'AITA for cutting ties with my niece and family after she pranked me with laxatives at a family event?'
"AITA for cutting ties with my niece and family after she pranked me with laxatives at a family event?"
I (39F) have a pretty close-knit family, and we usually gather for big events like holidays, birthdays, or just Sunday dinners. One of these recent family dinners was held at my mom’s house, and I was looking forward to it. The house was full of family, laughter, and the usual chaos, but there was one person who really soured the evening: my niece (16F).
Now, my niece and I have always had a playful relationship. we would joke around and prank each other here and there. But lately, I’ve noticed that she seems to be getting a little more bold with her pranks—sometimes crossing lines, but I’ve always let it slide. I’m the type of person who can laugh things off, even if they annoy me.
That night, though, she took things way too far. While we were all enjoying dinner, my niece and I were chatting when she handed me a piece of cake. It was delicious, and I didn’t think much of it. What I didn’t know was that my niece had secretly laced it with laxatives.
A few hours after eating, I started feeling horrible. I thought I was just having a stomach ache, but it quickly escalated into something much worse. I had to leave the event early, and when I got home, I spent the rest of the night in the bathroom.
It was a complete nightmare. Bloated stomach, flatulance, explosive diarrhea. I didn’t even realize what had happened until the next day when I got a message from my sister asking how I was doing.
At that point, I realized what had gone down. My niece had pranked me with laxatives. And what made it worse was that she seemed completely unbothered by it when I confronted her. She laughed it off like it was no big deal and even said, “It was just a joke! You can take a joke, right?”
Honestly, I was furious. She even disrespectfully said "she feels sorry for my toilet". It was one thing for her to prank me lightly, but to mess with my health like that crossed a serious line. I called my sister and let her know that I wasn’t going to tolerate it. I told her I was really upset with my niece and that I couldn’t keep pretending like this behavior was okay.
My sister, of course, took my niece’s side, saying I was overreacting and that “it’s just a prank, people prank each other all the time in the family.” My mom also weighed in, saying it was harmless fun, and I should just let it go.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The whole family was essentially dismissing how serious this was for me. So, I made the difficult decision to cut ties with my niece. I told my sister that I needed space and couldn’t keep dealing with the disrespect. Since then, the fallout has been intense.
My mom is mad at me, saying I’m causing drama over something minor. My sister keeps trying to talk me down, and my niece is acting like nothing happened, continuing to call me a “buzzkill” and saying I need to “chill.”
Now, my entire family is divided. Some are on my side, saying it was a cruel prank, but most are siding with my niece, saying it was just a harmless joke that went too far. They say she is just young and stupid to do such a thing and she already apologized. AITA for cutting ties with my niece and distancing myself from the family over this?
Here were the top rated comments from readers in response to the OP’s post:
Your sister was clearly in on it if she called to see how you were doing. Make the whole family a laxative cake and see what they all think (just *joking*) NTA.
What your sister doesn’t get is, some people’s stomachs can’t handle laxatives. What happens if you had undiagnosed IBS or Crohns disease? It could have made you really ill and caused inflammation in your colon.
NTA. Anyone saying otherwise should be reminded that you could have ended up in the hospital Health Risks: Laxatives can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and gastrointestinal distress.
For individuals with certain health conditions or sensitivities, the effects can be severe and even life-threatening. And that if she wasn't your niece you would be filing charges with police for either poisoning or some places it can be assault or battery.
Cut ties man… I love a good prank but by God anyone ever did this to me- it’s time to fight. Idgaf who you are or if your family. That’s a f up prank and kinda concerning that half the family thinks it was a harmless prank… I 💯agree with everything said. Good luck 🫶
NTA. They are toxic as hell. I wouldn’t get close to them until that brat genuinely apologizes.
Wow. Your sister and niece are bullies. If she behaves like that with family, I do not want to know what she does at school and with friends. She needs to learn consequences before its too late. Keep LC until she learns that being a bully means being alone.
NTA- what’s next? Where is the line if poisoning someone isn’t it? That’s what I’d be afraid of. She seems the type to swat someone and then claim “it’s a joke” when your door is kicked in and you spend the night in jail and have to deal with the legal fallout. Pranks are only funny if everyone is laughing. Otherwise it’s bullying. Or in this case, assault.
Uh, so that’s actually insane? NTA. Pranks are things like adding their phone number to a car insurance quote website or wrapping their computer desk in surran wrap. Not giving them medication that can cause them to become severely dehydrated or ill.
How does she know that you don’t have some underlying GI medical issue that that could’ve made worse by this incident? I would never trust food that I was given in that household ever again. Messing with someone’s food is the ultimate low.