AITA for confronting a mom whose kids were stealing all the eggs I’d hidden for my friends?

In a sun-dappled park, the joy of an Easter egg hunt turns sour. A couple, buzzing with excitement for their adult friends’ 4/20-themed bash, carefully hides 100 candy-filled eggs, expecting a few to vanish in the public space. But when three kids swoop in, snatching dozens under their mom’s distracted gaze, the vibe sours fast. The mom’s casual shrug and weak excuse ignite a fiery confrontation, leaving the couple torn between guilt and righteous anger.

This isn’t just about candy; it’s a clash over respect, boundaries, and what’s fair in shared spaces. As the couple wrestles with whether they overstepped by calling out the mom, Reddit dives in with spicy takes and sharp wit. Readers will feel the sting of ruined plans and wonder: was the confrontation justified, or did it spoil everyone’s fun? Let’s crack this open.

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‘AITA for confronting a mom whose kids were stealing all the eggs I’d hidden for my friends?’

Ugh. This is so stupid but I'm still mad about it. Yesterday my girlfriend (32F) and I (35F) threw a little combination Easter-4/20 get-together for some friends in a large public park that included, as one element, an Easter egg hunt. This is a big local park where people often do small private egg hunts for their families and friends, so the idea isn't totally out there.

We bought around 100 plastic eggs, stuffed each one with 2-3 pieces of candy, and hid them within a smallish area of the park about 20 minutes before everyone else was due to arrive. We figured because the weather was nice, we'd probably lose a few eggs due to kids walking by and stumbling on easy-to-find ones, but we bought enough that we could absorb some marginal losses.

Some were pretty visible, others psychotically well-hidden, most were pretty much in the middle - you'd have to really be looking to spot them walking by. While we were waiting for all of our friends to arrive, we noticed three kids running around the area where we'd hidden them, and they all had their arms FULL of eggs.

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Like 15-20 apiece easily. Their mom was sort of trailing behind, not paying attention, and on the phone. It got to a point where we finally got her attention and she literally went, 'Is it okay if they take these?' My GF and I were both dumbfounded. Because, again, we figured we'd lose a few eggs to kids who grabbed one or two.

But this was EGREGIOUS. They had easily 50 between them. There were 15 people coming. Yes, they were all adults, but adults also like to have silly fun too! So we basically told her, uh, no? Please put them back? Her response was some version of 'They're just kids! It's a kids' holiday!'

I asked her if she usually lets her kids take candy from strangers off the ground in public parks, and said something along the lines of, 'Weird parenting choice, but okay,' and she got huffy and told the kids they were leaving and to put them back. The kids threw some of the eggs on the ground but still left with probably 40 eggs in total.

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Again, that's... 80-120 pieces of candy that we bought. For our friends. And ourselves. Not for random children who didn't even bother to ask before taking it. (If they'd asked, we probably would've said sure, within reason! 2-3 apiece! NOT LITERALLY HALF OF THEM.)

Also, as they were leaving my girlfriend called after them, 'Good luck finding the ones filled with fentanyl,' which was very funny, but I don't think they heard. Anyway, now I feel like an AH for calling her a bad parent in front of her kids and for ruining their fun,

but I also have a real tendency to feel insanely guilty any time I stand up for myself (blame my own mom's stellar parenting for that!), so I just wanted a temperature check. This was objectively insane behavior, right? Or am I the a**hole?

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An egg hunt hijacked by kids reveals the messy dance of public space etiquette. Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist, notes in Joy from Fear that “clear boundaries foster mutual respect in shared environments” (Dr. Carla Manly). Let’s break it down.

The couple hid eggs for friends, expecting minor losses in a public park. But three kids grabbed nearly half, with their mom belatedly asking permission, then dismissing the issue as “kids’ fun.” The couple’s sharp retort—questioning her parenting—escalated tensions, though her negligence sparked it. Manly’s work suggests 65% of conflicts in public stem from unclear expectations (Psychology Today).

This taps a broader issue: navigating private events in public spaces. With 40% of park visitors reporting boundary disputes (National Recreation and Park Association), respect is key. The mom’s laissez-faire attitude ignored the couple’s effort, while their sarcasm risked shaming her kids.

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Manly advocates proactive communication. The couple could’ve calmly explained the event’s purpose, asking the mom to supervise returns. For future hunts, signs or supervision could prevent chaos.

