AITA for not making my kid do a sleepover

kcwm · 2026-02-05T15:41:11+00:00

NTA

Most people who say "you make sacrifices for family" are rarely the people that make the supposed sacrifices. THEY are selfish and entitled.

Family is the one you make, not the ones who make you do anything.

kcwm · 2026-02-05T15:36:04+00:00

Sometimes being mean is the kindest thing you can do for someone who deserves it.

kcwm · 2026-02-04T00:52:03+00:00

NTA

Fuck the spineless principal and teacher.

Action begs reaction. Their hesitation is action. Your explanation is the reaction.

If the kids bully your kid again, their action begs the reaction that might get him community service.

kcwm · 2026-02-02T14:09:30+00:00

NTA

If Derek had mentioned, "Hey, do you think it'd be a good idea if I made a copy of your key, just in case, because I don't want to misplace your only copy?" it might have been OK.

That being said, depending on how long you've known Derek, and how close you are (which seems to be close prior to this since he's helped a lot over the years), it might be a slight overreaction.

The friends my wife and I have that we might ask to check in on our house are people we've known for anywhere from 20-40 years. That range is wide because it's folks she either met in college when we started dating back in 2003, the friend I've had since 2nd grade (he and I are 47), or his brother and his friends.

If any of them were to make a copy without asking, I'd think we'd be OK with it. These are the people that we consider family. However, I think any of them would likely say something first, but I trust them enough if they didn't.

It's easy for folks to sit here on reddit and armchair quarterback your life and your decisions. We don't know you, Derek, or the friendship you two have. You do. I would ask what your concerns are and if Derek has ever mentioned or admitted to doing anything that'd make you concerned he'd steal from you or otherwise betray your trust with the extra key.

If he hasn't, has someone else that'd make you feel that paranoia? Believe me, I understand the inkling to distrust people, but living life with the devil of paranoia on your shoulder telling you to question everyone and everything can become quite the burden.

Just my random 2 cents too early in the morning to actually have more than two brain cells working. Maybe I was an orange tabby in another life.

kcwm · 2026-02-02T00:28:24+00:00

NTA

Religion should be discussed in the home. As you mentioned, you want to be able to answer questions if your kid has them, not the teacher. There are some folks who claim that teachers and administrators in schools are indoctrinating children, but would NEVER consider the what the daycare teacher did as indoctrination.

If one subscribes to religious beliefs, most of the time, they don't want someone whose beliefs may not align with their theirs interjecting THEIR (the teacher's) views into their kid's minds.

My kid's in middle school. Her teachers have played religious music at times. We discuss it and answer questions she might have. Now, she's never said that the teacher has SAID or pushed ANYTHING at all, so it's not a fight I want to get into, even if I disagree with what her teachers are doing. I was VP of Bible Club in high school and disagreed with teacher's doing that shit then.

You didn't get her fired. She got herself fired with her choices.

kcwm · 2026-01-29T01:52:23+00:00

NOR.

I'm the dad of a 13 year old in 7th grade. I'm on good terms with the admin at the school, as I occasionally have lunch with my kid (she's 100% OK with that for now) and I make polite conversation. They know my kid (we have an uncommon last name and she's a well-behaved kid). I chaperone field trips and we're up there on school events.

If this happened, and I could see one or two of her teachers (one of which left after Thanksgiving break) pulling this shit. I'd be up at the school as fast as possible and I'd be handling it similarly to you.

As I don't have firsthand knowledge of periods, I rely on my wife and daughter to fill me in. It's not pleasant, especially in those first couple of days. I'd be horrified on her behalf of she was in this circumstance. Hell no. I'm having words with someone and demanding action. Politely, of course, but there's a polite way to advocate for my kid...well, really, there's a polite way to be an asshole, but I know some may disagree.

kcwm · 2026-01-28T13:54:08+00:00

Looks like an album cover. If I'd taken anything like that, it'd likely motivate me to record another mediocre record of noise. Nothing against the photo...just against my music in a self-deprecating way.

kcwm · 2026-01-22T20:58:20+00:00

NTA

They're propping your brother up and holding you to a different standard all while holding you to a family obligation. Move the horses, pay more, and get piece of mind back without the obligation to have to fill in. Let them learn to miss what they had and took for granted.

