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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Who's in the wrong here?

309 replies

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:10

My 20 year old niece is staying with me. She's lovely, no bother and a good house guest. Ive seen her through thick and thin in the last few uears. Life is tough for me at the mo. I'm stressed beyond anything I've felt before and not coping at all. I feel close to burnout and on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Seriously sleep deprived. Didnt sleep for 48 hours and then got 4 hours the mext night. Niece went on a night out. Said she'd be back around 11. Didn't take a key, said I'd wait up for her. Got a text at 11.30 saying she'd be back at 1am. She arrived at 1.30pm. I was deranged with exhaustion. I was curt with her but didn't want to bite, so said I was exhausted and went straight to bed. She was snarky with me but I didn't bite. We were meant to be up and out early the next day on a trip out. I was up at 6am, so only got another 4 hours sleep. She came downstairs around 9am and said are you OK. I said no, I was exhausted. That's literally all I said, albeit in a frustrated tone. She burst in to tears and fled upstairs. She came back downstairs and said she was leaving. I said fine, do what you want. More tears. 10 minutes later, she'd packed and gone, saying it wasn't what she wanted but was giving me space.
So it all got very quickly out of hand and we haven't spoken since. She knows I'm not coping with life right now. I also said absolutely nothing to her other than I'm exhausted and I get tears and flouncing.
So am I the twat? Should I just be upbeat and smiley and suck it up and not react to her keeping me up til 1.30am. Or is she out of line?

OP posts:
Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:45

Missthemachine · 17/07/2026 16:42

Is she staying with you because whomever she was staying with previously basically kicked her out?

Edited

Absolutely not. She just stays occasionally when she's in the area.

OP posts:
Missthemachine · 17/07/2026 16:45

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:44

Only staying for a couple of days. She stays every now and seldom.

Why? Just visiting you? Who does she usually live with?

is this the first time she’s ever behaved like this?

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:44

ScrambledEggs12 · 17/07/2026 16:38

How long has she been staying and was it meant to be a long term thing?

It sounds like it might be good just to have a bit of space from each other for now.

Only staying for a couple of days. She stays every now and seldom.

OP posts:
Sartre · 17/07/2026 16:43

Sounds like a lot of this could have been avoided. You clearly need some mental health support, particularly with regards to insomnia… Not sleeping for 48 hour stints will make anyone tetchy, to say the least. You should have left a key out for your niece or she should just have had her own to get in. That said, she was BU knowing you were waiting up for her to stay out 2.5 hours longer than planned. I think you’re stroppy due to lack of sleep and she’s taken this personally, that’s all.

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:43

ThisOneLife · 17/07/2026 16:37

Why are you “waiting up” for a 20 year old? She’s an adult!

She didn't have a key.

OP posts:
Missthemachine · 17/07/2026 16:42

Is she staying with you because whomever she was staying with previously basically kicked her out?

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:42

Silverbirchleaf · 17/07/2026 16:32

One of those situations when people said things they didn’t mean.

Your niece broke the original agreement (twice). There’s a big difference between 11pm and 1.30am. Your house, your rules, and she should have respected this

Regarding getting up, could you gone and woken her up? Why did you let her sleep in?

However, she shouldn’t have flounced so easily. It’s okay to say you’re tired. Maybe she thought she was being judged or blamed, and actually she was responsible for the situation.

Don’t feel guilty. You can’t be good cop all the time, and you’ve supported her alot.

I let her sleep in because on 4 hours sleep, again, I was in no fit state to drive anywhere.

OP posts:
shoesandshipsandsealingwax · 17/07/2026 16:40

Storm in a teacup.

You should have left her a key. She should have been more considerate.

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:40

Bjorkdidit · 17/07/2026 16:24

Why would you leave a key out? You might as well not lock the door at all.

But waiting up for her is odd. You could have slept and then let her in when she knocked on the door.

She seems to have over-reacted though. You could try having a conversation with her, see if you can both put it behind you.

I couldn't have slept. I was expecting her at 11 ish. She text at 11.30 to say she'd be back at 1am. So I thought I'd get an hours sleep but there was a crisis I had to attend to (caring responsibilities). When I'd sorted this out, it was 12.30, so no point trying to sleep for half an hour. Then she arrived at 1.30.

OP posts:
Ellie1015 · 17/07/2026 16:40

As she is a good guest and presumably a neice you love i would be a bit worried she was so distressed by a minor fall out that she reacted that way. I would reassure her she was welcome and ask her to always take her key in future in case plans change. I would also be making sure she knows even if you're annoyed about her behaviour occasionally, you will always work through it and be there for her. An apology for disturbed sleep and taking key in future is all that was needed.

