'My doctor sister thinks I'm a bad influence on niece over morning habit'
A man has been left baffled after his sister, who is a doctor, said he was a bad influence on his nine-year-old niece over a small daily habit he allows himself to partake in
A man has shared how his sister, a doctor, criticised him over a small daily indulgence he allows himself. He revealed his 37-year-old sister, her husband, 39, and their nine-year-old daughter are currently staying at his flat because "their house was flooded" and he wanted to help them out. It's a significant favour, and most family members would be eternally grateful to have someone in their life who could accommodate them.
However, his older sister found a trivial reason to criticise him in his own home, leaving him questioning whether he was actually in the wrong with what he was doing.
The man took to Reddit's 'Am I The A**hole' forum to share: "I try to be a good example for my niece. No alcohol or smoking.
"Have fruits everyday and vegetables nearly as often. What my sister doesn't like is the amount of vanilla flavoured syrup I put in my latte. I use half a tablespoon of the stuff per cup and drink one cup each morning.
"My sister, who is a doctor, said I'm setting a bad example for this. She only uses half a teaspoon of syrup and said I should do the same if I care about my niece and want her to have healthy habits when she's older."
People were left puzzled as to why his sister thought her daughter would notice a half-teaspoon discrepancy without it being highlighted in front of her.
In the comments, people defended the younger brother, wondering why his older sister would be so petty towards him when he's showing her nothing but good hospitality.
Someone wrote: "Not her business, and your sister being weirdly controlling around other people's food will give her an unhealthy relationship with it, courtesy of her mother's modelling."
Another joked: "Would hate to hear what the original poster's sister thinks of my three (almost four) year old daughter does with canned whipped cream.
"Straight in her mouth, she points to the can, says please, and opens her mouth, then struggles not to laugh until she swallows. She doesn't do it every day, of course, but if you use the whipped cream, she needs some too."
One bloke highlighted his sister was "feeling a lack of control because she's in someone else's home". He said it would be beneficial to mention his niece was "bound to see people she loves doing many different things that differ from what mum says is 'best'," and she would simply have to "handle that".
Someone wrote: "It's so bizarre when people are guests somewhere and act all mad and controlling instead of being helpful and grateful."
A Redditor revealed they were anticipating reading something far worse than they did when they spotted the headline, which was 'Am I The A**hole for the amount of syrup I use in front of my niece?'
They wrote: "I 100% expected from the title to read a story about the family sitting down to waffles and the parents giving the kid a portion-controlled amount of syrup while her uncle drowned his waffle and set off a tantrum.
"While the original poster would still not be the a**hole in that situation, it would make sense why he should be more aware around the kid.
"We're talking about *coffee* here. It's so easy for a parent to explain: this is a grown-up drink and not for kids. But also, what nine-year-old notices the difference between a half tablespoon and a half teaspoon of simple syrup in coffee?
"The sister is making mountains out of molehills and, as you say, is far more likely to give the kid an unhealthy relationship with food than the original poster is."