AITA for laughing when my son came home from meeting his girlfriend’s parents because he chose to behave like he does at home?

A father has tried to teach his son better table manners, particularly to stop burping during meals, but his son consistently ignores this advice. His wife defends their son, insisting that it’s just his nature.

Recently, the son burped throughout a formal dinner while meeting his girlfriend’s family, which upset his girlfriend. When the son told his parents about it, the father laughed, noting he had warned him about his behavior. Read the original story below…

‘ AITA for laughing when my son came home from meeting his girlfriend’s parents because he chose to behave like he does at home?’

My son burps a lot while eating. I have tried telling him multiple times that it is rude. I’ve told him to slow down so he doesn’t swallow air with his food. I’ve told him that it is disgusting. My wife will instantly jump in to defend him. She will say that’s just the way he is and that it’s not his fault.

The thing is he can control himself when I remind him. He just chooses not to. He just went on a date with his girlfriend last night and she tore him a new a**hole. It was his first time meeting her parents since they live in another city.

They went out to a fancy restaurant and he burped all the way through supper. He came home almost in tears from her chewing him out for behaving like a j**kass in front of her family. I heard him telling my wife about it and I laughed.

She asked what was so funny and I reminded them both that I had tried dozens if not hundreds of times to teach him table manners and he rejected them and she protected him. I said that now he is a grown man and he had to learn the hard way. They both think she overreacted and that I’m the a**hole for being amused by his experience.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

Available-Maize5837 −  NTA. I also laughed at this. How old is your son? Doesn’t matter either way. There are times for this behaviour. Dinner at a restaurant is not one of those times. Girlfriend did not overreact. Hopefully he learns a valuable lesson from this.

lonnielee3 −  NTA. OP, to vote this way, I’m taking a leap of faith that you and his doctor have eliminated the possibility that your son has a medical issue and am assuming he’s just an immature and poorly socialized young man.

Sadly, I have known a few young men who think they can belch and fart around girlfriends (and their parents) same as they do with frat brothers. Still, consider apologizing for laughing at his situation and introduce him to the Art of Manliness website.

Fairmount1955 −  NTA. They are always fine with the F around part but never the find out part.

extinct_diplodocus −  They both think she overreacted and that I’m the a**hole for being amused by his experience. NTA. You laughed at something that was completely predictable and really shouldn’t have surprised him. He needed to be laughed at, since he still hasn’t learned and is blaming the gf.

His mother has coddled him for so long and he’s so thick that he’ll have to learn this the hard way again and again until he finally realizes that the problem is with him and not with other people.

SilverPandorica −  LOL NTA. That’s so funny. It’s pretty common knowledge burping at the table is rude (except for in some cultures). Your wife is a huge AH for encouraging this behavior his entire life. She really did him over.

I don’t blame the girlfriend for getting mad. She had every right to be pissed for her bf acting like a total j**kass in front of her parents.

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Everyone farts and burps, and that’s nothing to be ashamed about. However, purposefully belching loudly at the dinner table with your girlfriend’s family is REALLY rude. If he wants people to want to go out to eat with him, he’ll learn to control himself.

theoryslostshoe −  NTA. I hate how uppity people can be about manners but not burping thru the first dinner with your partner’s parents is bare minimum stuff. You tried to teach him this and now you get to laugh at his follies.

Wolf_mother1105 −  NTA it IS funny! He should have learned manners like you told him to 😆

Gwynasyn −  Random question not relevant to any judgement, but I’m curious. If you were to exhibit the same behaviour when eating with your wife, whether at home or out with her family or friends, would she be equally apathetic towards it? Does she not see the constant burping at the table as rude at all, or just because her precious snowflake son does it?

ThatHellaHighHobbit −  NTA- Burp around and find out 😂

Should the father feel guilty for finding humor in his son’s situation?