Unless you suspect she was crying and leaving to avoid an apology or acknowledgement you were tired because of her in which case fair enough to act how you did. But I wasnt getting that vibe from your post.

Wingwalk · 17/07/2026 16:39

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:36

I wasn't up at 6am waiting for her to come down. I was up at 6am as I have caring responsibilities (part of the reason I'm on the bones of my arse).

I think if you knew you had to be up at 6am, it's even more silly to stay up till 11 to let her in, and doubly silly to stay up till 1.30 working yourself up into an upset which was completely foreseeable. Hope you can have an early night tonight!

ScrambledEggs12 · 17/07/2026 16:38

How long has she been staying and was it meant to be a long term thing?

It sounds like it might be good just to have a bit of space from each other for now.

Betadelta · 17/07/2026 16:38

She's in the wrong here. She should have taken a key or made sure she was back by 11.

However, I have DC of this age, and unfortunately they are sometimes thoughtless and inconsiderate. Mine are lovely but I can imagine them doing this kind of thing and not really thinking it was that bad.

Hopefully the two of you can apologise to each other and make up. It would be a real shame if this spoilt your close relationship.

Ponderingwindow · 17/07/2026 16:37

why didn’t you just give her a key? If she is staying there regularly she should have a key. Even it it was just one night you could have loaned her a spare.

I’ve got a teen going through a lot. Sometimes I can’t hide the impact that is having on me. If I overreact, I apologize, but just admitting you are tired is not overreacting.

ThisOneLife · 17/07/2026 16:37

Why are you “waiting up” for a 20 year old? She’s an adult!

Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:36

TheBlueKoala · 17/07/2026 16:15

You were passive aggressive. Why were you waiting up for a 20 year old? You could have just given her your Keys. And what were you up at 6 am about awaiting her to come down. If you had plans you could just have woken her up. It sounds like you have done anything to be a martyr here and I don't blame her for leaving.

I wasn't up at 6am waiting for her to come down. I was up at 6am as I have caring responsibilities (part of the reason I'm on the bones of my arse).

OP posts:
Whyohwhy1974 · 17/07/2026 16:34

ScrambledEggs12 · 17/07/2026 16:13

I don't think you're being a twat. But, you could have left a key somewhere for her instead of staying up?

I wish I had. We wouldn't be in this situation now but I can't turn back time.

OP posts:
Silverbirchleaf · 17/07/2026 16:32

One of those situations when people said things they didn’t mean.

Your niece broke the original agreement (twice). There’s a big difference between 11pm and 1.30am. Your house, your rules, and she should have respected this

Regarding getting up, could you gone and woken her up? Why did you let her sleep in?

However, she shouldn’t have flounced so easily. It’s okay to say you’re tired. Maybe she thought she was being judged or blamed, and actually she was responsible for the situation.

Don’t feel guilty. You can’t be good cop all the time, and you’ve supported her alot.

HelenaWilson · 17/07/2026 16:32

Maybe niece should have taken a key, but she didn't, and having said she'd be back around eleven, she should have been back around eleven. Keeping someone up until 1.30 without prior arrangement when you're a guest in their house is a shitty way to behave, even if they weren't already very tired.

Backedoffhackedoff · 17/07/2026 16:30

I think you’re both just stressed and upset and this has escalated more than is reasonable for either of you.

I would apologise have a hug and forget about it. You don’t need to add this to your worries

metalmum15 · 17/07/2026 16:30

As someone who has kids this age coming in and out at all hours, she should have taken a key. They might say they’ll be back by 11 but then everyone decides they want to go clubbing instead and plans change and next thing they’re rolling in at 3am.

Next morning you should have woken her up to see if the trip was still happening rather than passively waiting for 3 hours.

She does sound a bit of a drama queen though with all the flouncing.

dudsville · 17/07/2026 16:27

I agree with everyone. You needn't wait up for a 20 Yr old, she may have felt hemmed in by that. She then over reacted, but she is 20 and that can still be an unreasonable or overly emotional time. Get some sleep and then reach out to her.

Bjorkdidit · 17/07/2026 16:24

Why would you leave a key out? You might as well not lock the door at all.

But waiting up for her is odd. You could have slept and then let her in when she knocked on the door.

She seems to have over-reacted though. You could try having a conversation with her, see if you can both put it behind you.

Bellsandthistle · 17/07/2026 16:23

Where on earth were you going at 6am? It couldn’t have been that important if you didn’t wake her and she got up at 9. What were you doing for 3 hours??

3luckystars · 17/07/2026 16:22

Get a key safe on Amazon.

GO TO BED if you are tired. All day if you have to. Take a dormadina or some sort of sleeping tablet. Get sleep. Prioritise this.

stop making plans. You are exhausted. Have a bath and go to bed.

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