A Man Asked His Wife’s Friend to Leave Their House and Expected to Be Judged but People Sided With Him Instead

A wife’s friend came to visit a married couple. Everything seemed to be going well, but a conflict arose over something trivial that many people would not have even paid attention to back in the day. At least, many of our parents didn’t even care about it and strictly ordered us to obey, but the 30-year-old generation had completely different views.

Here is what the character of this story shared, “I was talking with my wife’s friend who was there for dinner. She tried to hug my 7-year-old son, but he had a bad day and said no thanks. She kept pressuring him, and he didn’t budge, so she looked at me. I said a kid at school started a fight with him, and he was grumpy, so maybe later.”

The woman didn’t like the answer and said, “Come on. You’re just gonna let him disobey like that?” The father replied that he is raising his son to build his own boundaries and say no when something violates them, and he would never make him break them for someone else. She laughed and said he was lucky he was not her kid, and that behavior would be fixed fast.

The author of the story had to take serious measures and asked the woman to get out of their house. “I would not stand my son being treated like a pet rather than a person. The woman swore and left, and my wife started to worry that I had offended her friend.”

Indeed, the narrator’s wife found herself between two fires: on one hand, she went to yoga with her friend, and on the other, she agreed with her husband. A little later, she told him that she probably would have done the same in his place.

The father of this child even doubted whether he had done the right thing by kicking out the rude guest, and asked this question to netizens. But no one began to condemn him, they all supported his decision to stand up for his child instead.

• The boy is lucky he’s not her kid. He has a father that protects him from such people. © EmptyDrawer9766 / Reddit
• I grew up in a “give everyone kisses and hugs, say goodbye” family, and now that I’m one of the “aunts” I will explicitly tell the little guys “only if you want!!!” when my cousins do the same. © morecowbellpleasee / Reddit
• My eyebrows shot up at that. He’s not her kid, and she’s just a random friend of his mother. She shouldn’t be expecting obedience, and definitely shouldn’t be demanding that the child’s actual parent who is right there enforce her demand for obedience.
  Why did she want a hug so badly anyway? It looked like she was using it as a way to get gratification from enforcing her will. Her being out of their house needs to be permanent. © calling_water / Reddit
• What really bothers me isn’t the woman so much as the narrator’s spouse LEAVING the house with this woman and looking like she was annoyed with her husband and not the boundary-stomping friend. SURE she SAID she would have reacted the same...but she still hung out with the friend who is apparently teaching her own kids they have to give up control over their bodies.
  I mean excellent message to give your kid, a person with more power TOTALLY gets to ignore you telling them no. Body autonomy is absolutely essential for kids to learn, and this woman is basically saying a kid doesn’t have the right over their own person. © Jedisilk015 / Reddit

• My grandson, who was very cuddly with me, reached a stage where he didn’t want to hug or kiss goodbye. My daughter told him to give me a hug and kiss. I told her it was ok and, for a while we waved, high-fived, and blew kisses. We didn’t push our kids to hug or kiss anyone, and my daughter usually didn’t either, but I think she was worried about my feelings.
  Generally, that stage doesn’t last long. As kids grow they need to be given as much control over their bodies as possible. There are times when they don’t have control — doctor visits come to mind — so when we can give them control, we should. © mjw217 / Reddit
• I’m 58 and still see it, regularly. Been in arguments with my nephew’s family about the forced hugging stuff. I tell the littles, “I enjoyed seeing you and spending time with you. Thank you!” Then I extend my hand for a handshake. I only hug kids who initiate. © disco_has_been / Reddit
• I usually phrase it as “Is it okay if I give you a hug?” or something similar. My mom really wanted my daughter to give her a hug and a kiss. My daughter didn’t want to. “But I’m your grandma!”
  Me, “And I’m her dad. I’m teaching her that she doesn’t need to touch anyone unless she wants to. I’m not letting you go against that.” My mom still doesn’t get that. © antidumb / Reddit

• I’m really glad this generation of parents is putting so much importance on autonomy. When I was a kid I always hated having to hug and kiss aunts who were super pushy about it, but I knew I would get in trouble if I told them not to touch me. © Cinderjacket / Reddit
• I saw a video once of what looked like a kindergarten/first-grade class. The teacher stood by the classroom door greeting each child, but she had a sign with pictures that allowed them to decide how they wanted to greet her—hug, high five, and wiggle. They would point to their choice and she’d do it. It was super cute and a great way to teach bodily autonomy to very young children. © PorkrindsMcSnacky / Reddit
• That woman was indeed treating your son like a pet. Thanks for teaching your son not to accept it!!! © brisemartel / Reddit

We also have other stories about people who felt that they had committed a dishonorable act and then received sincere support from others. Here, for example, is the story of a girl who refused to give up her seat on an airplane for a woman with a child.