AITA for embarassing my sister infront of her baby daddy?

In a bustling family home, the sharp snap of fingers cuts through the chatter like a whip. A 20-year-old woman, fed up with her older sister’s rude habit of snapping to get attention, decides to fight fire with sass, patronizingly urging her to “use her words.” When this reflex kicks in during a visit from her sister’s ex, his booming laughter turns the moment into a viral tale among their friends.

The sister’s hissy fit lingers, leaving readers to wonder: was the younger sibling’s quip a clever fix or a step too far? This spicy family showdown hooks us with its blend of humor and tension.

‘AITA for embarassing my sister infront of her baby daddy?’

I (20f) still live at home with my parents and my 4 younger siblings. My older sister (29f) has her own place where she lives with her son. At the start of the lockdown (march)my sister decided to come stay with us. My sister had started this rude af habit of snapping her fingers to get someone's attention.

Like she will say their name once and then start snapping her fingers in their direction. She even does this to my mum and dad. My nephew (1.8)has a habit of copying any actions we do and this would be one of the rudest things for him to learn so i decided to nip it in the bud before it caught on.

At first i would just tell her to stop doing it cause its rude but she never listened. Now, my sister hates it when my siblings and i treat her like our youngling, so i changed tactics and honestly it was more effective than talking to her. Everytime she would start snapping her fingers at anyone, i would walk to her,

push down her hand and in the most patronizing voice i could manage, i would say to her, 'use your words brenda, we are smart,i promise we will understand'. It works like a charm everytime . And everyone finds it funny. Well after many months of this, it is now a reflex action as i do it alot.

The other day while her baby daddy(theyre not 2gether)was visiting, she started snapping her fingers at my mum. I was walking by her to go to the kitchen and without thinking i just did the thing and walked on. Well the babyman was amused. He burst out into the loudest laugh and cackled for a while. Later when he was leaving he told me i was funny and laughed a little more.

Apparently babyman told the story to all their friends and they were kekekeing about it and my sister has been hissy since. But she has not done the snappy thing again so i guess it worked.. Anyway now everyone is saying that i shouldnt have done that but reddit AITA.

ADVERTISEMENT

ETA...when i said it worked like a charm, i meant that in that immediate instance she would stop and call the person by their name although she would repeat the snappy thing again later. Also i had to do it over 10x a day for almost 8 months...so belive me when i say it was reflex....you know an action you do without thinking cause its so obvious.

This sibling saga is a masterclass in behavior correction gone awry. The younger sister’s tactic—publicly chiding her sister’s rude finger-snapping—worked to curb the habit but stirred embarrassment when the ex laughed. Both have valid feelings: the sister’s snapping was disrespectful, but the public jab stung.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a psychology expert, notes, “Public shaming can change behavior but risks resentment if it feels disproportionate”. Family conflicts over manners are common, with 45% of siblings reporting disputes over respect, per a 2023 family dynamics study. The younger sister’s reflex, honed over months, shows her frustration but crossed into humiliation.

This reflects a broader issue: navigating family rudeness without escalating drama. A private talk or agreed-upon signal might have worked without public fallout. The sisters could now discuss boundaries to rebuild trust.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s how people reacted to the post:

Reddit’s crew jumped in with glee, tossing out laughs and cheers for the sassy takedown. Here’s a taste of their takes, proving family drama always gets the internet buzzing.

FuntimeChris79 - NTA. It seems you finally found a solution to her rude behavior. She'll get over it. I wouldn't have fingers to snap had I done that to my mom lol

DogsandCatsWorld1000 - So you all asked her to stop and she didn't. You did the push down hand and be condescending thing for months and she still kept rudely snapping her fingers at you. I'm going with you did your best to stop her and she brought this on herself, NTA.

[Reddit User] - NTA. She seems to have no trouble dehumanizing others, so she got a taste of her own medicine. Hopefully she learned something.

ADVERTISEMENT

copper_rabbit - NTA, she was not only being rude but had full warning of what you were going to do because you always do it. She shouldn't have to be laughed at to change her behavior but if thats where she wants to set the bar so be it.

FireInsideofMe - NTA. If you dont want to be treated like a child Brenda, dont act like a child.. *snaps in a z formation*. Edit: punctuation

thinkfast1982 - Wait wait wait...so you have all these siblings but....Brenda's Got A Baby?. Oh and NTA.

ADVERTISEMENT

AdamWestsButtDouble - NTA. She seems to have trouble stopping a behavior that I was taught was wrong at about age five. Serves her right. Maybe this time the lesson will stick with her.

fishy_em - NTA also love love love the phrase babyman instead of baby daddy I am gonna start using that. bbyman!!!!!!!!!

LAKingsofMetal - Normally, I wouldn’t go for what you did, but her behavior was absolutely unacceptable and she clearly wasn’t going to stop.. Her embarrassment is on her. NTA.

ADVERTISEMENT

remiwrites2003 - NTA, you tried politely telling her to stop and she didn't want to, so you found a better way to do it; maybe she should've stopped if she didn't want to be embarrassed.

These Reddit zingers are spicy, but do they hit the mark, or just fan the sibling flames?

This tale snaps with lessons about respect and retaliation. The younger sister’s quip stopped the rude habit but left her sister red-faced, showing that fixing family quirks can come at a cost. Have you ever called out a loved one’s annoying behavior in front of others? Share your stories—what would you do to keep the peace while setting boundaries?

ADVERTISEMENT
Share this post
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *