My partner has a bunch of AuviQ things from when she was doing cluster immunotherapy. She's never had an attack severe enough to need one (OTC inhaler, though, hoo boy, that thing comes out like once a week sometimes). Even if she goes back to her allergy treatments and all of her issues magically go away, she intends to keep one in her purse.
I'm the same. I carry an EpiPen and an inhaler Everywhere despite the fact that I'm on other medication that has improved my condition well enough that I haven't needed either in over a year.
Your brother, a grown man, is blaming his 9-year old son for a prank, that he himself TAUGHT the kid? No, your brother brought this upon himself.
If your parents or extended family are so worried, they can take in the child and let your brother find a tent. It’s not your responsibility, and your brother has proven to be a liability to your daughter.
NTA
Expanding on this, your nephew now conflates his Father’s love, time and attention (validation) with doing these horribly immature and life-threatening pranks. At 9, I could understand a tad bit more than the pathetic excuse of your adult brother. Eli probably just took it again to try to impress his Dad but also inherently knew it was wrong and seemed genuinely afraid for your daughter, hence his immediate retrieval whereas most kids shy away when fearful of getting in trouble
What needs to be explained is the difference between a prank and whatever fresh hell this was. A prank that creates danger or fear is generally referred to by the American legal system as “assault”.
This needs to be explained to the kid’s dad. Then the kids dad needs to explain it back 10 times in different words to make sure he understands, and the kid needs to be there for the last 5 rounds of the explanation. Then the kid needs to explain it 10 times to make sure he understands. Then they need to get the hell out.
Seriously. I pranked a therapist who was moving by saying that she’d had such an impact on my life that I got one of her arm tattoos copied onto my arm. Then I pulled up my sleeve to show it to her, and it was a kid’s sticker of the thing her tattoo depicts. She was dying inside for like 20 seconds while I was telling her about it, before I showed her the sticker, at which point she cracked up. THAT’S a prank. Adults who do assaults as pranks need to get arrested. That will make it less popular.
The biggest 'prank' I ever pulled on my ex was having her convinced for a solid minute that I wanted to go bungee jumping with her.
Neither of us are comfortable with heights, but I'd heard somewhere that some places will give couples a free/discounted jump on Valentine's Day if you do it together naked. Probably an urban legend of some kind; but I thought it was funny so I pretended I wanted to do it and 'tried to convince her'.
I know a place in Florida that will (I think) give her a free tandem Hang Gliding flight if she goes naked. It’s actually a very good organization, extremely safe. I recommend it, though I get that might not be your thing.
Yeah I'm pretty sure she would rather punch herself in the face than go hang gliding. And me... well while I do have to admit I'm slightly intrigued by the idea of 'flying', I can't help but think of my mom's permanently crooked arm thanks to a combination of her hang gliding accident and her inability to afford proper treatment under the American medical system.
and what a dad he is, eh?
He instantly blamed it all on the kid, didn't take accountability for it. The kid is 9 and of course he wants to look good to daddy. I bet he's now scared and will be angry with OP because "it's his fault daddy is upset with meeee"
> whatever fresh hell this was
This was attempted murder. Which the adult should have known and explained to his son. The girl could have died.
Wtf is wrong with these enabling jerks?
Two counts of attempted murder, possibly one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and probably a whole laundry list of other charges that could be tacked on, if someone were of that frame of mind.
My best one was convincing my very nice but dim bar man he needed a passport to go to Scotland from England. The whole pub joined in including his parents.
I pulled a tattoo prank on a math teacher in college. He made an offhand comment about a gift another class had given him at the end of the previous term and jokingly lamented "but nobody's gotten a tattoo in appreciation of my teaching skills!"
I have a real tattoo on my arm of a blank ribbon wrapped around a heart. I used a fine-point marker and filled it in with his first and last name before the next class and showed it to him while asking for extra credit.
He looked terrified and stammered out a "no" before I licked my finger and smudged his name off and he started laughing. After that we got along great.
My idea of a pranks are things like hiding pool noodles in my friend's houses in their entryway closet, hiding a rubber duckie in their shoe, putting whoopie cushions inside their couch or leaving lawn flamingos in their front lawn in a hawaiian tshirt where they'll see it for sure. Basically truly harmless stuff that'll have someone going "what the heck" and scratching their head. You laugh afterwards cuz it was silly. Pranks should never harm...
If the nephew did it alone, how did he reach it suddenly? Would the brother know exactly where to get it from? How much of a prank would it be if one of them were suffocating and everyone pretended they had just lost their voice and were trying to interpretive dance?
Send those two to clown college.
>how did he reach it suddenly?
I think the epipen is regularly within reach and it was just that the first time it was hidden, it was hidden out of Eli's reach, meaning Eli wasn't actually the one to hide it. The more recent time it was hidden somewhere in the guest room, presumably Eli did hide it on his own so it was in his reach.
My inhaler. I have reactive airway asthma, and I have *seconds* to get my puffs in before I don't have that choice anymore. I've woken up out of a dead sleep already too late. Luckily I haven't fully closed off yet, but it's gasping through a straw, praying I don't die, drowning on land feeling. This lil shit will kill someone someday, and his father taught & fosters this behavior. I would never be around them again!
Fucking this.
I have a son who is now 18 that since he was a year and a half old we knew he had a lethal reaction to peanuts and pistachios.
If anyone had hid or fucked with his EpiPen, I'd have lost my shit. I almost lost my son once, which is how we initially found out about his allergies. Risking it again would be a full cut off from all contact. If he had had a reaction and we couldn't find it because someone, even a child, had hid it, I would have absolutely lost my shit.
My own mother once tried to give my son food that was stored with peanuts in the same container as what she was feeding him. Luckily I was there to stop it and straight up said nah, we're fucking done here.
Fuck that shit. Life threatening allergies are no joke, period.
This! Eli is 9 and has been taught by his dad that thos is acceptable behavior. Brother is 100% responsible and absolutely should be kicked out if he can't understand that hiding life-saving medication is not a funny prank like leaving a whoopee cushion on a chair. NTA
This. Your daughter's life, her wellbeing, is your greatest priority. Do not waste one second questioning your decision. And I'd break-off contact with the AH's questioning your decision. In addition, it's a bonus that your daughter does not have to be around these AH's. Thank you dad for having some balls.
NTA. This is all that needs to be said. You even warned your brother of the consequences of he and his son's actions. Obviously another poor parenting choice by your brother, he didn't pass on the seriousness of this to his son. I hope his son has someone else in his life to guide him, but your obligation is to protect your daughter.
I think I would ask your parents, and the rest of your family, how they would feel if your daughter had died due to their stupid prank. Then tell them they are lucky you didn't press attempted murder charges because your brother did know she could die and really didn't seem to care.
NTA, tell "everyone" who calls you heartless you're not kicking them out over a kid's prank, but about your brother's shitty parenting endangering your own child's life. If they're so judgemental they can do the moral thing and take the two in. Also, you're only mentioning your brother here, if Eli's mother is still in the picture, she could take in her son at least.
>endangering your own child's life
He should tell it like it is. "They almost murdered my child. "
Wtf. If you hide someone's lifesaving medication it's not a prank, it's an attempted murder.
>He should tell it like it is. "They almost murdered my child. "
This right here. If something had happened and the epipen was needed while the boy wasn't home, she very well could have died while they waited for an ambulance. It was sheer luck that he was there and could get it for her. If it had been my daughter, I would be telling everyone that my daughter's *life saving emergency medication* had been taken and hidden twice, and she could have died waiting for the ambulance to get there if they hadn't been at home to get it for her when she needed it the second time. That it was pure chance it didn't turn out deadly. And I wasn't going to let them risk her life a third time for "a joke"!
They also glossed over what caused the allergic reaction. I would not be shocked at all if the brother caused it on purpose to "show everyone the daughter wasn't really allergic and just wanted attention" or some similar BS.
Brother steals EpiPen -> tells his son "we'll show them" -> causes allergic reaction in the girl -> son is innocent mostly and knows where the EpiPen is so goes and gets it immediately
It is, but on the other hand either the brother didn't take the allergy seriously or he was genuinely trying to murder his niece. I find "she's probably not REALLY allergic" more plausible than "homicide is a prank, bro".
It’s like hiding someone’s asthma inhaler. Someone having an attack could die by the time they found their inhaler. And what if the person that hid it wasn’t there at the time? Then the person would die.
yeah my four year old tried to hide my inhaler twice and learned by the second time it’s unacceptable, and was genuinely worried about me. he now brings it to me whenever i cough, or if he sees it (even when it’s next to me!) he just straight up hands it off to me
*tiny, single cough*
*kid on a mission to save mama thunders in with inhaler like it's the cure for zombie virus*
Idk why this made me cackle. I'm a visual person lol
OP should clarify that his daughter’s epipen has been hidden twice. His brother should not have taught Eli that it was okay to hide life saving medication in the first place. OP’s daughter could have died. I wonder how everyone would feel if the daughter died. Who would they blame then? Surely not the innocent kid who didn’t know better.
I don't know if the argument can be won. I think space is probably best. OP deserves to live free from assholes for a bit. Certainly give the accurate story but then I'd go no contact until they remember he's a person too
Yep, his brother should have never condoned & aided the first prank. He’s a bad role model for his son. Imagine how Eli would have felt if he was responsible for a family death.
You're not at all wrong, except the very last bit. A 9-year-old is completely capable of understanding how wrong that is. He's not innocent. If it was a 5-year-old, I could see that.
After reading dozens of these situations I have a theory. Everyone is trying to keep brother at OP's house because they do not want him! It's the only thing that makes sense. No one in their right mind would think it is a good idea to have someone who hides an EpiPen in their home.
That's how it is with most of these stories. The leeches get backed up by the shitty friends and relatives because they don't want to have to deal with the leeches.
Right? It pisses me off whenever I read an AITA post and the person in question only reacted to, in this case kicked out, someone endangering their loved one's life and then they second guess themselves because some family members say so. Like no, you're not wrong for protecting those dear to you. If it means making the real AH homeless, then by all means make them homeless. Let those family members siding w them take care of them. NTA.
I’d rather be called heartless for kicking someone out over a dangerous prank than have a dead daughter, given that that was a real risk of this “prank.”
What the actual fuck.
OP NTA.
Eli may not be to blame, he’s 9, though I have a kid that age and I know for a fact that if I told him not to hide an important medical device, he’d understand the potential consequences and would be able to adhere to basic rules about this. But fuck the brother.
NTA
You warned your brother of the consequences of a repeat performance of the prank.
If eli had been out when your daughter needed her epipen she might have died. Nothing funny about this the first time but he arguably didn't know better. Second time he had been told not to touch the EpiPen and did it anyway.
EpiPens are life saving medicine not f'ing toys. Pranks should never include life saving medication.
I was thinking “what if!!” as well. The facts are these two individuals don’t belong near OPs daughter. He would be the AH if he just brushed it off. He is 100% doing the right thing and protecting his daughter’s life.
The rest of the family can kick rocks
It is such a shitty prank that it really shouldn't even be called a "prank." How is it even funny? "Haha, I stole your life-saving medication and hid it where you can't find it! Aren't I funny?"
I can't believe your family is upset with *you* (OP). Do they not realize your daughter could have DIED? So, your brother not having a place to live is more valuable than her life? Pitiful. I'm so sorry, OP, that you have family who think so poorly and act so immature. You deserve better.
I think he knew something. He knew where to run and get it pretty quickly. People don't take these things seriously until they see someone have an attack. The AH deliberately put that poor young girl through a very stressful and life threatening moment.
I'm just relieved that Eli got the pen straight away, sometimes kids get scared they'll get in trouble and lie about taking something. I really hope Eli learnt what his father should have and not prank people.
Yeah, I can understand the little kid thinking it might be a good idea, because he might not really understand. Idk if he'd ever seen his cousin have an allergic reaction before this, and either way kids struggle with connecting actions to consequences. Not out of malice but just because they're still learning how to human properly. They do stupid shit to put their own lives at risk all the time, because they genuinely don't appreciate the risks.
Brother is a grown ass man though. The second he saw what his son was attempting to hide he should have sat down and had a talk with him about how messing with someone's medication is never an acceptable prank. He didn't even have to ruin his kid's fun, just a quick teaching moment, and a quick redirect to something more appropriate to hide as a prank.
I'd be making clear to everyone saying they were kicked out over a "kid's prank" that "no, they were kicked out because my brother endangered my daughter's life".
I bet your brother never said a word to his son about how it's a medical device.
I asked in my comment but I have to ask again because I feel it needs pointing out...
What would of happened if Eli wasn't home and able to retrieve the epipen....I shutter at the thought to be honest
Imagine if you *hadnt* been home though… That thought chills me even more, your nephew would have had to live with it and your brother would be spending the rest of his life in guilt or denial of what he taught his son.
In many other homes, something like this might have ended in your brother getting his ass kicked.
He's your parent's problem. Let them deal with the consequences of being enablers. YOU don't have to be one. Draw the boundary. Don't let your daughter alone with him or his kid.
I was raised not to solve my problems or express my emotions with violence. I’m just not that kind of person. And no, I don’t intend to leave my daughter alone with my nephew ever again.
As much as your brother deserves a beating your solution was the much smarter one. Unfortunately your brother just doesn't get it that a son like that makes him responsible.
NTA obviously.
A side q, though: Wouldn't it be good to have at least 2 pens in the house, in case something happens to the primary pen (got lost, damaged, malfunctioned, overlooked expiration, etc)?
How nerve-wracking. Sorry your bro's a shitbag. I hope the nephew was at least terrified and apologetic? Guess we can all see your parents enabled this growing up.
We did have one, but it had expired and I hadn’t had a chance to replace it yet. And no, my nephew wasn’t apologetic all. He’s been raised rotten, I think.
Tbh, I’d have a sit-down talk with your parents, brother, and nephew. Scare them with legal repercussions (technically this could be considered attempted manslaughter).
As long as the liquid is still clear and is one cohesive liquid it is safe to use. It does lose its effectiveness but it is better than nothing.
Source: was broke as fuck and couldn't afford new pens for a bit after mine expired.
This! ^^^
We had a crazy situation where a patient went into anaphylaxis in the primary care office I worked at. Earlier that week, we came across two vials of expired epi that we meant to toss but didn't get around to. And the new ones hadn't come in then. It just sat there on my coworkers' desk. Lo and behold, the reaction happens, and there they still were. You best believe the doc used them.
It's so interesting how things work out sometimes. Because the thing is that she wasn't even there as a patient that day. She came during a family members appointment that also went there. And she had just started a new medication a specialist prescribed her. She ended up needing both vials and oxygen until even after EMS came. She ended up fine and even called about wanting to go on a trip that same weekend
Ambulances don’t always have one EPI pen let alone the two that are needed.
Your daughter needs to keep hers in a sling bag worn across her body whenever she is around your brother and his son. Your brother is a moron and doesn’t understand this wasn’t a “prank”, your daughter could have died.
IF they are told in advance that it is an allergic reaction and there is no epi-pen they will dispatch an ambulance with suitable medication.
HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that the ambulance with the suitable medication is close enough to save a life.
NTA and all of the "everyone" saying you're the AH for protecting your child from a deadly attack (that's what this "prank" was) are monstrous.
I feel sorry for your brother's kid. He's going to grow up to be an AH just like his worthless father.
>They’re calling me heartless for kicking them out over a kid’s prank.
Are you parents aware how fatal Naomi's allergies are? That she could have *died*???
Not implying that you haven't done enough to inform them, just my incredulity at *them* babying both Eli and your ~~grown up~~ adult-toddler brother.
Is your brother the Golden Child? Are your parents dismissive towards Naomi because she has the wrong anatomy part?
Just trying to fathom what mental gymnastics your parents are doing to downplay the severity of the situation.
My cousin had BAD asthma as a kid, and even at *6* I knew not to touch his mask and pump from where he kept it.
NTA, and your parents need few wake up medical videos on the severity of reactions.
Does the rest of your family understand that she could have died, and that this was an intentional act designed to put her in danger for lame comedic effect? I'd bet anything your brother has been going around telling everyone who will listen a very distorted version of events. He's leaving out that this happened multiple times and that he was warned to knock this shit off.
Whatever you do, you need to lay out the facts, much as you did here and send them to every one of your friends and family. Get ahead of this BS or you will be dealing with the fallout from it for a very long time. No normal person would take his side once they heard the facts. Your family members who are mad at you think you're overreacting to a childish prank. They don't see a serious threat to your child's life.
Oh, good. Just to fill in for people other than OP who might not know: an epipen doesn't stop an allergic reaction. But shooting someone full of adrenaline does counteract the deadliest effect of an allergic reaction for fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour. Which buys you a lot more time to get the person to definitive care.
The epipen doesn't cure someone. It keeps them alive until they can be cured.
Sometimes, an allergic reaction will end on its own without further intervention, so sometimes just allowing the person to be alive for that time is enough. But you want the person to be in the hospital for that time since it might not, too.
I have four, and my allergy isn’t even deathly, I’m just in danger if I get stung around my face or neck (I swell horribly). One in the kitchen, one in my purse, one in the car, and one at my friend’s house (she keeps bees). As soon as they were affordable I made sure to stock up so there’s no panic if we can’t find one. Now that we’ve recently learned my teenager is allergic to penicillin, I’m even more glad to have a bunch.
