Am I Wrong for Telling My Sisters That They Are Not Allowed to See Me or My Child Again?

• Family bonds will always be tested. Sometimes, the results could lead to an unexpected turn of events.
• For one mother, a visit to her family house with her daughter turned out in a way she hadn't expected.
• Her decision made her reach out to the online Reddit community to ask if she was wrong.

The 29-year-old Original Poster (OP), who preferred to remain anonymous, narrated her ordeal with her family. The woman recounted an incident where she had entrusted her sisters, Kara (26) and Lois (23), to watch over her 8-year-old daughter, V.

The OP mentioned how she and her sisters had a good relationship. Growing up, they had a close bond and did almost everything together. She also mentioned her daughter's deep-seated fear of being alone after the loss of her father. This loss led her daughter to cling to her side for a long time before regaining her independence.

However, recent events made the OP wonder if her connection with her siblings could withstand the test they faced. It all started innocently enough. The OP had decided to treat V to a lunch visit with her parents. Kara and Lois still lived at home, relying on their parents' roof for shelter as they did not have stable jobs.

When the OP arrived at her parents' home, Lois greeted her at the door. She informed her that their parents had gone grocery shopping. Lois offered to watch over V, and the OP agreed. It seemed like a routine arrangement. One that had been repeated countless times before without incident.

Trusting her sisters, the woman agreed. With a quick call to her parents to inform them of the plan, she set off to tackle her errands. She left V in Lois's capable hands but little did she know, that trouble was brewing on the horizon.

The OP went about her day, running errands and ticking off items from her to-do list. On her way back to her parents' house, she received a frantic call from Kara. Panic laced her sister's voice as she informed the OP that V was causing a scene. The woman wrote, "She said that V is being 'a brat' and I need to come get her now."

Rushing back to her parents' house, the woman discovered a chaotic scene: V was crying on the porch, and her parents were upset and yelling at Kara and Lois. Worried, the woman asked what had happened.

Amidst the chaos, her mother explained the unthinkable — Kara and Lois had abandoned their post, leaving V alone in the house. Albeit for 45 minutes, the realization hit the woman like a ton of bricks, igniting a firestorm of fury within her. The woman was understandably upset and concerned for her daughter's safety. Snatching V up in her arms, she delivered a swift and uncompromising verdict:

"I picked up my daughter and yelled at my sisters that they were not allowed to see me or my kid again."

Kara protested, insisting that V was old enough to fend for herself, and Lois attempted to explain. However, the woman had made up her mind. With a heavy heart, she turned her back on her sisters and retreated to the safety of her car, leaving behind a cacophony of arguments and hurt feelings.

Back at home, she tried to make sense of the chaos in her life. Sitting down with V, she gently probed for answers, seeking to understand the full extent of her sisters' betrayal. What she heard broke her heart into a million pieces. This wasn't the first time they had left V alone, though before, it had only been for a matter of minutes.

The woman I hugged her daughter and told her she would never see her aunts again. As V sobbed in her arms, the little girl told her it was a mistake and that she loved her aunties. As she could no longer explain the situation to V, the mother told her daughter to nap for a while.

When the OP checked her phone, she had received 12 missed calls from Kara and Lois, with many texts. She didn't read any nor call them back. After V's sobbing, the woman felt guilt gnawing at her conscience. Was she being too harsh?

Should she have given her sisters another chance? But she found solace in knowing she had done what she believed was right. Her parents believe that what the sisters did was unacceptable, but they were family, so they shouldn't cut contact.

The woman later took her mother's call and received information that altered her perception of the situation. According to her mother, Lois was not at fault for leaving V unattended. Instead, Kara neglected V's care in their parents' absence.

Prompted by her mother's call, OP called Lois to hear her story. Lois explained that she had received an emergency call from her boyfriend who had been hospitalized. The call came in shortly after the OP had left their parents' home. In a moment of urgency, Lois asked Kara to watch over V while she tended to her boyfriend.

Kara was hesitant but reluctantly agreed to watch V. However, Kara's failed to uphold her commitment. She left the house shortly after Lois's departure. When OP's parents returned home and found V crying on the floor, scared and alone., they called Kara and Lois to address the situation.

Kara arrived first and rather than showing concern for V's well-being, dismissed her distress as mere exaggeration. Lois got home afterward. During this tumultuous moment, Kara contacted OP and painted V as disobedient and troublesome.

Upon learning the truth of the events, the OP's anger toward Lois dissipated, replaced by a sense of remorse for hastily casting judgment. She said:

"I'm not mad at Lois now and I feel bad. Kara on the other hand, Im so disappointed. [sic]"

In response to feedback from others, OP recognized that her initial approach in informing V about the situation may have been overly harsh. She apologized to V, explaining that she could decide if she wanted to continue seeing Aunt Lois. V eagerly expressed her desire to maintain her relationship with Lois.

However, OP's trust in Kara has been significantly compromised. This has led her to withhold visits between Kara and V until she feels confident in Kara's ability to prioritize V's safety.

She remains open to the possibility of Kara earning back her trust through genuine apology and responsible behavior. She has also explained to V that when she gets older, V can decide if she wants her aunt Kara to be in her life as well.

Redditors weighed in on the situation and had differing opinions. Some told the OP she was not wrong for telling her sisters that but was wrong for repeating it to her daughter when her daughter was upset. They believe such a drastic response when V comes to OP with things could make V afraid to tell her important things in the future.

However, others advised on how to handle the situation in the future. Some also shared their opinions on what they would have done in her shoes, while others had opinions about Kara's behavior.

If you were faced with a similar situation, what would you do? Do you think the woman was wrong for saying she would cut off contact with her family? Share your thoughts in the comments below and share this story with someone you think can relate to this crisis.

While this woman was bent on banning her sisters from seeing her daughter, the case was different for another woman. This woman banned her mother-in-law from seeing her grandchild even before the child was born.