Mom Asks If She Was Right To Punish Son For Bringing Up Family Drama At Thanksgiving

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Mom sitting on bench with two kids
Unsplash | Benjamin Manley

Big family blowups around the dinner table are bound to happen from time to time. Factor in the particulars of a big, fancy dinner like Thanksgiving — more family, more formalities, and more drama — and these family arguments can become explosive.

A Redditor recently shared her story of disciplining her son for something he did at Thanksgiving dinner. Was she in the right or in the wrong? Let's let the Reddit jury decide.

OP Punished Her Son For Bringing Up 'Private Family Matters.'

Screenshot of Reddit post about a family disagreement
reddit | KittyCalifornia321

You can find the original post here, although it's been removed. This link preserves the original post.

For a little bit of context, this is your standard big family Thanksgiving dinner. OP's son — the one she wound up punishing — is on the autism spectrum and also has ADHD.

Anyway, over the course of Thanksgiving dinner, OP's son casually revealed a bombshell: his uncle, who's married to OP's sister, has been having an affair and bringing her to the house while he's supposed to be babysitting.

That's...Pretty Big News.

Comments on Reddit post about a family disagreement
reddit | KittyCalifornia321

It's some juicy gossip that's sure to incite some family drama. One thing is for certain here: even though OP's son may have spilled the beans, his uncle is the one who truly messed up here by having the affair.

Most commenters thought it was kind of strange that OP would come down so hard on her son when he didn't really do anything wrong.

Good Luck Getting Your Kid To Confide In You.

Comments on Reddit post about a family disagreement
reddit | KittyCalifornia321

A lot of parents would rather their kids tell them difficult truths than hide them. It seems like OP is the other way around. Even if an affair is going on under her nose, she'd rather not hear about it from anyone.

It Couldn't Have Been Easy For Him To Reveal This.

Comments on Reddit post about a family disagreement
reddit | KittyCalifornia321

OP treats this situation as if her son casually dropped the detail with no regard for anyone else. But what if it was something he'd been dying to get off his chest? He finally had the family's whole attention to reveal something that had been bothering him — and the whole ordeal resulted in him being punished.

How Would You Handle This?

Mom sitting on bench with two kids
Unsplash | Benjamin Manley

No one wants to hear a big reveal like this around the Thanksgiving table...but if it's happening, it's going to come out eventually. Is there a graceful or tactful way to handle this family drama? Let us know what you would have done in the comments section.