There’s a fine line between a pleasant guest and a visitor who wears out the welcome. Sometimes we can accept people into our homes but find it’s not a good fit, despite both parties remaining gracious.
One woman welcomed a long-time friend into her home and then proceeded to destroy the friendship after her children’s heinous behavior.
Welcoming a Friend
The Original Poster (OP) shared that she welcomed a long-time friend, Carla, into her home for a few weeks. Carla was both visiting old friends and using the opportunity to meet with clients for her growing business.
OP admitted that Carla behaved graciously while in her home.
“There’s more than enough room for Carla to come and stay, and she’s even happy to pitch in for bills and food as her stay doesn’t have an official end date, and she doesn’t want to feel like she’s freeloading,” reported OP.
Let the Pranks Begin
OP lives with her two teenage sons. One’s 13, and the other is a legal adult at 18.
They decided it would be fun to harass their visitor.
OP nonchalantly explained that they “dumped cold water on her while she showered once, hid her suitcase, and they play her ringtone on their phone so she thinks she’s getting a call.”
Not How They Were Raised
Despite the consistent and horrific behavior, OP insists that she didn’t raise her boys to behave this way.
First, she assumed the younger one was at fault, so she sat him down and explained how to treat people appropriately. OP was shocked to discover that her older son was the ringleader and the brains behind the operations.
“I essentially went ballistic on them both,” she claims.
A Flooded Kitchen
OP’s screaming did nothing to prevent further pranks. The boys decided to tape down the trigger mechanism at the kitchen sink, causing the next user to get blasted with an endless stream of water.
An unsuspecting Carla used the tap before heading out to an important client meeting, getting drenched in the process. She ran to her room screaming and, in her panic, neglected to turn the sink off.
OP came home to discover a flooded kitchen that soaked the carpets and drenched the baseboards.
OP Demands Payment
Rather than turn to the culprits, OP demanded payment from Carla. She thinks the whole thing could have been avoided if Carla had just turned the tap off before leaving the kitchen.
A baffled OP couldn’t understand why Carla took the request poorly.
“She then lost her mind on me and told me that she deserved more respect than to be harassed by my two sons constantly, one who is an actual adult,” shared OP, adding that Carla had many other choice words for the two boys and pointed out the overall awful way they’ve been treating her.
And Digs In
How dare someone offer valid criticism to OP’s darling boys?
A livid OP screamed right back at Carla, furious that she’d dare say an unkind word about her tormentors.
“I was furious she would say this and told her to leave and that I would send her the invoice for the fix. She told me to lose my number, packed, and left,” said OP.
Is OP Wrong?
OP came to Reddit seeking validation for her behavior and her payment request but came away disappointed.
Reddit users laid into OP, showcasing the extent of her obtuse and arrogant behavior.
“The fact that your kids thought it was ok to go into a bathroom with a non-consenting person who was also naked to dump water on them while they showered us a huge red flag,” said one, highlighting that the pranking was a major problem before the kitchen disaster.
“It was YOUR SONS who destroyed your kitchen by tampering with the sink, yet you are blaming your friend,” replied another.
OP is an Awful Parent
Despite OP’s claims that she “didn’t raise the boys this way,” Reddit users called her a terrible parent.
She may not have “raised them” to prank, but somewhere along the line, she led them to believe that this behavior was acceptable and they’d never have to face the consequences.
“OP failed her sons by raising little monsters,” said one.
“You say you didn’t raise them that way, but you clearly did, especially when they continued despite you telling them to stop,” pointed out another, adding, “Makes me think (I’m a mom of 3), that you never followed through on consequences for their [bad] behavior.”
“Also, the fact that she automatically blamed her friend for something that is so clearly her son’s fault. It didn’t even cross her mind that they caused this, and they should pay for it. It’s so painfully obvious the role she played in how they’re behaving now,” stated a third.
We hope OP takes the criticism to heart and changes her strategy toward child-rearing. It might be too late for the 18-year-old, but the 13-year-old still has a chance.
Source: Reddit