To think sister brought this on herself encouraging bullying?

[SquishyBones]

Niece goes to swimming lessons with her friend. The classes are split by ability so you have the dolphins, guppies, tadpoles, plankton and bacteria etc

Obviously swimming lessons were called off when lockdown started but the friends have been talking about them starting up again. Apparently sister received a message off friends mum saying that niece had been bullying her DD over WhatsApp saying she will be back in bacteria as she was always nearly drowning in guppies. This has put the friend off going back as she’s worried about being stuck with the babies and toddlers.

Sister has “told off” niece but I’ve heard her encouraging this shit in the past!! Saying that the girl shouldn’t be in guppies as it’s too advanced for her and she’ll never get into Dolphins like Niece. Obviously niece has picked up on this. I told sister that I didn’t think it was fair for Niece to be told off when she’s only repeating what she herself has been saying! Sister now has a face in with me so next it will be all over the family that I’ve “started on her”. WIBU?? Should I just not have said anything?? This isn’t the only thing she encourages this attitude to either btw

Bacteria group!! Lol. That is hilarious.

Obviously not real though.

At 10 years old, your niece is quite old enough to know that she is being unpleasant, and my only surprise is that she hasn't been called on it before. On the other hand, she shouldn't be sneaking on to WhatsApp at that age either.
I think your sister is stung by being shown up over two aspects of her parenting; how will it look to the rest of the family if you have picked her up on her indiscreet gossiping and lax media control?

@SinisterBumFacedCat, have you ever encountered the phenomenon of ‘I can’t remember what the classifications/people/places are called, so I’ll invent some for the purposes of the post’?

Bacteria!? Bit harsh!! 😂

Jo Brand mentioned this thread on The Infinite Monkey Cage today. It was the names of the groups that did it.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-infinite-monkey-cage/id343580439#episodeGuid=urn%3Abbc%3Apodcast%3Ap08lc5l2

I would say you are and aren't being unreasonable. Sounds like your beige is old enough to realise that what she's doing is nasty, so she should be held accountable for her actions, but your sister shouldn't be staying things like that Infront of her.

Bacteria is a fucking shit name for a swimming group though. Who names a kids group bacteria

@Grumpyoldblonde

Well, I...

Plankton? Bacteria?

Back in the Bacteria? Seriously?
How old is the Dolphin? Should she be using WhatsApp?

I’m going to go and make a coffee.

My thoughts exactly.

Well it's hardly about whether it's fair for the kid to be told off for bullying and more about her mum learning to not teach her kid to bully. Of course she should have been told off. But she shouldn't have been encouraged in the first place.