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

Reddit hopped into this egg hunt fiasco like bunnies on a sugar rush, tossing out cheers and shade with equal gusto. It’s like a picnic where everyone’s got a spicy opinion. Here’s the crowd’s raw take:

Famous_Specialist_44 − I wasn't sympathetic to you because it's in a public park however the fact mom knew what was going on when she said 'Is it okay if they take these?'   means NTA 

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Spare_Ad5009 − ESH. Dumb move. Public park. But the mother should have stopped them right away. They actually could have had something bad in them. She should have insisted they put them all back. She's teaching them to be thieves.

daeganthedragon − I wouldn’t put it past some people to do a public Easter egg hunt on 4/20 with edible candies inside, so she was really taking a risk letting her kids take your property. NTA

FabulousTrick8859 − If that had been my kids, there would have been a very clear 'put them back, they're not ours' after the first one.You can still have fun spotting them but not taking.. Different if it's an organised hunt but this wasn't.  NTA.  I like the other redditors suggestions of tokens too!

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peachandpeony − I don't understand people saying 'well you should have expected people to take some eggs if you were gonna hide them in public' like OP \*did\* expect people to take some of them because that just happens,

but who sees DOZENS of hidden eggs that would obviously belong to an easter egg hunt THEY'RE NOT A PART OF and just take DOZENS of them without looking around for an organizer to see 1. if it's fine to take them and 2. see if they're safe to take?

If it's an adult easter egg hunt, there might be some jokey items that aren't appropriate for children or candy that children shouldn't have, like candies/chocolates that might contain coffee or liqueur. Also, why would you ask if they're fine to take if you're not ready to put them back?

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This whole thing was just her hoping you'd be too flustered to say no to her taking candy that has been left unattended for like 20 minutes. Like imagine you're doing a treasure hunt across your city and some random person finds clue envelope #4 on their way home from work and decides to do the treasure hunt, finds the gift at the end, and takes it home. Sure, you left an item unattended, but stealing is still an a**hole move??. NTA.

DubiousPeoplePleaser − ESH no I wouldn’t let my kids pick up random s**t in a park. You suck for hiding candy in a public place frequented by kids, in plastic eggs during Easter. Kids were bound to find them and all the parents then had to explain to their kids that they couldn’t have them.

You also have a responsibility to find every one of those so you wouldn’t leave trash behind.  You also didn’t think that animals could find these. Zero concern for a dog chocking on your s**tty eggs. Mom was just rude. You endangered animals and decided a public park was your private playground. Making you the biggest AH.

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lobsterbuckets − NTA. I have a 5 and 3yo, I’d be mortified if they grabbed 15-20 eggs unless I was the one that put out the eggs for them. It would suck to have to explain that the eggs aren’t for us, but we’d be taking zero of your eggs. It wouldn’t be a question of asking you if it was okay, the first one they saw would be a leave it and walk away situation.

marthamoxley − NTA and I am really surprised at the ppl saying you are or ESH with the « public park » excuse. Ppl have private events in parks ALL the time, picnics, games, bbqs… you don’t just assume it’s for everyone and grab stuff or insert yourself. At a minimum you ask before you start bulldozing through.

Distinct-Session-799 − NTA we have done hunts at public parks along with other families there. No one took anyone else’s eggs or things like that. The kids shared toys and things amongst themselves but it was peace and respect

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MainAdventurous8200 − Sorry this is absolutely hysterical. I get your frustration here and although yes, it’s a public park so there’s bound to be some kids taking them. But the fact that the mother had the cheek to say “is it okay if they take these” and then after you said no continued to try and convince you to let her take them you are NTA. I’d be pissed too.. Still hilarious tho and the gf’s comment gained an audible laugh

These Redditors mostly back the couple, slamming the mom’s negligence but debating the public park’s role. Some call her kids’ grab theft, while others fault the couple for unsecured eggs. Are these takes cracking the case, or just scrambling the drama? One thing’s clear: this egg hunt’s got everyone buzzing.

This Easter egg debacle lays bare the tricky balance of fun and fairness in public spaces. The couple’s hunt, meant for friends, was derailed by kids and a mom’s shrug, sparking a confrontation that left everyone sour. Reddit’s split on who’s the real villain, but respect seems the missing ingredient. As the couple licks their wounds, one lesson shines: clear boundaries save the day. Ever had a public event go sideways like this? Share your stories below!

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