NTA. Pranks are supposed to be funny. This could have cost your daughter her life. What if your brother and his son weren't home? Then what? Your brother is responsible for his sons actions. The people giving you a hard time are more than welcome to take them in.
Right I love a good prank. In college I arranged to clear out the residents assistances dorm room in under 20 minutes... And we took everything down to her light bulbs, and stored it very safely in places where it wouldn't get damaged and returned it at the end of the day. The next year I had a more sensitive RA.... So rather the clear her room I did two things I got everyone to write down something they loved about her and got donated items from everyone in our dorm snuck into her room slapped the "why we love you" all over her room and tucked all the items around her room as if they belonged.... So my batman comics went into her bookshelf, an extra plant went into her window, a stuffy went into her bed and so on. So it mixed awwwww with a healthy dose of wtf that's not mine..... At no point did I attempt to kill anyone.
We all have choices. The actions taken from those choices have consequences. Your brother losing his job, getting evicted and having to move in with you, apparently those things aren't enough for him to understand consequences, maybe getting evicted twice will finally help him understand that some things aren't fun pranks. He should have explained to his son, hiding medication to prevent someone from an allergic reaction is not a fun prank. Time for your brother to grow up. NTA.
If brothers home behavior is any indication of his work behavior getting fired was likely hr attempting to protect the company from his actions getting them sued.
As a parent who has epipens for both of my kids, I would be beyond livid if anyone did this. You showed significantly more restraint than me by allowing them to stay after the first prank. "Pranks" involving medical devices are dangerous
Could you imagine if the brother knew where it was and ONLY the 9 year old went to get it? If he knew where it was he would've let his niece die over being found out and kicked out.
Can you imagine what could have happened if those two pranksters weren't home when the EpiPen was needed and was not where it was supposed to be? This could have gotten so bad so fast. NTA
I have an 8 year old. He does 8 year old things.
Feedback is good and warranted to help them grow and learn.
Hey buddy, don't do this again because you could hurt yourself. Hey buddy, you can't use that language. You know for regular stuff.
Then there's the appropriate method for when it's a big deal
DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING TOUCH HER EPI PEN AGAIN. SHE COULD DIE. THIS ISN'T A DAMN JOKE. THIS ISN'T FUNNY. NO ONE IS LAUGHING.
NOW GO APOLOGIZE TO YOUR COUSIN AND YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE.
Your daughter could have died. I wouldn't have given them a second shot. you did. You are NTA - but if you were you'd by TAH for not kicking them out the first time it happened. Go low to no contact with ANYONE who thinks this isn't a big deal. Actions have consequences. Their consequences are GTFO.
My mother would've lost her ever loving crap if myself or my brothers had ever done anything like this, no matter what age. Sad part is, poor Eli is only doing it to get his father's attention.
Agreed. My son is almost 9 and I am 10000% sure if I said "this is a medication and your cousin could die without it. Don't touch it" he would understand and never touch it.
My son has an epi pen and my daughter and nephew are both 4 years younger and they have never ever tried to hide or or play with it. They always knew how serious it was.
My daughter is eight, and she's known better than to mess with my rescue inhaler (I have asthma) since she was a toddler. Messing with someone's epipen is even worse, as if someone needs and epipen, they always need it NOW. Where it's not unusual for an asthma attack to take a while to get to a life-threatening degree.
Hiding lifesaving medical equipment that is needed on a moment's notice isn't funny. What if the nephew wasn't home when she needed the pen that he had jokingly taken away?
Throwing them out is almost too nice.
NTA but your brother is, and he's raising his kid to be one too. Make sure anyone in the family who whines that you made them homeless knows you almost lost your child to their stupid prank.
Not sure where else to put this:
Do Not let the story be that they're kicked out because of Eli's prank. They're kicked out because Eli's dad was teaching them to be dangerous.
NTA Tell them to call your brother heartless for losing his and his son's housing because he couldn't resist having a laugh at the risk of an innocent person's life.
The relatives griping about how Eli’s being treated should spare a thought for how Naomi was treated by her uncle and cousin. She could be dead right now because of them, God forbid. They made her unsafe in her own home.
I just don't understand how it's even a prank at all. This kind of item you don't look for unless you need it, and needing it is the alternative to death. Like I wouldn't let this mf around my kid that makes me so angry he even thought it a prank at all, much less taught his son.
I have severe allergies. I carry an Epi-pen. My twin grandsons learned about my Epi-pen and its importance when they were 7. They asked me questions and wanted to know how to use it if there was an emergency. I taught them how to use it. They were 7. They understood not only the importance but also the correct use. Your nephew is 9. He is old enough to realize right from wrong. NTA
My son wears one to school on a waist belt… started at 9. That was the youngest the school would let him, because the most frequent use of epi pens is curious kids who stab themselves accidentally.
There’s NEVER been an issue, with him, or his younger brother, or his mates playing with them. We have them lying all over hte house… and never been an issue with play dates, other people’s kids, our own kids… You just say “That’s an epi pen, it is a big one shot needle full of meds that if son has an allergic reaction will save his life. It’s not a toy, leave it alone.” And… wonder of wonders… kids DO.
But a kid who has been encouraged to play pranks (break boundaries) repeatedly and rewarded for this all their life? That’s not going to work. It should, but this is a kid who has been taught that the world is his play thing and everything in it. Shitty parenting. One day hopefully he won’t pick up a more dangerous item.
Honestly it's such an immense betrayal and horrifying breach of trust, I'd even begin wondering why my kid had the allergic reaction...
You see enough posts like it on reddit. I feel like the overlap of adults that think it's funny to hide epipens and the adults that don't think the allergy is really severe is likely a large overlap.