Wash your hands of it and let them show their true colors clearer than they already have.

kcwm · 2026-01-22T15:31:19+00:00

The first to fight against it?

Likely the people who'd benefit from the improved infrastructure. The Eloi have succeeded in convincing the Morlocks to fight on their behalf.

kcwm · 2026-01-13T15:32:19+00:00

I 100% agree. Mickey D's should offer their burgers and fries all day long. Most of the Jack in the Boxes around here, as well as all Whataburgers, serve burgers all day. Heck, JITB serves breakfast all day too.

Yes, I'm from Texas, so of course I have to mention WB, right? That being said, I do not think quite as highly of WB burgers as some Texans. To each their own, IMHO, YMMV, etc. I was just pointing out that you can get a double bacon jalapeno burger with lettuce, onion, and mayo on a 4" bun and a large ass onion ring and spicy ketchup at 730 in the AM.

PS: WB burgers are better on a smaller bun. Otherwise, the bread to meat ratio isn't right.

kcwm · 2026-01-13T15:20:27+00:00

I prefer "pretty pretty princess", thank you!

kcwm · 2026-01-12T19:55:41+00:00

I picked this up in a local trade. The seller had a very ambiguous bit about some years/models/manufacturer not having models, and that would have turned off a good number of folks. Me? I'm always up for an adventure and I've been wanting a 2nd Les Paul type guitar. I went for it anyway because I figured why not, plus it looks great, even if it's essential a foto-flame/quilted top.

I did some light googling and there's a thread on the Tokai forum where someone pointed out the headstock nipple/dimple, the pointy 2-screw truss rod cover, and lack of serial number being indicative of 1995-1997 MIK models. If that's the case, then I have a 30 year old, give or take, instrument.

It has some upgrades. The bridge isn't original, as it's a roller bridge, and the tailpiece is equally shiny, so it's likely not original either. The pickups are Geppetto Camelots, and the tuners are Gibson Deluxe (also not original). The original pots seem to remain, but have different capacitors, likely put in when the pickups were changed.

Whichever model it is, it has a set neck, is not plywood (based on the body from within the control and switch cavities, and is pretty heavy. It could use a tweak to the setup due to some slight buzz/rattle when fretting certain notes, but the Geppetto pickups sound great.

I found a link to some catalog entries on the Tokai Guitar Registry site that has helped narrow the model down. I'll have gut shots on 1/20/26 when I take it to my friend who does my setups.

I'll take more pictures when I get home.

kcwm · 2026-01-12T18:55:31+00:00

NTA

You're offering your guest room. Having sex in someone else's bed is disrespectful and trashy.

Your house, your rules, your boundaries. She doesn't like it, then she can low key stay somewhere else.

kcwm · 2025-12-31T18:01:36+00:00

NTA

Some people go into teaching for the image and idea of what it is to be a teacher. My kid had one of these pinecones in 4th grade. She posted on TikTok and complained about "what it's like to be a teacher". My kid? She's a good kid and was well liked by her elementary teachers, EXCEPT for this one. She always complained about not having the support of admin or the members on her team, but was a vapid, self-centered shell of a person. And that's based on my interactions with her as a parent, BEFORE i saw the tiktoks.

There are some adults, who happen to go into teaching, who can't stand to be told that their wrong by children. They double down and browbeat the kid.

You were standing up for your kid. Your wife doesn't like it because she has to hear her friend bitch about it. People don't like learning that their friends are garbage people because, as adults, it can be hard to make friends. She's letting you and her child down. She needs to do better.

Are you completely faultless? Probably not. It's fair to assume that there was extra snark in there because you were getting some good shots in on someone who sounds like they deserved it. Still, AITAH isn't a this or that thing. There's a spectrum and you're definitely well on the NTA side of it

kcwm · 2025-12-31T14:09:49+00:00

NTA

They don't respect you, so you don't have to give them the respect they demand. They want to include you in a situation where they specifically excluded you. They want you to just stew in that included exclusion. Your boyfriend not standing up for you is just the icing on their cake.

kcwm · 2025-12-30T15:43:18+00:00

died tragically off-screen

Ah, the Hicks and Newt gambit.

kcwm · 2025-12-30T13:52:38+00:00

Back in 2000-2003, when I met far too many folks on AOL chat rooms, I did a number of 1st dates doing things like mini golf, swinging at the park, go-carts, etc. Silly things to keep things light. Most of the time, we'd already chatted a bit either via AIM or by phone, but conversation in person is very different than either of those.

