AITA for not giving my little brother a Christmas ornament?

A 24-year-old woman declined her 9-year-old brother’s repeated requests for an ornament from her Christmas tree, wanting to discourage his habit of whining until he gets his way. Later, she learned that her stepdad had secretly taken an ornament for her brother,

prompting her mom to excuse the behavior by saying, “Just wait till you have kids.” The woman feels upset about the boundary being disrespected and wonders if she was wrong for not giving the ornament in the first place. read the original story below…

‘ AITA for not giving my little brother a Christmas ornament?’

For context I am 24F and my little brother is 9. My mom, stepdad, and little brother came over to see our new place and we already have our Christmas tree up. My brother asks if he can have a frosted acorn ornament off of my tree. I told him no that it’s a decoration on my tree.

He proceeds to wine and ask five more times before my mom tells him to stop. I said no because he generally gets everything he wants. I probably would have given it to him before he left but he’s started a habit of asking over and over or repeating the same thing until you answer and I’m not indulging that.

They ended up leaving and I talk to my mom the next day who says I should’ve just said yes and that I should count the ornaments on the tree because one may be missing. Turns out when I wasn’t in the living room my stepdad pocketed one to give to my brother.

AITA for not giving him one? Do I have the right to be kinda ticked off? My mom said “just wait till you have kids you’ll see how it it” but I feel like that doesn’t make a difference here?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

-Boo-berries- −  Nta. Stepdad is definitely tho. They stole from you. That’s what it is. You said no. They did it anyway to please the bratty brother. That’s stealing. Tbh, I wouldn’t let them back in my home until it was returned and would also invest in cameras. I would make it very known too. Because f**k that.

kharmatika −  NTA I’m sorry. you had a family member STEAL S**T FROM YOUR HOME AND YOU’RE NOT SURE IF YOU’RE THE A**HOLE??? “Wait til you have kids, then you’ll see how easy it is to teach them that if they scream loud enough Daddums will commit petty larceny”

Don’t let these people back into your home until all 3 of them give you an apology.

BoredofBin −  NTA! There is nothing wrong with setting reasonable boundaries with children. Ideally your mother and step-dad should have been the ones to set those boundaries. Your brother is 9, he is old enough to know that no means no. You did the right thing.

I wish the same could be said about your step-dad. Stealing an ornament and giving it to your brother to calm him down is going to set a wrong precedent.

sleepy965 −  NTA. Your stepdad is the reason he is the way he is. Your brother is old enough to know you can’t go around to other people’s houses demanding they give you their stuff just because you like it. Does he ever go on play dates?

RoswellRedux −  NTA, but stepdad sure is – and he’s teaching little brother how to be an a**hole too. For Christmas, get him a children’s book about stealing. Here’s a link with an example.

Bright_Command_6549 −  NTA and wow great parenting on their behalf. Ask, whine, steal?? FOFO when he is a teenager the monster they created. Be prepared for this disaster in the making.

marxam0d −  NTA and I’d never let them back in my home.

Few_Intention9608 −  Guess who wouldn’t be welcome in my home anymore…

Rohini_rambles −  Well they’re doing a terrible job of raising that kid. Wait til his dad steals from the wrong person!  Being robbed in your own home is so awful. They must have treated you really poorly if there is any part of you that actually thinks you could be the AH in this situation.

Ban theme from your money. This time an ornament, next time your jewelery? Game system? Your car keys?

AsparagusWTweak −  NTA. I’d be livid if I found out someone had stole from me to keep a bratty f**king kid happy. I’d not let them anywhere near any of my possessions ever again. What the f**k is wrong with your stepdad? 

Was she justified in saying no to her brother, or should she have just given in to keep the peace? What do you think about her stepdad taking the ornament without permission? Share your thoughts below!