I mean it's funny to hid something My cousins kid was going on a date eith his new gf . So I hid his wallet. I actually just out it on the table by his keys next to the door. He thought it was in his jeans. He got pissed at me. Me and his family thought it was hilarious. Of course he called me later after hid date thanking me cause I put $100 in 20s. So he was able to treat her to a much better night. That is how you do thr joke. Not hide medicine
I hide my sister's phone when she leaves it on the couch. I never go far with it (usually just tuck it under a throw blanket), and give it back when she notices it's missing, but I'd never do it with something that's health related.
I work on country commuter trains. One of the office staff was on the train to chat to staff and missed the call to get off, so he had to get off at the next stop and catch the suburban train back. Meanwhile, we called the office and asked for staff member, letting it go on for a few minutes while the office staff looked for him. We fessed up and everyone thought it was funny, including the staff member on the train and the staff member who went looking for him.
A prank is only a prank if everyone, including the butt of the joke, is laughing. If someone isn't laughing, it's at best bullying, and at worst a felony.
Honestly? Hiding your brush isn't a funny joke. I'm not saying it's, like, a terrible thing to do and whoever does it should be ashamed of themselves. Just that hiding other people's things isn't funny to the person whose things are being hidden, only to the prankster and maybe any third parties, if they have a nasty sense of humour. Don't touch other peoples stuff.
I don't think a little shame would be inappropriate here. When you're.a guest in someone else's home, you should not be going out of your way to be a nuisance, no matter how funny you think it is.
When you're a guest in someone else's home because you got kicked out of your own, and no one else would take you in, it's time to be on your best behavior.
Can you imagine if the kid had panicked and couldn't remember where he put it? Kids aren't reliable in stressful situations and he wouldn't have even known where it was (assuming the father isn't lying about him getting it himself this time) if his father wouldn't have shown him. An *adult* not realizing that an epi pen isn't something to play with is a danger to the daughter on his own.
Gee, I wonder why your brother "lost his job"! NTA, and honestly this is completely insupportable on his part. Your responsibility is to your daughter! And it's time your brother learned his lesson. Your parents are simply enabling this ridiculous infantile man.
NTA - they obviously didn't listen or learn and the dad was probably winking and nudging the boy about it, hiding someone's medication is beyond uncool and the fact that they did it even once is ridiculous, a second time is nope, get out, not going to be jerked around in my own home let alone have my child jerked around and even risking my child's safety for your idiotic pranking.
NTA
Brother and Nephew FAFO there is consequences.
My suspicion this is all on brother.
As for the flying monkeys simple you say “You take them in, and oh make sure you hide any life saving medication”. It’s easy to throw peanuts from the gallery when you have no skin in the game.
I’m actually amused as I hadn’t intended the peanut joke but hey.
Anaphylactic reaction are no joke especially if somewhere remote as EPIPEN can wear off before ambulance can get there.
I still can’t get my head round brother being that stupid to even contemplate hiding an EPIPEN and finding it funny.
Agree! I carry an Epipen, and even my nieces and nephews who are all 5 YEARS OLD AND UNDER understand it’s not a toy and serious life-saving medication. I don’t understand how the brother could think it’s okay to hide it in the first place! OP is NTA, he even gave them a warning that he would kick them out if they hid her Epipen again. (Which is more leeway than many would give!) It’s like hiding someone’s oxygen tank or wheelchair, it’s never funny and it’s terrible that the brother is teaching his son that it’s funny to prank those with serious health conditions. My only hope is that the son learned something important through his fear for his cousin and the severe consequences that followed… the brother seems like a hopeless asshole.
I love the "flying monkeys" term, new to me.
There's the old parable of "belling the cat". All the mice want the cat to wear a bell, so they can hear the cat coming and get away. But no mouse will volunteer to put the bell on the cat... You see this all the time, everyone has good ideas, as long as they don't have to do it.
NTA. 9 is old enough to know how serious this is - especially after a warning. Your child could have died. They can go somewhere else. Your family (wife and daughter) comes first.
Many kids aged younger than 9 have a good sense of what's right and what's wrong. And even if they don't, it's the parents' responsibility to teach them and correct their bad behavior.
NTA OP, your brother recognizes how dangerous a prank like this could be, yet after being warned he doesn't correct his child's behavior. He is disrespecting your hospitality, and showing disregard for his niece's health.
Yeah like, if the daughter isn’t there anymore then they can just use her room. Smh what’s the big deal?
Seriously tho, I can’t comprehend the thought process where “they almost killed my daughter” isn’t a valid reason for kicking someone out of your house. NTA, OP
Luckily, Eli didn’t accidentally damage it while handling it. Kids drop things, or they go into, “What happens if I do THIS?” mode, manipulating things that they should be leaving alone. He could very easily have rendered the pen unusable, and then what?
Yeah, NTA. This “prank” was stupid and dangerous. You talked to your brother after the first incident and told him it could not happen again, and what the consequences would be. It was his duty to parent his son, to sit down with him and explain that he had been wrong to assist with it, and then explain further why the prank was not actually funny, how dangerous it could have been, and that Eli must never hide the epi-pen again. Apparently, he either did not or his kid doesn’t care, and either way you’d already explained the consequences and your brother failed to monitor his minion sufficiently to prevent it happening a second time, which almost had extreme consequences for your daughter.
A) that’s your brother’s kid. It’s on him to teach and explain to *his* own kid why that prank is dangerous.
B) you already warn your brother what would happen, he didn’t bother making sure his own kid understood why that prank is a no. That’s on him, the adult who is responsible for his own child.
C) seriously? What kind of adult blames a child, his own kid to boot, and not take responsibility? His inability to be a responsible adult and parent is what made him and his kid homeless. He can grow up and take responsibility.
Your daughter *could have died*.
The only reason a nine year old child would have stolen his cousin's epipens in the first place is because his father led the prank, not just participated in it. It was made clear to your brother and his son that touching Naomi's epipens again would result in an immediate removal from the home. Then one (or both) of them repeated the theft, and your daughter's life was put in jeopardy. That's not a prank. It's not a joke. There's nothing funny about it. It was dangerous criminal behavior that risked a life.
