Man Says His Sister Is ‘Quite Upset’ at Him for Drinking Coffee in Front of Her Young Son Who ‘Likes to Copy Me’

Mar. 15, 2025

A man holding a coffee cup (stock image).Photo:HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty

HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty

An uncle is wondering if he’s stirring up trouble for his nephew after the boy’s mom got “quite upset” at him forordering coffeein his presence.

The 26-year-old man turned toReddit’s “Am I the A——?” forumto spill the beans about the moment his adult sister called him out at a coffee shop in front of his 5-year-old nephew who “likes to copy me.”

“I’m not entirely sure why [he copies me],” he wrote. “It could be that I’m the closest older male relative he’s got; his dad is alive but left my [30-year-old] sister for someone else and only sends child support. Doesn’t turn up.”

“So my sister insists that I set a good example, which I don’t have any issues with,” he continued, prefacing the story of the coffee shop moment with a note about his health habits. “I don’t smoke and I only drink very occasionally [at] events like weddings and stuff. No excessive imbibing. I also generally prefer healthier food options like fish and vegetables. Only have to refrain from eating potato chips when the kid is around.”

A coffee shop worker making a drink (stock image).RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty

RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty

The man then described the incident that left a bad taste in his mouth.

“But then [on Jan. 19] we were at a cafe together and I ordered a large hazelnut latte — something I always order when I visit the place, but it was my first time going there with my sister and nephew,” he recalled.

“My sister frowned and told me I shouldn’t drink such sweet stuff (the place probably does put a lot of sugar into their drinks, given how it tastes),” the man added. “She was quite upset at me for drinking something like that in front of my nephew, saying she doesn’t want him to want such drinks because he sees me drinking it.”

The next day, the man asked fellow Redditors, “AITA [am I the a——] for having a large glass of coffee in front of my nephew?”

A cup of coffee and coffee beans (stock image).Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

“I’d laugh if someone said I couldn’t have a latte in front of their child. Fine, I’ll have a beer,” one person commented.

Another reader reacted to that comment with a potential solution: “I would probably laugh too. My grandpa used to make us fake coffee to drink with him,” the person wrote. ”It was basically milk with a splash of coffee. We knew what he was doing but it made us all feel special.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The majority of Redditors said the man is “not the a——” in this situation.

“I guess she should parent her kid then? Growing up I saw lots of stuff I wanted: soda, candy, etc.; however, none of those were things my parents kept in the house, I could have them on special occasions but it wasn’t an everyday thing,” wrote the commenter with the most upvotes on this post.

“I accepted this as part of being a kid, because that was the expectation that my parents set for me — and it sounds like your sister needs to do the same,” the person concluded.

source: people.com