Avid Neopets Player Causes Family Tension When She Refuses To Give Sickly Niece Access To Beloved 18-Year-Old Account

When was the last time you fed your Neopets?

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• May 14, 2023

One Reddit user is currently facing a moral dilemma that many people can relate to: how to balance one's interests with the needs and desires of others, particularly in the context of family relationships. User Neo_Confusion posted in the Am I the A-hole subreddit seeking judgment on a situation involving her sickly 11-year-old niece, her prized Neopets account, and a difficult decision.

OP explains that she has been playing the online game Neopets for 18 years. So when OP recently discovered that her niece had also started playing the game during her hospital stays, OP gifted her a substantial amount of in-game items and currency.

These gifts were appreciated and naturally led her to ask more about her aunt's Neopets account and how she had acquired so much wealth and status in the game. Unfortunately, this led to OP's niece becoming upset at the disparity between their accounts and asking for more items to be sent, which OP declined.

When OP refused to gift her more items, her niece tearfully involved her parents. Prompting OP's brother-in-law to ask her to gift the 11-year-old her account, and continued to attempt to guilt-trip her into giving it up.

The situation has escalated to the point where OP feels like her family is hounding her, and she feels guilty for not complying with her niece's request. Hence turning to r/AITA for some outside perspective.

The post raises several questions about gift-giving ethics, family obligations, and personal interests. For example, is it reasonable for the user to refuse to give up something she has worked hard for and enjoys, even if it would make her niece happy?

Is it fair for her family to pressure her into giving it up, especially if it causes her distress? What are the limits of familial obligation, particularly regarding non-essential items like video game accounts?

The post has generated a lot of discussion on Reddit, with many users sympathizing with the user's dilemma and acknowledging the difficulty of balancing personal interests with family obligations. Continue scrolling to read the full story and the top-rated responses.

In a fun turn, all adult parties know this is being shared in order to settle an argument

OP explains what Neopets is for those who are unfamiliar

iykyk

(How long has it been since you fed your Neopets?)

On to the story, OP shares that she has an 11-year-old niece who hasn't had the best health for most of her life

So when OP learned her niece had started playing Neopets, they bonded with the shared interest

OP even shared some hard-to-get items to her niece's account

Eventually, OP's niece realized the massive disparity between their accounts and asked her for more stuff, but OP declined

Her Brother-in-law ended up getting involved, and asked OP to gift her account to her niece for her birthday

When OP continued to refuse to gift her account, BIL leaned hard into the guilt-tripping and even offered to buy it from her

And her niece has decided that she wants OP's stats so she's no longer treated like a newbie (which she is)

While she feels guilty, she still wants to keep her account

OP has definitely a LOT of time dedicated to this

This could have been an excellent, low-stakes lesson for her niece

Hopefully, this will be a phase she eventually outgrows

They also followed up with some truly excellent breakdown of lessons they could impart

^^ All of that ^^

Niece needs to earn her stats just as OP did

Nothing else to do but put in the work

No one should have to give up something that means a lot to them as a gift to anyone

It's *literally* OP's account and they have 100% full decision making about what they want to do with it

*Everyone* needs to learn to respect boundaries

Maybe start a different game together to be on the same level?

It is sad that her niece is ill, but it doesn't mean she gets a pass for everything in life

Part of the enjoyment of the game is actually accomplishing things

It's not BIL's to bargain for

There's no excuse to not teach the 11-year-old to earn their own rewards

OP literally earned it

Another piblng shared their simialr experience, and agrees with OP

The adage applies

Apparently using BIL's logic back at him didn't go over well

While it is understandable that OP's sister and brother-in-law want to provide their daughter with as much comfort and joy as possible, it's unfair to pressure OP into giving up something she has put in so much time and effort and cherished for years.

It's crucial to recognize that just because something would make someone happy doesn't mean they're obligated to do it. OP came up with a lovely compromise by sending valuable in-game items to her niece's account, and it's not okay for her to be guilted into giving up her entire account.

Ultimately, it's up to OP to decide what she is comfortable with, and the family should respect her decision.

Kylin