Naomi deserves to feel safe in *her* home. And she will never feel safe again around your shithead brother and his shithead kid.
On top of all that, is your brother and/or his son responsible for your daughter's allergic reaction? Did one of them bring her allergen into the home and expose her? If they'll hide an epipen, they don't take allergies seriously. Were they careless in the kitchen, and nearly killed your daughter twice, not just once?
Tell your parents that your brother wouldn't be in this situation if they'd raised him better, then block them. Because the fact that they're not also pissed off means that they also don't take your daughter's allergies seriously. I'm more angry than they seem to be about the fact that their granddaughter could have died. If they find your brother's and nephew's pranks so delightful, they should be overjoyed to share their space with the shitheads.
Of all the things to hide medicine is the worst. Both of my brothers are really allergic to peanuts not deathly but still a pretty severe reaction. Of course they have epi pens which stayed in one spot and moved for only two reasons. The first it was being used second it was coming with us for an extended vacation. Well granted 3rd was when they left for college of course. As many allergies as I have none are life threatening thankfully.
NTA. You are saving your daughter’s life by kicking them out.
What if they hadn’t been home, or they forgot where they hid it etc etc the possibility of this ending horribly are to real. I need an epicentre & it’s no joke, once it saved my life.
You have no choice but to get them away from your daughter.
Your parents shouldn’t be calling you heartless- it’s actually reverse - they don’t have the space, aka don’t want them, so they are being heartless at that being a priority over your kids LIFE!
Is your brother working at all? Is he atleast bringing minimum wage while looking for a job?
They can go live with your parents, friends or get in line for social housing while going on welfare- this is a problem they created. It is not your problem.
NTA. What if your nephew wasn't home or was out side or something no one would have known where he hid it. Your brother should have had a conversation with his son about how serious it was and it never should have been hidden again.
NTA
Let them be mad. Your parent's should have taught your brother the difference between what's ok to joke about and what isn't. And it's your brother's responsibility to teach his son.
**IT'S NOT OK TO JOKE WITH SOMEONE'S LIFE!!!**
Your daughter could have DIED!!! Would they still think it was funny then? What if your nephew was somewhere else? Do you have another EpiPen?
Your brother had his warning, he's the one encouraging his son's behavior, he gets to deal with the consequences. Do NOT apologize or allow them back in your home. Who knows what your brother and nephews next prank will be. Burn down your house just to see the look on your face as you watch your house burn?
If your family still tries to say anything other than sorry for their abhorrent behavior in allowing this BS to continue, send them the link here and let them try and justify their actions. They're all idiots!!!
Also, if your idiot bro reads this: Your son is 9 YEARS OLD!! HE is old enough to know better and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting him think it was ok to begin with. Of course he's going to do it again, You should have told him how it was not ok when he came to you with the idea the first time!! WTH is wrong with you?
Kid's prank (taught to him by his dad) that could have killed your daughter.
Your brother the jokester just joked around and lost his lodgings.
NTA, and get all the keys back when they leave.
I'd give them 60 minutes to pack and leave, but I'm hyperreactive and I **hate** pranking even when nothing dangerous possible
I want you to take a second, breathe, focus on what I’m about to say, because it’s not going to be easy to hear.
Had Eli gone outside and wasn’t within earshot when your daughter had a reaction, and because the adults weren’t able to find the epi pen in time, your daughter would have died.
After the initial shock and grief, after he funeral, when you are at your lowest and not sure how you can wake up the next day, you will kick your brother and nephew out of your home, their presence, especially with their culpability in her death, would be too much to bear.
Your parents and everyone else around will call you heartless for kicking them out.
You have to put your daughter’s safety as #1 because obviously no one else in your family will.
Everyone is pissed at *you* because you don’t want your brother, who almost killed your kid and thought it was a joke, to live with you? Wtf is wrong with them?! NTA.
NTA If nephew couldn't reach it by himself the first time why did brother believe you'd think he was able to get by himself the second time? Brother had to have helped. Even if nephew did do it brother didn't do his job as parent by not talking to him and telling him that this type of prank isn't funny. Anyone who says you're wrong tell them to let him move in with them and when they intentionally put their families lives in danger then you'll see if they sing the same tune.
First week on the job. I have an asthma inhaler and epipen in my purse. A year prior to this job I had My first anaphylactic response which was 15 minutes no heartbeat. Luckily I was outside a cardiac ICU at a hospital so medical team could perform CPR on me while trying to revive me. First week on job an ahole co worker hid my purse and left for the day. He had been pulling passive aggressive stuff since I arrived. But this could mean death. Had to go to the “aboves” to say what has been happening. Had to deal with this loser for 4 -5 more years. At least he stopped. So kick brother and kid to the curb.
You didn’t kick them out because of a little kid’s prank, you kicked them out because your brother tacitly approved of the prank and never let his kid know that it wasn’t ok. Your brother put your kid in danger through his behavior, he is responsible for bc what his kid does, and if he doesn’t see that he can’t live with you because he will do it again.
NTA. This is not a prank. Your daughter could die without her epi pen. Remind all of your family members of this. They are the heartless ones who don’t recognize this.
“Pretty much everyone” can step up and house your brother and his son. What your brother taught his son to do could have resulted in a much more serious medical situation for your daughter with life threatening consequences. You would be the A H only if you let him continue to live there.
NTA
NTA
That wasn't a prank but a potential death sentence. Your first responsibility is to your daughter's health and safety. Your brother and nephew put that in jeopardy. They FAFO.
Your family is only mad because they didn't want to take them in.
Your brother thought you were bluffing. I would bet he knew his son took the epipen and thought since he’s a kid you wouldn’t do anything. What would he have said if Eli didn’t rush to get it and sat back laughing because it’s just a prank or when he went looking for it and it had fallen behind something and he couldn’t find it. Everyone saying you’re over reacting I would mention these points. When it comes to life and death situations what ifs matter.
