u/intrigued_china411

Years ago, when a good friend had a baby and said she couldn't wait to visit my new home in a different country with “her entire family,” I remember thinking she might have been a particular case of an out-of-touch mom, said “HELL NO” and moved on…

Now, cut to this week, about 5 years after that awful interaction, which I told myself was one of a kind for my own sanity, and I have not one but TWO mothers making me even worse proposals ON THE SAME DAY. Like, what????

I ran a startup, and you might say the horrors start there, but I digress. A client asked me to visit a travel location AS A FAVOR during a meeting.

It is a beautiful place in the Alps that I’d love to visit under normal circumstances, but unfortunately, it’s also a 6-hour drive away. Well… I don’t drive, and my fiancé cannot take time off to drive me there himself in the middle of the week, so I apologized and explained why I couldn’t help at this time. That’s when she asked, “what about I drive us there with the kids then?”.

I’m sorry, but WTH???

You mean your 18-month-old and 8 or 9-year-old (I’m not sure) on a 6-hour car trip up the Alps????

Are you for fucking real rn????

That’s exactly what I said to my coworker and good friend on the 50% of the time her kid is with her ex, to which she replied, “what if I drive us up there instead? I can bring [insert her insufferable 5yo’s name here] because it’s my week, but we can have fun and make it a girls’ trip.”

Again, I’m sorry, but WTH????

Has everyone gone mad????

Why would I do that????

I’ve never before felt like I was being pranked before, and I swear the guys with the cameras are about to jump out any minute now because this can’t be serious, right???? Right????

Anyway, stay safe, people. It’s scary out there.

The moms have lost their minds.

Today, I was out with my fiancé when a good friend of mine texted me and asked if she and her 5-year-old son could join us. I immediately said yes!

We had a very nice time, and I spent most of it playing with V because I know that when she’s with him, she doesn’t get much “adult time” and misses it. I also adore the kid.

V had his tablet and was playing a Lego driving game where you can earn points and build your own car piece by piece, or buy finished models in the app.

V wanted a tram but didn’t have enough credits yet, so he kept getting a popup saying it could be purchased for €2. Every time he closed it and went back to playing with his existing pieces, he did so without a problem.

Now, this friend of mine, L, despite living in a city with some of the best public transportation in the world, usually prefers to drive or use Uber, which I always tease her about because not only is it more expensive, but it's also inconvenient due to the nightmare of parking. Sometimes Uber drivers won’t even take you all the way to your destination because of that.

So when we paid and left, and I started walking toward the tram stop, both L and V started throwing tantrums about wanting to Uber home.

We were all enjoying ourselves and laughing, so I insisted, and we all ended up on the tram together since we live nearby.

Inside the tram, V started fake crying and complaining about how uncomfortable the plastic seats were and that there was no seatbelt, which was honestly hilarious.

He was making a scene, but the tram was empty, we were sitting at the back, and no one was bothered by it.

At some point, I told him that trams are so awesome that I’d buy the Lego tram on his Roblox game for him if he wanted.

He’s 5. He was thrilled and happy the rest of the way home.

Almost as soon as I got home, I received a message from his mom:

“V wants to know the date when you’re giving him his gift."

“Pls check the price on his game and send me the request that I can transfer to you rn."

“No no no! He doesn’t want the Roblox tram; he wants the real thing," along with a link to a VERY EXPENSIVE full Lego train model.

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I thought I was clear about it. I offered to buy him the tram he tried to get all night in his game."

“Well, that’s not what he wants, and you can’t make promises to children and not fulfill them."

“Hey, I’m sorry, but I cannot afford that right now, and you know it (we’re currently renovating our first apartment, which has been a nightmare and a money pit, and we’re also getting married in less than six months). When is his birthday? Maybe my fiancé and I can split it by then."

“That won’t work. He wants it here next week, and his birthday is only in October."

That’s when I stopped replying.

While I admit I should have asked her first before offering to buy something for her child, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being bullied or taken advantage of—especially since this isn’t the first time my words or promises get twisted into something much more expensive.

So, WIBTAH if I don’t buy my friend’s kid an expensive gift?

Note: this post isn't AI slop but I did use Grammarly to proofread it bc English is not my first language (and I seem to be allergic to commas).