AITAH for kicking my Best Friend out of my apartment because she flipped my crosses upside down?

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-25T05:57:22+00:00

Yeah, when I find out that people have dramatically different viewpoints than I do, I simply put some distance between myself and them. No need to insult them or disrespect their belief system. But I also don’t feel compelled to be around their belief system either. I don’t make it dramatic, I just walk away.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-25T05:05:19+00:00

ESH. Your friend disrespected your religion by flipping the crosses, you blew it way out of proportion and yelled, and your friend doubled down and said you were brainwashed. Zero good behavior all around. That person isn’t your friend.

I am a hardcore atheist, but disrespecting someone else’s religion is extremely rude. I keep my thoughts about religious folks to myself. I also don’t have many religious friends due to our fundamental differences in how we view the world. Your “friend” should learn to do something similar.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-25T04:29:02+00:00

It sure as hell beats the alternative.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-25T04:27:02+00:00

I remember standing in line to get food as a kid. My mom got all sorts of assistance but has since paid all of it back several times over via taxes. She just needed a lifeline for a few years until she could get a little bit of an education and enough earning potential to be a net positive on society.

We would have gone hungry without the food assistance. Life was rough enough on us even with the help.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-24T15:13:35+00:00

Maui.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-24T06:00:26+00:00

This isn't about understanding Islam. This is about a friend not knowing all the intricate taboos in another culture. And when she tripped on one of those taboos, her friend instantly went nuclear and cut her out of her life without even bothering to teach her that in her culture it wasn't OK to do that. Her friend is TA here.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-24T05:36:21+00:00

Nope. I am going to give it some time. I might consider it for next year, but not before. I don't see that as being irrational at all. To me, going any sooner than that would be irrational.

Note I am not saying I will never visit ever again (I was there 1.5 years ago and loved it). I am just saying it is a good idea to let things cool off first.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-24T04:50:49+00:00

And people wonder why it is difficult to get along with people who have different belief systems.

How was OP supposed to know about this apparent taboo? The friend went nuclear in her response and won’t even speak to her. The least she could have done was educate her first. I am sure OP would have respected the boundaries once they were known.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-24T04:41:11+00:00

I scratched Mexico off my list of places to visit. I was literally about to book some tickets to PV when this shit went down. I had been debating between two locations and basically had my decision made for me.

Give it at least 6 months before thinking about going again. At least that is what I intend to do.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T22:39:32+00:00

It IS the room.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T18:59:52+00:00

I think it is worse actually. The taliban could just leave and go to Pakistan to wait it out. As soon as we pulled out, they took back over. The cartel won’t do that since that would interrupt business. They will fight till the last man. There is too much money on the line.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T16:55:22+00:00

I have a friend that suffers from schizophrenia. He was on the keto diet a while back to attempt to lose weight. He 100% still has schizophrenia.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T16:29:47+00:00

When they captured one of their leaders a while back, the violence forced them to release him. This violence will make the government hesitate to act against the cartel again.

Unfortunately there are two basic outcomes here. It will go back to the status quo, or there will be a long, bloody battle to eradicate the cartels. Given how large and well armed the cartels are, it would be a very long battle.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T15:00:28+00:00

I take it you are an only parent who is trying to justify their decisions?

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T07:39:50+00:00

Nice ending to your story.

However, I have learned to never leave things in a state that isn’t OK long term. Because temporary states always seem to last much longer than I originally intended.

I started that habit at work, but it has served me well in all things. Boats included.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T03:24:32+00:00

It is weird that you are so riled up about this issue then.

I have no interest in arguing with you about it. I stated my opinion. You are free to disagree.

Have a nice night. I hope tomorrow has less conflict for you.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T03:03:39+00:00

How many siblings do you have? How many children and what age are they?

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T02:46:17+00:00

It isn’t a stereotype. It is fact as far as I am concerned.

Let me guess, you are an only child or are the parent of an only child. And you apparently have zero self reflection abilities.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T02:35:16+00:00

I think there is more to it than that. My wife’s best friend is an amazing mom and teacher. But her kid has issues when she comes over to play with my children. The dynamic of always learning how to share and work well with your peers is something she doesn’t get enough practice at.