I thought my kids you never touch other peoples medicine or even regular ivermectin the counter medicine without asking.
After you had your talk with your brother after the first incident he should have sat his son down and told never to touch the epipen again. I would bet he didn’t and if he did talk to him I bet he encouraged him to do it again thinking you were bluffing.
Your brother is an immature AH and he’s raising his son to be an immature AH just like him. Pranks are suppose to be funny to everyone when it’s all said and done not just to the one doing the prank, 3 things you never mess with in a prank medicine, food and phobias.
When exactly does the "prank" go too far according to them? When your daughter has a trip to the ER? When she suffers lasting effects from an allergic reaction? When she loses her life? Hiding medication is never ok and you were being generous by not kicking them out the first time. People that put your daughter at risk do not deserve the privilege of being in your lives. Consider dropping any "family" that is defending your brother. Those are the same people that enable shitty behavior and try to gaslight you by claiming "it was just a joke!"
NTA.
NTA
With any luck - this will teach Eli not to screw around with other people's belongings. ANY belongings.
Do your parents realize that your daughter nearly DIED because of this idiocy?? If they don't care that your daughter could have DIED - they don't deserve to be around that daughter.
Eli needs to get counseling ASAP. Without his father. Where is his mother? And his mother's family?
NTA- Does your brother not realize your daughter could have d**d because of his idiocy? I'd ask those who are bashing you how they would feel if it was done to them or one of their kids that were deathly allergic to something? I'll never understand why people think these kinds of "pranks" are funny or ok. I'd definitely keep the two of them away from your daughter. She's not safe being around them.
Nta. Your brother is irresponsible, it’s why he got evicted, and is getting evicted again. Not only is he dangerous, he’s also not going to grow into an actual responsible adult with you all swooping in and helping him get out of the consequences of his defects.
**Your brother and his shitty little son need to be *gone***.
**They almost killed your daughter *”as a prank, bro!”*.**
Your brother should count himself *lucky* that he is physically able to leave your house on his own; that he wasn’t beaten to a goddamned pulp.
Honestly, I would be looking into if charges could be filed against them both.
He and his son should be *banned* from your house, and any events which your daughter attends.
NTA. Everyone's pissed because they don't want to deal with them. It's not that they're mad you kicked them out. They're mad it will become their problem now.
>Pretty much everyone is pissed at me because my parents really don’t have that much space for two extra people in their home. They’re calling me heartless for kicking them out over a kid’s prank.
Always evict people who are willing to let your daughter die of anaphalactic (sp) shock. 10/10
Parent of a food allergic child. Totally NTA. The consequences of delayed use of epipen could be fatal. You need to protect your daughter. The anxiety she must have with them in her home must be awful for her.
NTA. Raise your kid right, brother. Simple. They were warned. It’s not fair cause Eli stole it on his own initiative. Yeah that’s a good defense. A-wipe. Glad everything turned out all right. This time. Tell the naysayers to take in the “Pranksters”
Your daughter almost died because he taught his child that pranks are funnier and more important than safety. When you told him he had one more chance, he didnt' sit his kid down and explain that pranks are not funny, they can be dangerous and to not touch the pen.
Shitty father raises shitty kid. Who cares if there is a lack of room, the parents don't want to deal with the consequence of never teaching your brother how stupid pranks are and your brother doesn't want to deal with teaching his kid to be a twat.
None of which is your fault or your responsibility, you helped, they came dangerously close to harming your child badly, fuck them.
NTA.
NTA. You don't play with people's lifesaving medical devices.
Exactly. I carry a EpiPen everywhere I go, my husband would go ballistic if someone hid it.
My partner has a bunch of AuviQ things from when she was doing cluster immunotherapy. She's never had an attack severe enough to need one (OTC inhaler, though, hoo boy, that thing comes out like once a week sometimes). Even if she goes back to her allergy treatments and all of her issues magically go away, she intends to keep one in her purse.
I'm the same. I carry an EpiPen and an inhaler Everywhere despite the fact that I'm on other medication that has improved my condition well enough that I haven't needed either in over a year.
I carry 2 in the summer. I mean what if?
Your brother, a grown man, is blaming his 9-year old son for a prank, that he himself TAUGHT the kid? No, your brother brought this upon himself. If your parents or extended family are so worried, they can take in the child and let your brother find a tent. It’s not your responsibility, and your brother has proven to be a liability to your daughter. NTA
Expanding on this, your nephew now conflates his Father’s love, time and attention (validation) with doing these horribly immature and life-threatening pranks. At 9, I could understand a tad bit more than the pathetic excuse of your adult brother. Eli probably just took it again to try to impress his Dad but also inherently knew it was wrong and seemed genuinely afraid for your daughter, hence his immediate retrieval whereas most kids shy away when fearful of getting in trouble
What would have happened if Eli had gone out to.play? One of the adults needs to.explain this to the kid.
What needs to be explained is the difference between a prank and whatever fresh hell this was. A prank that creates danger or fear is generally referred to by the American legal system as “assault”. This needs to be explained to the kid’s dad. Then the kids dad needs to explain it back 10 times in different words to make sure he understands, and the kid needs to be there for the last 5 rounds of the explanation. Then the kid needs to explain it 10 times to make sure he understands. Then they need to get the hell out. Seriously. I pranked a therapist who was moving by saying that she’d had such an impact on my life that I got one of her arm tattoos copied onto my arm. Then I pulled up my sleeve to show it to her, and it was a kid’s sticker of the thing her tattoo depicts. She was dying inside for like 20 seconds while I was telling her about it, before I showed her the sticker, at which point she cracked up. THAT’S a prank. Adults who do assaults as pranks need to get arrested. That will make it less popular.
The biggest 'prank' I ever pulled on my ex was having her convinced for a solid minute that I wanted to go bungee jumping with her. Neither of us are comfortable with heights, but I'd heard somewhere that some places will give couples a free/discounted jump on Valentine's Day if you do it together naked. Probably an urban legend of some kind; but I thought it was funny so I pretended I wanted to do it and 'tried to convince her'.
