Mom Accuses Sister Of Trying To ‘Brainwash’ Her 6-Year-Old Son By Making Him A Dinosaur Quilt
No good deed goes unpunished.
Monstera Production / Pexels Family politics can be hard to navigate, especially when it comes to religion. People’s spiritual beliefs are intensely personal, and they have the capacity to affect relationships, in good ways and bad.
A woman asked the subreddit r/AITA if she was wrong after her sister objected to a gift she gave her nephew.
The mom accused her sister of trying to ‘brainwash’ her son by making him a dinosaur quilt.
The woman explained that she and her sister weren’t raised religious, but after her sister left for college at 18, she “became a Christian when she started dating another Christian.”
“Basically the point is she doesn't believe anymore that dinosaurs exist,” the woman wrote.
Her sister’s husband isn’t religious, which is a “sore point” for the mom. They have two children together: a 9-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
The woman was spending time with the kids recently when her nephew told her that the quilt she’d made for him was too short. She told both kids to pick out fabric from her craft room, and she’d make them new quilts, an act of love from an aunt to the kids she loves.
“My niece went for some space/galaxy themed, and my nephew picked out some dinosaur fabrics,” she said. “I thought nothing of it and got to work.”
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She said that “they were so happy” when she gave them the finished quilts, but her sister exploded with anger.
The woman asked if she was wrong for making a dinosaur quilt for her ‘deeply Christian’ sister’s child.
“She quickly went on a rant about her knowing dinosaurs don't exist and how dare I try [to] brainwash her child like that,” the woman said.
She explained that he picked out the fabric on his own, saying, “I genuinely didn't make the connection, and I would let him pick more fabric for a different quilt.”
“By this point, my nephew is crying, saying he doesn't want a different quilt,” she said. Her sister called her husband, “telling him to set me straight.”
But her husband took the woman’s side, saying, “It’s only fabric, their son likes the fabric, it’s his son too and he believes in dinosaurs so he should get a say on the quilt too if it's such a big deal.”
The woman’s parents got involved in the conflict, and even though they’re not religious, they took the sister’s side, thinking she “set out to mock [her] sister’s beliefs.”
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“I honestly didn't think I'd have to vet my nephew's fabric choices,” she said.
Everyone in the comments agreed that the woman wasn’t wrong or malicious in her mistake. Some people shared that they’re Christian, too, yet they believe in dinosaurs.
“I don’t believe in dragons, but my son has dragon sheets,” said one person. “You did something nice by making the quilt and letting the child pick out the fabric. It must take a lot of effort to not believe in dinosaurs.”
Another person noted that “Even if they were both dinosaur truthers, you have no obligation to pretend you share their delusions around their children… They are going to be exposed to reality eventually.”
This was an honest mistake and should be treated as such.
The sister’s religious beliefs aside, this was clearly an honest mistake on the part of a loving aunt, and she admitted as such.
According to Harvard Health, making amends for hurting a loved one, even unintentionally, is as simple as acknowledging what you did, explaining why it happened, apologizing, and offering a solution.
According to the aunt's post, she did all those things. If the sister chooses not to forgive, she will only hurt herself and her children.
There is no doubt this woman loves her niece and nephew. She took time and care to make them a loving gift of their choosing. That's the part that matters most, not what pattern is on the quilts.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.