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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Dsis is overeacting after SS hit niece?

885 replies

PapaSteel · 13/08/2026 13:22

I've been with my partner for 8 years and we have dc together, he has a son from his previous relationship. He's 15 and not his bio son but he's been in his life since he was young and he sees him as his dad

Alot happened when we got together as his ex would tell SS that DP didn't want to see him anymore now he was dating me which wasn't true at all. She was physically & verbally abusive towards him and he's been living with us since he was 13 (after he told school about howHe has a lot of trauma and anger which school are supportive about and outside of school he gets help on how to manage the anger and he is a lot better than he was but the anger is still there so we are just patient with him

We're currently on holiday with my sister and her 2 dc and have been here since Monday. There was issues almost straight away as ss got angry at the claw machine but he and dp left the arcade and went for a walk to calm down as the arcade was busy so there was no way he'd have been able to calm down whilst in the arcade. My sister described him as a tantrumming toddler who didn't get his own way and said partner wasn't doing him any favours. I ignored her

He loves drawing and usually if you ask he will show what he's drawing but earlier he was at the table drawing and my niece (10) kept asking what he was drawing. He told her but she kept saying “show me show me” despite him saying no, she pulled his sketch book away from him which caused him to shout at her and she “accidentally” spilt her water on it. He was clearly very angry/upset and walked off to go to his room and she followed him and called him a baby, asked if he was going to cry etc, and he turned round and hit her and now he's being made out to be the bad guy

During this my sister was out with her other dc, my dp was in the shower and I was telling her multiple times to leave him alone and do something else even when she was repeatedly telling him to show her his drawing and she ignored me

My sister is now back and furious, she said she doesn't want her children to share a space with a “violent man”, and has even mentioned going to the police and social services on us if we're happy to have him around our children as he's not related to us when asked where he should go she just replied care

AIBU to think she's overreacting? I know SS shouldn't have hit her and he knows this too but she hasn't apologised for her part in deliberatly winding him up and sister says she doesn't need to as she's a child and he's nearly an adult

OP posts:
Ufitno · 13/08/2026 19:32

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WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:31

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:24

Good.

it’ll save them from a few bruises.

I think that mine would be more likely to freeze up and burst into tears if treated like this by that 10 year old.

I'd be keeping them away because I wouldn't want them to be influenced by that sort of behaviour, more so as witnesses if anything.

Tiedtomydesk · 13/08/2026 19:30

lifeturnsonadime · 13/08/2026 19:25

No I don't think it is ok for anyone to be emotionally abusive.

But I don't think this 10 year old girl was being emotionally abusive. She was being an annoying 10 year old.

And even if she was being emotionally abusive, she didn't deserve to be hit for it by a boy 5 years older than her.

I am astonished by some of the responses on this thread.

Clearly we have different expectations of how 10 year olds should behave!

WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:29

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It sounds like his preferred reaction is walking away. I don't think that there are many teenage girls that would follow him and continue saying mean things after a rejection.

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:29

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Especially when you add to that the lose of temper over a claw machine not giving him the toy he wanted

lifeturnsonadime · 13/08/2026 19:28

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Absolutely, he was angry over an inanimate object at the amusement arcade.

Ufitno · 13/08/2026 19:27

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WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:26

The questions about what if he did this to a girl who rejected him make even less sense. He wanted to get away from her!

lifeturnsonadime · 13/08/2026 19:25

Tiedtomydesk · 13/08/2026 19:20

I am aware of that. But I am asking about the emotional abuse? Do you (and other posters) think it is ok? Because you all seem to avoid answering the question so presumably you think it is ok for a spouse (male or female) to be emotionally abusive. I am shocked that so many posters claiming to care about women's safety, are minimising emotional abuse. Two actions can be wrong at the same time.

No I don't think it is ok for anyone to be emotionally abusive.

But I don't think this 10 year old girl was being emotionally abusive. She was being an annoying 10 year old.

And even if she was being emotionally abusive, she didn't deserve to be hit for it by a boy 5 years older than her.

I am astonished by some of the responses on this thread.

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:24

WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:22

Agree I'd be keeping my kids away from someone that behaved like her.

Good.

it’ll save them from a few bruises.

Tiedtomydesk · 13/08/2026 19:24

Itsa10fromLen · 13/08/2026 19:04

I mean, it’s a bit of a stretch to liken the way this 10 year old supposedly wound up someone older to domestic violence and reactive abuse. She’s literally 10. There’s a significant power imbalance to start with and the goading / snatching that the 10 year old supposedly did was so bad that the OP, having witnessed the whole thing. ….. carried on feeding the baby.