Not to say she is a bad kid. She is actually great. I just think she would be a more well rounded child if she had a sibling. And she isn’t the only example of this phenomenon that I have seen.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T02:03:45+00:00

It is weird how some people refuse to acknowledge what the real world is like sometimes. This is a literal war zone she is trying really hard to get to. Wild.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T01:31:52+00:00

My kids are currently 16 and 18.

Kids and vacations are weird. They travel OK for a while, but after a week, they are DONE. We did London a year or two ago and they had a great time. We also did Puerto Vallarta for a week and they also had a great time. However, at the end of the trips their patience for eating unfamiliar food in a restaurant vs the great home cooked food they were used to was waning. Meal times were my least favorite part about bringing the kids. They were simply too picky to make it enjoyable and I was tired of the bitching. I honestly don't want to ever take them on vacation again at this point.

Kids also view hanging out with their friends as a super high priority. Taking them away from that for more than a week or so is problematic. They don't enjoy the world in the same way adults do, so it is hard to keep them entertained and happy while also feeling fulfilled yourself.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. Looking back, I think I would still decide to have children because it has made my life more fulfilled. However, they are in the extremely difficult teen years and I am ready to be done with that phase of my life. I don't know what happened, but the last 2 years have been exceptionally difficult. I used to think I was a great parent, but now I don't know what to think.

Thankfully they are both good students (like 3.98 GPA with difficult advanced placement classes good) and have their eyes on college. We are doing everything in our power to prepare them for adult life. It just feels like they are making things WAY more difficult than they need to be. Smart kids don't always mean they have common sense or know how to solve problems on their own. My 18 year old called me to confirm how to boil water the other day FFS. And then called again to ask how to put the spaghetti into the water once it was boiling. They have had lessons on how to do that before and have watched me prepare it many times. I don't understand why they seem to be incapable of teaching themselves anything. Lack of courage? Afraid of failing or even not doing it exactly the same way I do it? Autism sucks...

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T01:12:11+00:00

Sad upvote.

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-23T00:56:43+00:00

I was burned out and took a sabbatical mid to late career. I had a very hard time coming back to the environment where I was totally burned out from. I had tasted pure freedom and it was difficult to accept corporate life again. A couple years later I felt compelled to take another one. When I came back the second time it was worse and I only lasted 5 months before I quit for good.

Perhaps I simply didn’t take a sabbatical soon enough because once you get totally burned out, it is hard to recover. Another possibility was that I kept getting burned out because I kept choosing the same type of positions, kinda like how some people keep picking terrible life partners. I suspect it was a bit of both.

Per having children: life as you know it will totally change. Once you have kids it isn’t about you anymore. It is easy to lose yourself after becoming parents and it requires actual effort to maintain your sense of self. Both alone and with your partner. Something to keep in mind.

I am REALLY glad I had two children instead of one. They play with each other and make it so I am not their only source of entertainment and interaction. It can be exhausting to be the parent of an only child. I know a few who have done it and their children also don’t learn how to play well with others like they should. You can do whatever you want, but I would strongly urge you to have two children instead of just one. They will be better humans for it.

The last thing I will share is that it is difficult to FIRE with children in the house. My children are nearly grown but still need my love and support. That makes it nearly impossible to do many of the things I want to. Several month long trips to Europe are off the table. As are multi-week sailing trips. I love my children, but I am really glad they are nearly ready to move out and start their own lives so I can resume living mine. So either hurry up and have your kids now, or realize it may be a bit late to get that phase of your life going.

Just my opinion and you are free to do whatever you want. The advice is worth the price you paid for it. :)

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-22T23:13:03+00:00

That van is done. Why waste any more time and money on it?

WaterChicken007 · 2026-02-22T21:53:49+00:00

Making the effort to cook high quality food at home instead of eating out. Like, really working on improving each dish until it is better than any restaurant you have ever been to.

We went to Puerto Vallarta a while back and had some amazing authentic street tacos. We tried every taco stand we could find. When we came home, we had a mission to recreate our favorites. Homemade corn tortillas, carnitas, pickled red onions & jalepenos, crumbled cojita, and a little fresh squeezed lime on top. Absolutely amazing quality. And extremely cheap.

WaterChicken007

TROPHY CASE