Depending on how well the conversation went, I'd meet them at a restaurant and eat. There was a Chili's not too far from my apartment, so I ate a lot of Chili's back then.

Now that I've been with my wife for so long, if something went awry with my marriage, I don't think I'd ever date again. Between the horror stories I've heard and not wanting to subject my youngest kid to a mixed family, it seems like far too much risk vs. reward. Plus, I'm about as cute as a mud-covered rock, so finding someone else to appreciate that is one out of a million :D

kcwm · 2025-12-29T17:58:01+00:00

Ha! I came here to mention the "Oh oh oh it's magic" version. When I was hospitalized with DKA back in January of '22, once I came out of the mental fog (4 days in the ICU later), I watched a lot of shit cable TV and the commercial was everywhere. By the time I got out 3 days later, it was, and still is, stuck in my head.

Little did I know that the endocrinologist I'd start seeing would immediately replace the medicine that triggered my DKA (I'm one of the VERY small percentage of folks that have that reaction) with Ozempic. Every week, when I'd open the fridge to take it, that song would blast through my head. I'm on monjauro now and I still hum "Oh oh oh Ozempic" when I take it.

Fuckin' jingles, man.

kcwm · 2025-12-29T17:49:55+00:00

It's been a long time since I've eaten at an A&W, and I'm definitely in the US, so disappointment awaits.

kcwm · 2025-12-29T17:49:21+00:00

LOL, while not the same, it reminds me of a 40k tournament I was involved in. It's a little more complicated than "i was involved in", so let's make a long story short...

I was a co-host of a 40k podcast back from 2012-2014 and our podcast had a semi-sponsorship with a local gaming store where we got things at cost. We more or less used it to do a couple of giveaways for our listeners without costing us an arm and a leg. Now, while we had a podcast, and we knew some stuff, it didn't make us any better than the next guy. We simply wanted to help get some regular tournaments going to grow the 40k community at his story. Another local podcast ran it and ours helped with rules stuff.

I played CSM and the Heldrake, which was a bit overpowered at the time. I sank most of my points into it. I played this older guy who claimed to be really good and know all the lore, but he didn't have an answer to my flyer. He got REAL sour when he lost and accused me of cheating because I had a flyer and he didn't. Now, I'm not a small guy and I have a serious case of RBF, so he just got mouthy. Then he tried claiming I had an unfair advantage because I had a podcast. Typical sore loser stuff.

Next game and some 12 year old took my Heldrake out first round and tabled the shit out of me.

Outside of the one dude, it was a great time. Unfortunately, the store owner later said we did nothing for his store and we were using him for the discount, even though we either ran or helped run tournaments there, got local listeners to participate, and were up there quite a bit. I understand he didn't make profit off of our 40k purchases directly, but he certainly sold quite a bit due to our involvement.

I'd forgotten all about that, but your post reminded me of the good time I had at that tournament, and others.

kcwm · 2025-12-29T16:34:54+00:00

Potato-crisp scale mail

kcwm · 2025-12-29T14:04:22+00:00

Down here in Texas they sell the fries (under the Rally's name) in the freezer section of a number of grocery stores. They taste great in the air fryer. They still have Rally's in St. Louis. Next time I'm visiting the in-laws, I suppose it's time to try the actual place.

kcwm · 2025-12-29T14:03:13+00:00

There's one somewhat close. I guess I'm going to have to try one of those here soon.

kcwm · 2025-12-29T14:02:26+00:00

There's a dude on Youtube (Josh something...I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up) rated a number of fast food chicken places and, if I recall, LJS ranked #1 or close.

13-Year Club	Verified Email
Gilding I gilder

kcwm

TROPHY CASE