People Take Off Some Steam In These 'Am I The Jerk?' Stories

"My husband and I are slightly more well off than my sister's family. Because of this, my parents do more for them than they do us. When it comes to gifts my daughter (Maddie 7) gets things from the dollar store while my nephews get whole Lego sets, iPads, and even Disney trips. If my sister needs babysitting they will drop everything for her last minute. If I need it I have to give them a two-week’s heads up as well as proper payment. Because of this clear favoritism, my daughter doesn’t have a good relationship with them. If you ask her about her grandparents her mind automatically goes to my husband’s parents because she forgets that she has two pairs. Earlier today we were having a rare meet-up with my parents. My daughter asked if she could go on the trampoline outside. My dad said no because it’s for my nephews. My daughter begged but Dad still said no. Maddie then stomps away and says this is why I like other grandma and grandpa more. My parents looked at me expectantly but I didn’t do anything. I recently got off a call with my mom saying I should have told Maddie that was wrong to say. I told her what she expected she thinks you all hate her and you do nothing to dispel those thoughts. She just got quiet for a bit then said I still shouldn’t let her say something like that to family and hung up. My husband is on my side but he also isn’t a fan of my family so I need an outside opinion AITJ?" Another User Comments: "NTJ for not punishing your daughter, but why do you force her to be around your parents when she knows they favor her cousins? Why was she the one to point out the favoritism? As her parent, you should have been reprimanding your parents for their treatment of your child. Maddie deserves grandparents who appreciate her, and if she can't have that, she should at least have a mom who sticks up for her. Go low contact with your parents until they're ready to treat all their grandkids equally." bestbettsie Another User Comments: "NTJ Your daughter SAID something they don't like and it's a direct result of what they DO. Your parents are more concerned about your daughter owing them respect (or what they consider respect) than they are about her preferring her other grandparents and feeling unloved. The favoritism of which your daughter is the victim is not acceptable and she should no longer be put in this situation. They wouldn't be allowed to see my daughter if they made such a difference between their grandchildren. This kind of injustice leaves its mark right up to adulthood and builds resentment between the kids." PandaCotton Another User Comments: "Everyone's a jerk here except your daughter. Why are you putting up with this treatment of your daughter? It's one thing for them to give the other kids some extras because their family isn't as well off as you guys are, but to say she can't even use a trampoline because it's for the other kids is absolute nonsense. To give her less love is nonsense--love is free. You should have been the one to step in and say something, not a 7-year-old child. I think it's time for those "rare" meetups to become never." SoMuchMoreEagle