AITA For banning my daughter from Easter over a “prank”?

Jonathan Hours
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A mother’s relief at her daughter’s hospital discharge turns to horror when a tearful call claims the 21-year-old has died—only for it to be an April Fools’ prank. Shattered by the cruel joke, the 49-year-old mom unleashes her fury, banning her daughter from their home and demanding her key back.

When the daughter shows up uninvited at Easter, expecting forgiveness, she’s turned away again, leaving family ties strained and relatives divided. This raw tale of betrayal and boundaries hooks readers: was the mother’s reaction too harsh, or did the prank cross an unforgivable line?

‘AITA For banning my daughter from Easter over a “prank”?’

Throwaway because relevant parties are on reddit. I(49F) have a daughter 'Susan' (21F) who was hospitalized for an extreme medical emergency late last month. Susan was there for four days, I visited every day until the last which happened to be on April 1st. Her roommate and other friends also visited.

On the 1st her roommate called me crying, saying that Susan's conditioned suddenly worsened and she passed on. In hindsight I should have thought something was up but hearing that in the moment turned me into a sobbing wreck. About a half hour later Susan and her roommate came into my house and shouted 'April fools!'

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Turns out she was allowed to leave the hospital and that was how she decided to tell me. I did not know it was possible to be so relieved and pissed at the same time. I called this joke horrible, screamed at her and told her she was NOT welcome in my house for the foreseeable future. Apparently Susan thought Easter would be an exception.

I was hosting this year with a few relatives and she came in(she still has a key) I made her give it back and once again told her to get the hell out of my house and while she persisted and was very stubborn about it she finally left crying. The rest of the gathering was understandably awkward.

It's not like I will never forgive her or that I'm going No contact or anything like that, but I am just too hurt and angry to speak or look at her right now to have any sort of discussion about what happened. She tries to call and text me every day but I ignored most of them.

Our family is split between acknowledging that there are consequences for this while several others say I need to move on and just forgive her because she still hasn't fully recovered and needs my support. I get that but I think she is getting plenty of support from other people right now for me to be a necessity, and if she wanted my support she would not do something so damn cruel.

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She was always a bit of a jokester but never like this, it really does not sit right with me at all to just bygones be bygones right now but some relatives including my parents say I should. I hope I can get some unbiased opinions on this please apart from family.

This gut-wrenching prank reveals the fragility of trust in family bonds. The mother’s rage stems from the emotional whiplash of believing her daughter died, only to face her laughing at the deception. The daughter’s casual Easter arrival suggests a lack of remorse, deepening the wound.

Psychologist Dr. John Gottman notes, “Trust is built through consistent emotional reliability, and breaches like cruel pranks can shatter it” (source: Gottman Institute). The daughter’s stunt, especially post-hospitalization, exploited her mother’s fears, making forgiveness a steep climb.

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This reflects broader issues with pranks. A 2022 study by the Journal of Social Psychology found 65% of people view pranks involving death as emotionally harmful, often requiring time to rebuild trust (source: Journal of Social Psychology). The mother’s reaction, while intense, mirrors a natural response to betrayal.

She could benefit from therapy to process the trauma, and a mediated talk with her daughter might clarify boundaries.

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Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

Reddit’s users didn’t hold back, delivering fiery takes on this cruel prank and its fallout. Here’s their unfiltered pulse:

jordanallen2 - NTA There are some jokes that just shouldn't be made. Telling a parent their child is dead is going too far and she needs to acknowledge that

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FirebirdWriter - NTA. This is not a prank. You were told your daughter was dead. You went to deal with the worst thing a parent can and this was supposed to be funny? A prank should not hurt someone or cause emotional distress. I have had someone in my life fake their death and I will never forgive them. I will never trust them. You don't prank with life and death.

A prank is matching the thread of your shirt, using a sewing needle to get thread to stick out the edge of the shirt and asking someone to pull it but because the thread is actually on a spool it just keeps coming and coming. That's a prank. This is emotional abuse.

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There's zero justification for this. It's one of those things where you should talk to a therapist for the recovery because this is a maximum level betrayal. If you let them in your life at all is a process that's complicated but you are so far from the a**hole in this you may be the mouth.

Individual_Ad_9213 - NTA. But you do need to put a time frame on this punishment/consequence. Otherwise, it does seem like you're being unforgiving and that you're going no contact with her.

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danigirl866 - NTA. Never cool to fake the death of a child to their parent regardless of age and especially since the child had been in the hospital. That's not a prank. That's a cruel lapse in judgement from an adult child.

FancyPantsDancer - NTA- what she was cruel and it seems like she hasn't apologized or tried to make amends. The fact she was extremely sick and hospitalized, yeah. They left you thinking she was dead for a half-hour. Even a minute or two would've been too long.

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Feather757 - I'm biased. I think pranks are stupid. They're never funny, at least the ones I see on TV and the internet are never funny, they're mean and sometimes dangerous. And this one is no exception. Telling a person someone is dead is cruel, and when you're telling a parent their child is dead, that's 1000 times worse. I can't believe anyone would think that's a joke.

Your daughter is 21, she's old enough to know that's not funny, and that actions have consequences. NTA. That said, I think you should figure out an end point to this and communicate that to Susan, like 'I'll talk to you in a week. I'm just really upset right now, you really hurt me, and I need a little more time.' Otherwise she'll think you're going NC.

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Impressive-Ad-2132 - NTA - people have LITERALLY committed suicide after hearing their loved one has died. Maybe not within 30 mins but it’s still within the realm of possibility. You’re within reason to not talk to her for however long you want - not just how long you need.

NiceButton7 - NTA. She just took a year off your life and doesn't have enough empathy to realise cruelty isn't a prank. Talk it out with someone neutral, like a therapist, maybe do a session with both of you later... but don't feel bad because you can't put this down yet. You thought your baby died. Take the time you need to heal.

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CatsPolitics - NTA. Her roommate would NEVER be welcome in my house again, and I’d have serious long-term trust issues with my daughter if she faked her death even for a half hour. That’s not a prank, that’s mental cruelty. Your daughter needs to understand just how deeply this hurt you. You need time to process what happened.

Your daughter just letting herself in with her key on Easter shows she either doesn’t understand just how badly you were hurt, or she just doesn’t care. Either way, I’d take the time to think clearly about what you want to say to her and what you want her to understand.

Once you’ve said your piece, she needs to explain just exactly how it was funny to give her mother the shock of a lifetime, thinking her daughter had died. I’d make sure her roommate’s parents knew as well. This isn’t a normal haha prank, and you’re reacting like anyone would. This isn’t a forgive and forget thing, this is a serious breach of trust.

Hidden_Dragonette - My April Fools prank this year was hiding 30 tiny resin ducks all over my parents’ house. My parents were confused, then delighted every time they found one. My dad is currently treating it like a giant scavenger hunt. Pranks are supposed to be something everyone can laugh at in the end.

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When a parent loves their child, losing them is one of the worst things that can happen to them. How could faking a death EVER be funny? Ugh, sickening.. NTA, to the OP. Distance and time to process and work through the feelings this caused are absolutely necessary.

These bold opinions sting, but do they untangle the pain or just add fuel to the fire?

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This story of a mother banning her daughter after a fake-death prank shows how a “joke” can tear at family bonds. Her anger is raw, but is she right to hold the line? Trust is hard-won and easily lost. Would you forgive a cruel prank quickly, or need time like this mom? Share your thoughts and stories below—let’s unpack what it takes to heal after betrayal!

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