin. The peace talks have broken down, ladies and gents, and now we’re left with the burning question:
The Verdict: Was Dad the Asshole?
Here’s what Roger thinks about this spicy jalapeño of a situation. In an emergency, communication is everything. The in-laws’ cryptic responses were more frustrating than trying to untangle Christmas lights. Grandma should’ve owned up and said, “Yeah, he went down the slide solo and had a little tumble.” Frankly, their evasiveness tossed more shade than an oak tree on a summer afternoon.
However, Dad could have dialed down the flamethrower approach. A measured but firm talk could’ve achieved the same clarity without scorching the earth. Emotion was high, I get it, but diplomacy sometimes works wonders. Mild asshole? Sure. Justified in his frustration? Absolutely.
Roger’s Final Word
Look, kiddos are fragile, and they bounce around like they’re made of rubber. Accidents will happen, y’all. The in-laws were in the wrong for not giving a straight answer, but does that make them straight-up villains? Nah. They faced the classic grandparent trap: trying to spare feelings and ending up in hot water. Lesson learned: honesty and trust are friends, not foes. Also, a quick refresher on ‘fessing up’ wouldn’t hurt Grandma and Gramps. They might not babysit solo for a while, but marriage and family are about compromise, understanding, and yep, trust. Let’s all channel our inner Switzerland and aim for neutrality in these sticky situations.
There you have it, done and dusted. Feel free to dive into the comments, throw your verdicts, and keep the conversation sizzling!
Original story
My wife (34F) and I (37M) have been married for 4 years and have 2 little boys (3 & 1). Both our kids have had their fair share of minor health issues.
Multiple ear infections that led to ear tubes in our 3-year-old, flu, RSV, HFM, etc. It’s been a lot in a few short years and sometimes I genuinely wonder how we’ve made it through.
My brother has a running joke that we are single-handedly putting our pediatrician’s kids through college. We both have family nearby to help which has been a lifesaver at times.
This past weekend, my wife’s mom and stepdad offered to take the boys to a nearby park to give us a break for a couple hours. When they got back to our house, our 1-year-old was crying and upset and they told us he just seemed really tired and/or hungry.
My in-laws made some jokes about us not letting them watch the kids again then left and we got the kids some food and put them down for a nap.
When the 1-year-old woke up he still seemed out of it and was unable to put weight on his left leg. At this point we knew something was up so we took him to urgent care.
On the way there, my wife called her mom to ask her if anything happened and she said he might have had a fall on one of the slides. The doctors ended up doing an X-ray and found a minor spiral fracture.
So now he’s in a cast, but thankfully won’t require surgery. The doctor even told us these types of fractures are common in kids my son’s age and even called it a “toddler’s fracture.”
We again called my in-laws to try and get more info but they, at least to me, seemed to dance around our questions. A couple days ago, I took our 3-year-old to the same park and asked him what happened to his little brother.
He said that his brother was on the slide with grandma, but slid down by himself, fell off the end, went boom and got an owie.
I told my wife about this and we called her mom again. We told her what our 3-year-old said and asked her what happened.
She said that what our 3-year-old said isn’t true but didn’t give us a straight answer as to how our 1-year-old got hurt. At this point I had enough and ended up going off on them.
I told them I feel like they are trickle-truthing us or straight up lying about what happened. I told them that they either know exactly how our son got hurt and aren’t telling us, or they don’t know what happened because they weren’t paying attention.
I told them neither are acceptable and I have lost all trust in them. I told them that by withholding information they put our son’s health at risk and I will never tolerate that.
Stepdad asked if I am believing a 3-year-old over them and I told them I 100% am.
My wife ended the call abruptly when she thought I was going too far. We ended arguing about it because she thinks I am blaming her mom for an accident and that I shouldn’t be calling them liars about this.
I told her I don’t want her mom and stepdad to watch either of our kids unsupervised under any circumstances, which she disagrees with.