If anyone has issue with my young kid, he or she should come talk to me first. Not harassing my kid unreasonably

Anyone else wondering if it was really the kids (or just the kids) OP's son was getting away from? An aunt that would go out and find him in his spot instead of waiting for him to come home to yell... I'm wondering if more has been said that OP isn't aware of.

It's some people's mission in life to steal other people's joy. I'd keep her away from my kid too.

This sounds like the son was capable of knowing that the best way to avoid conflict was to avoid putting himself in a toxic or abrasive environment. So he went to the beach peacefully to sit in peace and be at peace. Why no one found something for the girls to focus on besides their cousin is a mystery. Why the aunt would show cruelty to her nephew is a mystery. The child found a peaceful resolution to an issue before allowing it to become a true problem.

Who shames a teen over the love of water? I'm 50 and still obsessed with water: the beach, ocean, pools, hot tubs...After I recovered from foot surgery my first stop was Lake Erie.

The fact that she made a jab at the fact that his dad was gone must have really hurt. That was a low hit. It seals the deal - NTA. EVEN if he DID agree to watch the kids (highly unlikely) that was a cruel and horrible thing to say to anyone. Definitely NTA.

My kids love the water a lot. Pools, beaches just like OP's son. I joke that they are either merrowmen, or selkies.

First off good for standing up for your kid. Second good for removing the issue being your sister as a guest from your home. Third maybe take your son to some therapy. I know it's normal to be attached to the water and enjoy the sport or the sight and use it to center and calm. But maybe he just has things going on that lead him there to contemplate that therapy could help him sort out. Without a father around maybe he's looking into himself instead of people around him to comfort and share with. Couldn't hurt. And he sounds like if he had been asked to watch the girls for a short while he would have knowing you were close by and on the way back so they would be on him too long.

As a Mom of 2 sons, I have major issues with the sister/aunt in this... She sounds like royal bi**h!!! First, if she was genuinely concerned about her daughters being left alone, then she would not have left them alone to go jump this boys case about leaving them alone, she would have waited until he returned home... So that tells me her daughters being left alone had absolutely nothing to do with it, she was using that as excuse to be a bi**h to her nephew... She needed someone to bully... Second, it is none of her business how this 17yr old young man spends his time, she is not his Mother, or guardian... My biggest issue is, no one not even myself has the right to talk to & belittle my children like she was... I would not have been as nice & just told her to leave, nope, she would have been to full to eat that food she left to get, because I'd have fed her, her teeth... Nobody would have talked to my sons like she did him & got away with it sooo easy!!!

1, your son isn't free labor for your sister. 2, your son has been driven out of his home and is being harassed, stalked, and screamed at by a guest in your home. 3, nothing about liking being in or near water is in any way abnormal or unhealthy, and it likely has nothing to do with those books or his dad. Some people are just water people. 4, your sister was pissed that your son left her children unattended so she....left her children unattended to go scream at him about it. It's clear your sister has something against you and your son, can't tolerate imagination or diversity, and is a bully at heart. Kick her a*s out pronto. I'd stay open to letting the girls come and stay, as, one or both will probably want a way to escape your horrible sister sooner or later. Best of luck!

I agree with the comments pointing out the irony. "You left my kids home alone… so I left them alone to yell at you!" This isn't about babysitting, this is about power imo

Aw the kid is grounding, he just doesn't know it. Nothing calms me more than sitting with my bare feet on the earth and looking at moving water. It is natural, an accepted holistic method and totally healthy. But her sister is a beeeeeeeeotch.

I don’t believe that her son has an unhealthy attachment to the ocean. The experience of being in your special place is calming and centering, especially if you are an introvert. As a girl scout, I remember going camping. Being in the forest opened up a new world. The sounds, the smells, the cool air helped me feel connected to the earth. Since then I relish the times I am able to get away to the forest, and just sit.

What a witch!! I doubt she even paid him for HIS TIME. Personally, the son sounds pretty awesome! I'd be right beside him staring out at the water. There's so many wonderful things there to see. I believe nature is far better than "humans"!! Humans are petty, selfish & rarely think of anyone but themselves. Nature & wildlife never ask a thing of us. I love to sit outside, just listening & watching. IMHO my church is the great outdoors. NTA!! The aunt is self-entitled & self- important! Good job being strong for your son!!

If your son 100% believes he's a demi-god and part if the sea, well then good. Let him immerse his perhaps easily tired soul in a magical belief that seems to refresh him and help him cope with the overwhelming world. Part of me will always belong to Narnia/the ocean/flying away with little prince and fox..and I allow these imaginings to overpower my thoughts that scare me ( like hurting myself when I'm very very anxious) I pretend I'm just getting back or that the path I'm walking in the wood is there and not here, where I'm being abused. If I couldn't leave like that I think I wouldn't have the strength to try so hard. His dreams could really be saving him. Allow it and don't let anyone disrupt his safe place again. Please.

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I love just sitting by the water. I grew up in West Seattle and everyone knew if I wasn't around, you could usually find me at Alki. Water is very calming.

How much you want to bet the aunt asked him to watch the kids, he said "no I'm busy", and she said something like "watching the ocean doesn't count as busy" and tried to force him into it?

I used to feel that my daughter was always the one who had to spend time with her nephew at family parties because she is only 5 years older than him. She told me she enjoyed it because she liked him. 17 year old boys should not be forced to look after their child cousins. And his mother should believe him, not her sister who left her kids alone to go and shout at him. My nieces now have more children and I realised that they were teenagers when my child was born and used to take her to the park, take her for walks and spend time with her whilst I was working so if there is a family party I give them a break and spend time with the kids.

Who she abandoned herself to go scream at your kid! NTA And a concerned mother! Good job!

I wish I had a place like the beach to go diffuse or just relax when I was that age. My dad died when I was 6. To me it sounds like he's dealing with whatever it is in a healthy way. Way to stick by your son! Your sister was intentionally verbally abusing your son because she was upset she didn't do what she wanted. Who sounds like the child?

Why couldn't the sister from hell simply ask the young man if he would be kind enough to watch her kids for a little bit? NOooooo. She had to tell him. Guests do not have the right to impose their wills on their hosts. Also, why couldn't she just take the girls to the store with her? What is she doing when she's in her own home? What her nephew does with his own time isn't her business.

Your sister should've taken her children with her because it's not your son's responsibility to watch them. You did the right thing for telling her to leave because she was wrong for yelling at your son and calling him dulisional. This couldn't have been me because I would've went completely off on my sister and beat the c**p out of her for leaving her children unattended and told her that my son isn't your free baby sitter. I also would've told the family exactly what she did so there wouldn't be any lies spread. The sister had a lot of nerve to say all she did to her nephew. Couldn't be me

NTA. I'm going to guess that this is an older sister of yours. She obviously doesn't respect your parenting style. Telling your son to babysit rather than request and then yelling at him without speaking to you 1st shows a level of entitlement that only comes from spoiled people for older siblings. Her expectations seemed to be that your son was there to convenience her. There is a secondary area here that does need addressing. The 2 young girls adore their cousin. So I will only give the advice to your son here. Don't mess that up young man. We all know that a couple of cousins can be a pain in your butt, but they will grow up and you will probably want a relationship with them when you get older. You must have a soft side if the girls are drawn to you so make the effort to spend time with them outside of the parents. It's hard to see at 17 but years from now the relationship with your cousins will be important.

I'm curious if the girls actually had food when she got there. Did the aunt actually go and get food or just chase the son down to the beach to yell at him because he wouldn't watch her children.