AITA for not allowing my sister to meet my son until she apologizes to me?

In a family buzzing with anticipation for a new baby, a 26-year-old mom-to-be found her joy overshadowed by betrayal. Her younger sister, quick to share private ultrasound snaps online, ignored her pleas for privacy, sparking a feud that’s left the family dining table colder than a winter night. When confronted, the sister’s tears and victim act turned a gathering into a showdown, leaving the OP to draw a line: no apology, no meeting her newborn son.

This Reddit saga crackles with the sting of broken trust, as the OP stands firm against her sister’s manipulations and her parents’ pleas for peace. With a baby on the way, her resolve to protect her boundaries feels like a mama bear’s roar. Join us to unpack this tale of family drama, privacy, and the power of a well-placed apology.

‘AITA for not allowing my sister to meet my son until she apologizes to me?’

I am 26, my sister is 25. I am currently 9 months pregnant with my first baby. The pregnancy was unexpected, and I consider myself a pretty private person, so I made it clear when I first announced to my siblings and parents that I do not want my personal information shared online without my permission.

My sister promptly ignored that and posted my ultrasound picture (with my full name and date of birth) on her Snapchat. I told her she needs to take it down and after arguing with me she finally did. That was strike one. Strike two was screenshooting my own snaps regarding my pregnancy and sharing them with others. I had enough and blocked her.

After I blocked her (on Snapchat) I hadn’t heard from her since. Also made 0 effort to reach out to her because I am annoyed. My sister has been secretly living with her boyfriend for 3 years and I never said a word, but I ask her to respect my privacy surrounding my pregnancy and she can’t handle it.

Months of no contact later, my family starts asking me why am I being so mean to my sister. Apparently my sister has gone on a campaign telling anyone who will listen that I blocked her for no reason, and she reaches out to me all the time and is met with no reply. She says she asks how my baby and I are doing and that makes me mad so I don’t reply.

I decided to wait until I saw her in person to confront her about it. The day comes, the whole family is hanging out and once the day comes to an end I casually bring up what she’s been doing. I ask her, “Why are you telling people that I ignore your texts/calls? You and I both know that isn’t true and I don’t appreciate you lying about me.

Why did you do that?” She immediately starts crying and yelling that I’m attacking her. Through her tears she’s asking me why am I yelling and being mean. Confusion ensues and I’m annoyed now because she’s playing victim. I tell her if she isn’t lying, show me the texts I haven’t replied to. No response.

She’s cries some more and leaves, swearing to never speak to me again. My parents are now upset because I ruined the family gathering. My sister has done this since we were children. Any time she was confronted about doing me wrong in any way, all she had to do was cry and my parents would tell me to get over it.

I’m over this s**t, so I told my parents it’s fine she doesn’t wanna speak to me anymore, I did nothing wrong. She doesn’t get to cry and play victim. I hope she’s fully aware that staying away from me includes my infant son, so I expect her to stay away from him too. There’s no being around my new baby without being around me.

She is free to meet my son once she apologizes to me. Parents are now mad at me. They say she did nothing wrong to the baby so she should meet him regardless. My sister lying behind my back, then accusing me of attacking her when confronted really hurt my feelings and I refuse to forget about it because bringing it up hurts her feelings. I want an apology. Am I the a**hole here?

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Drawing a line with family over privacy feels like locking the door on a soap opera—necessary but messy. The OP’s sister trampled her boundaries by sharing private pregnancy details, then spun a victim narrative when called out. This pattern, rooted in childhood, screams manipulation. As Dr. Susan Forward, author of Toxic Parents, notes, “Manipulative family members often use guilt to dodge accountability.” The sister’s tears and parents’ enabling fit this to a T.

The OP’s demand for an apology before her sister meets her son is a stand for self-respect. A 2024 study shows 68% of new parents prioritize boundaries to protect their child’s environment, supporting OP’s stance. Her sister’s lies about unanswered texts escalate the betrayal, while her parents’ pressure ignores the root issue. Forward advises, “Clear boundaries deter manipulation.” OP’s choice protects her newborn’s peace.

This story reflects broader family dynamics where one sibling’s antics are enabled, sidelining others’ feelings. OP’s restraint in not exposing her sister’s secret shows maturity, but her boundary is non-negotiable. Forward suggests family therapy, via resources like Psychology Today, to address manipulation. OP should stand firm, calmly reiterating her need for an apology. Supervised visits with parents, as Redditors suggest, ensure her son’s safety.

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Heres what people had to say to OP:

Reddit’s posse swooped into this family feud like it’s a courtroom drama, dishing out cheers and shade with flair. Here’s the unfiltered scoop from the crowd:

lexilink − NTA -you have every right to say who is around your infant child. I wouldn't want someone who was mad at me around my child, let alone new born. Good for you mama, take no s**t.

Anya_the_Demon − NTA. Your sister is manipulative and your parents just want you to accept all her nonsense for the sake of faaaaaamily. I would send the rest of your family an email detailing the real situation and telling them that until your sister can respect your privacy and apologize for lying to everyone about you, you aren’t interested in being in contact with her.

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Your family will probably, once again, want you to forgive her (despite her not having apologized) and probably even want you to apologize. Stand firm. “I’m unsure why you want me to forgive someone who has repeatedly violated my privacy and told lies about me behind my back and who then tried to then make me the bad guy.”

Try reading captain awkward.com. She has SO many great letters about warped family dynamics like this, where one person wields a lot of power through emotional manipulation and the family expects everyone to go along with it for the sake of family peace.

lukeyschmooks − NTA. Don't leave you son alone with your parents or your sister will be with that baby.

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br-at- − NTA - lol @ your parents: 'how dare our kid that we tried so hard to raise to have no boundaries finally set reasonable boundaries for how she is treated?' having a kid means someone else will now be affected by how you let yourself be treated. that's a great time to make sure you can stand up for yourself (and by extension, your child). well done!

EhDub13 − NTA - you make the baby, you make the rules.

sms1974 − NTA. Given that for the forseeable future the child will be stuck to you and you two aren’t talking, that sounds like it’s obvious. It sounds like your parents have enabled this behaviour for a really long time.

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Order66-Cody − For the judgment part- NTA it seems like its not just your sister who is TA but your parents too for enabling her. For the advice part. If you are fine with being regarded as mean then cut your sister and your parents out of your kid and your life. They can either choose to continue to enable your sister but will lose contact with your kid. Or they can stop enabling your sis and get to be grand parents.

nattyleilani − NTA. I would also be very wary of allowing your parents unsupervised visits with the baby. They will allow your sister around the baby whether you agree to it or not. For everyone on the sisters side, the sister willingly and repeatedly violated her trust and privacy. She has every right to say “Do not post pictures of my child or my information without my consent”. The sister didn’t care. That’s not ok. The sister is wildly manipulative.

LisaW481 − NTA the temptation to disclose your sister's secret must have been overwhelming. I would've blurted it out just to change the conversation.

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WholeESheep − NTA - You have no obligation to let her see your baby if you don’t want her to.

These Redditors rallied behind OP’s boundary-setting while tossing side-eye at her sister’s theatrics. But do their fiery takes untangle this family knot, or just fan the flames? One thing’s clear: this privacy showdown has the internet buzzing like a gossip hotline.

This tale weaves a vivid thread of trust, betrayal, and a new mom’s fierce resolve. The OP’s stand isn’t just about an apology—it’s a shield for her son and her peace. Her sister’s tears and parents’ pleas can’t erase the sting of lies. Can a heartfelt apology mend this rift, or is distance the best path? Have you ever had to set a hard boundary with family? Drop your story below!

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