If the Kid Can’t Sit Through a Wedding Without Playing On a Device, Don’t Bring Them

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When planning a wedding, there are so many things to consider, and it often seems like a never-ending list of decisions. Every bride and groom wants their day to be perfect, and they spend a lot of time and often big bucks to make that happen. Some people think that weddings are huge events where everyone is welcome, and others prefer smaller, more intimate celebrations.

When it comes to kids, there is quite a debate about whether weddings should be for the whole family or adults-only events. Kid-free is great, and so is having a party for all ages — it's 100% a personal choice. But it is important to remember that even if kids are invited to the wedding, they must be on their best behavior, just like the adults who care for them.

A wedding guest recently posted in Reddit's AITA forum after an encounter with a mom and her toddler at a wedding that rubbed her the wrong way. The original poster was distracted by the toddler's super loud video during the speeches and shot the mom a few looks, hoping she'd get the point. It turned into a fight and OP wants to know if she was out of line for giving the mom a dirty look.

The kid was watching a very loud video.

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OP explains that the kid wasn't watching a video at a reasonable volume or with headphones on. They were apparently watching it with the sound turned up, and it was extremely distracting. OP tried to subtly give the mom a hint.

"The table behind me at a reception dinner had a toddler watching a video at a high volume during the speeches. I looked over a handful of times, because it was distracting, hoping they would get the hint to turn the volume down. The mother eventually made a comment about it and said 'my kid didn't get a nap today'. I totally understand the importance of a kid's nap schedule and that they can become tiny beasts if they don't get enough sleep," OP explained.

The mom didn't let it go.

Apparently, after the speeches were finished, the toddler's mom confronted OP on the defense because she felt like her parenting was being judged.

OP explained that they weren't judging anyone and thought this woman totally overreacted.

"After the speeches were done, the mother confronted me in a very aggressive manner and thought I was questioning her parenting skills and screen-time choices. I hadn't said boo to her and wasn't questioning her abilities as a mother at all. In general, I thought it was common courtesy not to have the volume of electronics up high in a public place or at an event when someone is speaking?" OP wrote.

So, who is in the wrong?

Redditors are sick of the screen world.

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Many people mentioned kids were just fine in these settings before the introduction of tablets and smartphones, and that parents need to remember that.

This person is over it. "NTA – The lack of social awareness some people have is amazing," the person wrote. "It's just not appropriate to let your kid have an iPad or equivalent on volume at a wedding let alone during speeches. Nothing says entitled more than this."

So is this one: "ABSOLUTELY NTA. I am SO sick of parents shoving a tablet in front of a child's face, creating an absolute monster when the tablet isn't available. What did we do before tablets?? Smh."

Plenty of people think weddings should be just for adults.

A lot of Redditors felt that a wedding reception should be an adults-only space, and OP did nothing wrong.

This person felt like the toddler's mom needs to wake up, writing: "NTA. This is why child free weddings are becoming more popular. Mothers think the world revolves around them. They are encouraged in this view by other mothers who think they get a pass for imposing their offspring on the rest of us."

"NTA that is so rude and really ruins the magic for those trying to listen," someone else pointed out. "I LOVE the speeches at weddings; it's one of my favourite parts."

OP's reaction was justified in Redditors' eyes.

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Redditors have OP's back. They were shocked that this woman thought allowing her kid to have a full-volume video playing was appropriate. Some thought that OP should have spoken up and given her more than a dirty look.

"Literally no one is ever an AH for asking one of these obnoxious parents to turn down a kid's phone/ipad, ever," someone summed it up. "Headphones exist. The fact that this happened at a wedding reception is mind boggling. These parents are awful. Nta."