The reactive abuse comment was made by me, in response to a poster comparing this to a husband and wife. We were specifically discussing a husband and wife.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 13/08/2026 19:23

'My niece was with us at our caravan '

This must be some huge caravan as earlier you said you were the other side of the room...

WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:22

HumberSquid · 13/08/2026 19:18

Well you'd hope not. If that's the sort of behaviour your daughter's indulge on I should think everyone would keep their children away.

Agree I'd be keeping my kids away from someone that behaved like her.

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:21

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Yup, what she said

Ufitno · 13/08/2026 19:20

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bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:20

WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:17

It's probably only a matter of time before she tries out this behaviour on someone else though.

Yes, i’m sure a 10 year old child will soon be on the wind up.

its a lot more common than 15 year old boys that are happy to hit young girls, thankfully.

Tiedtomydesk · 13/08/2026 19:20

lifeturnsonadime · 13/08/2026 19:05

If a woman is violent to a man then of course she should face the same criminal liability that he faces.

She is much less likely to murder him though, 1-2 women in the UK are murdered by their spouse/ ex spouse each week. This often escalates from previous violent acts.

I am aware of that. But I am asking about the emotional abuse? Do you (and other posters) think it is ok? Because you all seem to avoid answering the question so presumably you think it is ok for a spouse (male or female) to be emotionally abusive. I am shocked that so many posters claiming to care about women's safety, are minimising emotional abuse. Two actions can be wrong at the same time.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 13/08/2026 19:19

At 5' 5" he is already taller than me - a fully grown adult woman
I doubt the 10 year old child is taller than me, indeed I would be almost surprised if she is over 5' yet.

Ufitno · 13/08/2026 19:19

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MissRaspberryRipples · 13/08/2026 19:19

PapaSteel · 13/08/2026 13:30

He's not strong enough to seriously hurt her, he is only about 5”5 there's not much difference between them but that's besides the point. I and SS recognise he shouldn't have hit her and he's apologised but she has told niece not to apologise when she was equally as in the wrong by deliberately winding him up

I have a 16 year old who is around the same height and he absolutely is strong enough to hurt someone if he wanted to. He had no place hitting a 10 year old simply for annoying him. My 10year old is annoying at times and my son wouldn't dare to hit her for her annoying ways, he might shout at her or tell her to leave him alone but he knows not to hit a much smaller child. Your stepson needs to be taught that violence isn't the answer. Your sister definitely isn't overreacting in being pissed off that a much older and bigger boy has hit her child

HumberSquid · 13/08/2026 19:18

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:13

Well, from the sounds of it the girls mum has taken this very seriously, and will hopefully keep her daughter well away from him in the future.

I know that if this happened to either of mine, they wouldn’t be sharing breathing space with him again.

Well you'd hope not. If that's the sort of behaviour your daughter's indulge on I should think everyone would keep their children away.

MyDarlingRose · 13/08/2026 19:17

PapaSteel · 13/08/2026 14:12

I haven't told him that he should have hit and that it was ok, I've said multiple times that he knows it wasn't and he’s apologised.

To the poster saying that their 3yo knows not to hit, presumably you aren’t physically and verbally abusive to them? In an ideal world he would be able to control his anger but all through his childhood he was abused by his mum which is a big factor in all this due to the trauma he went through. That isn't an excuse but it's not clear cut as a teen boy with absolutely no trauma at all getting angry and hitting. To a PP asking It was more of a hit/push on the shoulder not a punch or anything

My children are younger than 10 and know not to purposely destroy (or try to) someone's things and that if SS or anyone walks away from them not to follow them and carry on provoking them, she's nearly 11, she's going into secondary school in a few weeks so she should know.

So because he was abused by his mum you think his cousin should apologise to him after he abused her?

Ufitno · 13/08/2026 19:17

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WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:17

bitmiffed26 · 13/08/2026 19:13

Well, from the sounds of it the girls mum has taken this very seriously, and will hopefully keep her daughter well away from him in the future.

I know that if this happened to either of mine, they wouldn’t be sharing breathing space with him again.

It's probably only a matter of time before she tries out this behaviour on someone else though.

Itsa10fromLen · 13/08/2026 19:15

WhatNoRaisins · 13/08/2026 19:11

I don't think it's as comparable to domestic violence anyway. When you're an adult you've got more ability to walk and away and keep away from people that upset you.

Exactly. I don’t know why people just can’t accept that two things can be true! The nieces alleged behaviour was dreadful and the 15YO should not be hitting her. One doesn’t cancel out the other ffs.