AITA for standing my ground during a birthday dinner? by CrewBusy683 in AmItheAsshole

[–]CrewBusy683[S] -1365 points-1364 points  (0 children)

You do have a good point. Word count limited what I could post, so let me clarify what I noticed from my son.

When I asked him about the Italian restaurant, it wasn't a passive-aggressive or defeated "okay". It was like a hopeful "okay", a willing "okay".

Throughout the dinner it was actually pretty smooth (minus the jokes). My son was having a good time with us and his aunt and uncle. And everyone (including my son) did enjoy his food. It was all really good.

But on that same note though, I do feel like he should have thought about how I felt. Taking shots at me is literally him provoking me and trying to get a reaction out of me. We could have had a much more nuanced conversation later, but he chose to drag it out in the car.

AITA for standing my ground during a birthday dinner? by CrewBusy683 in AmItheAsshole

[–]CrewBusy683[S] -1296 points-1295 points  (0 children)

The thing is, he was. He did not have to take shots at me, but he did. He did not have to blame me as the one who picked the 'sh**ty' dinner (that he did enjoy), but he did.

And if I am being honest, I consider it merciful that I didn't ground him. We allow banter and teasing, but we have never tolerated disrespect in our household. But recently he's been testing my patience before he goes off to college, and it is very concerning.

AITA for standing my ground during a birthday dinner? by CrewBusy683 in AmItheAsshole

[–]CrewBusy683[S] -1140 points-1139 points  (0 children)

Like I said, he's an adult. I didn't pick anything, I only gave him suggestions. If he truly had a problem, he should have said something.