While we usually love to help out our family and friends and be a part of their special occasions, sometimes by crossing certain limits people reach a point where we have to protect ourselves and, as in this Redditor’s case, our pets by setting clear boundaries. And even though it is common to ask for amendments for the sake of “special occasions” or “just this once” arguments, we often get to recognize them as requests to go back to the same point of abuse and unacceptable behavior unless there is a change from the other side.

More info: Reddit

A woman was asked to host a 16th birthday party for her nephew but she turned down the request

Image credits: Peyri Herrera (not the actual photo)

The woman’s nephew treats everything like his plaything, including her black lab Davos

Image credits:throwaway694395

Image credits: Andesine (not the actual photo)

Image credits:throwaway694395

The teen constantly chases the dog around despite him having arthritis and the woman asking him to not do it

Image credits: Brett Jordan (not the actual photo)

Therefore, the woman told her sister that her nephew is not allowed in her house

A woman brought it to Reddit’s online community asking whether she was a jerk to turn down her sister’s request of hosting her nephew’s birthday party. The woman explained that while her sister preferred her place for its size, as she lives on a 4-acre property, she refused due to the boy’s behavior, saying that he isn’t allowed at her place.

The woman explained that the 16-year-old doesn’t respect her boundaries and treats everything like his plaything, including her older black Labrador retriever Davos, who has arthritis and can’t be chased around, and whom the boy constantly chases around despite his aunt asking him to stop.

The woman’s sister did not take it well, as she accused her of putting a dog before her nephew in addition to bringing up that she lives in a house which belonged to their grandmother. The woman’s mom added to the pressure as she asked if she could “suck it up” for just a day.

While her family was divided in their takes on the situation, she stuck to her decision, as she bought the house from her grandmother, while other family members were not interested in buying it, in addition to her sister not having sentimental value attached to it, rather outright hating the aesthetics of the house.

Her sister accused her of putting a dog before her nephew, while her mom suggested that she “suck it up” for a day

Image credits: Larry Koester (not the actual photo)

The woman refused to make concessions as it is her property, which her sister only prefers for its size

In his book Boundaries With Teens – When To Say Yes, How To Say No, John Townsend emphasized the adults’ role in guiding their teenage children, as he noted that while it is easy to “get caught up in drama” and lose one’s perspective and sense of what is really important, parents should strive to guide their children in the right direction by not losing sight of the bigger picture.

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Townsend explains that teens tend to develop self-control and responsibility to the extent that their parents have healthy boundaries. Therefore, when it comes to parenting and setting an example, who you are is more important than what you say.

According to the author, adults have to model the boundaries for adolescents by “walking their talk” and in such a way letting them experience the limits they need to face.

An example of not taking into consideration the tendency of kids to learn more from what they experience rather than from what is told to them, as brought up by the Townsend, is a common phenomenon of warning and threatening a teen with a certain consequence, only to let it go after they do not respond.

This is not to diminish the importance of teaching and talking about boundaries, however, experiencing the negative consequences of poor choices for themselves helps to develop self-control, each time becoming a little more aware and responsible, rather than impulsive.

Redditors backed the woman for standing her ground and gifting a lesson to her nephew “that actions have consequences”

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