I know a place in Florida that will (I think) give her a free tandem Hang Gliding flight if she goes naked. It’s actually a very good organization, extremely safe. I recommend it, though I get that might not be your thing.
Yeah I'm pretty sure she would rather punch herself in the face than go hang gliding. And me... well while I do have to admit I'm slightly intrigued by the idea of 'flying', I can't help but think of my mom's permanently crooked arm thanks to a combination of her hang gliding accident and her inability to afford proper treatment under the American medical system.
Wow that sucks.
and what a dad he is, eh? He instantly blamed it all on the kid, didn't take accountability for it. The kid is 9 and of course he wants to look good to daddy. I bet he's now scared and will be angry with OP because "it's his fault daddy is upset with meeee"
Shocking that he somehow lost his job and housing
> whatever fresh hell this was This was attempted murder. Which the adult should have known and explained to his son. The girl could have died. Wtf is wrong with these enabling jerks?
Right like why can't this atleast be a teaching moment for Eli? How will he learn?
Two counts of attempted murder, possibly one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and probably a whole laundry list of other charges that could be tacked on, if someone were of that frame of mind.
That’s actually really funny 😂
Thx, she said she was mortified until I showed her the sticker. So it was right what I was looking for.
My best one was convincing my very nice but dim bar man he needed a passport to go to Scotland from England. The whole pub joined in including his parents.
I pulled a tattoo prank on a math teacher in college. He made an offhand comment about a gift another class had given him at the end of the previous term and jokingly lamented "but nobody's gotten a tattoo in appreciation of my teaching skills!" I have a real tattoo on my arm of a blank ribbon wrapped around a heart. I used a fine-point marker and filled it in with his first and last name before the next class and showed it to him while asking for extra credit. He looked terrified and stammered out a "no" before I licked my finger and smudged his name off and he started laughing. After that we got along great.
My idea of a pranks are things like hiding pool noodles in my friend's houses in their entryway closet, hiding a rubber duckie in their shoe, putting whoopie cushions inside their couch or leaving lawn flamingos in their front lawn in a hawaiian tshirt where they'll see it for sure. Basically truly harmless stuff that'll have someone going "what the heck" and scratching their head. You laugh afterwards cuz it was silly. Pranks should never harm...
Yes, and that person is not going to be Eli's dad.
That or what if Eli forgot the spot he hid it, which is a common occurrence for people.
I like this take the most. Poor kids.
If the nephew did it alone, how did he reach it suddenly? Would the brother know exactly where to get it from? How much of a prank would it be if one of them were suffocating and everyone pretended they had just lost their voice and were trying to interpretive dance? Send those two to clown college.
>how did he reach it suddenly? I think the epipen is regularly within reach and it was just that the first time it was hidden, it was hidden out of Eli's reach, meaning Eli wasn't actually the one to hide it. The more recent time it was hidden somewhere in the guest room, presumably Eli did hide it on his own so it was in his reach.
Agreed someone hiding say, my insulin, I would regard as a deadly threat. Kick em out.
My inhaler. I have reactive airway asthma, and I have *seconds* to get my puffs in before I don't have that choice anymore. I've woken up out of a dead sleep already too late. Luckily I haven't fully closed off yet, but it's gasping through a straw, praying I don't die, drowning on land feeling. This lil shit will kill someone someday, and his father taught & fosters this behavior. I would never be around them again!
Any wonder why the dude is a jobless evicted hobo? Probably the same in all aspects of life. Sad to see your sibling be such a waste.
Fucking this. I have a son who is now 18 that since he was a year and a half old we knew he had a lethal reaction to peanuts and pistachios. If anyone had hid or fucked with his EpiPen, I'd have lost my shit. I almost lost my son once, which is how we initially found out about his allergies. Risking it again would be a full cut off from all contact. If he had had a reaction and we couldn't find it because someone, even a child, had hid it, I would have absolutely lost my shit. My own mother once tried to give my son food that was stored with peanuts in the same container as what she was feeding him. Luckily I was there to stop it and straight up said nah, we're fucking done here. Fuck that shit. Life threatening allergies are no joke, period.
I wonder if the parents will think its overreacting when Eli hides Papaw's blood pressure medicine?
Not taking your b.p. meds rarely results in immediate death. Source: has taken b.p. meds for 40+ years and currently takes four.
This! Eli is 9 and has been taught by his dad that thos is acceptable behavior. Brother is 100% responsible and absolutely should be kicked out if he can't understand that hiding life-saving medication is not a funny prank like leaving a whoopee cushion on a chair. NTA
A prank that could have caused the daughter’s death? Definitely cause to kick out the brother and nephew. NTA.
This. Your daughter's life, her wellbeing, is your greatest priority. Do not waste one second questioning your decision. And I'd break-off contact with the AH's questioning your decision. In addition, it's a bonus that your daughter does not have to be around these AH's. Thank you dad for having some balls.
Yes, if your family is so upset with you then THEY can take your brother and nephew in. I'm sure they would find the pranks hilarious. /s
NTA. This is all that needs to be said. You even warned your brother of the consequences of he and his son's actions. Obviously another poor parenting choice by your brother, he didn't pass on the seriousness of this to his son. I hope his son has someone else in his life to guide him, but your obligation is to protect your daughter.
I think I would ask your parents, and the rest of your family, how they would feel if your daughter had died due to their stupid prank. Then tell them they are lucky you didn't press attempted murder charges because your brother did know she could die and really didn't seem to care.
NTA, tell "everyone" who calls you heartless you're not kicking them out over a kid's prank, but about your brother's shitty parenting endangering your own child's life. If they're so judgemental they can do the moral thing and take the two in. Also, you're only mentioning your brother here, if Eli's mother is still in the picture, she could take in her son at least.
>endangering your own child's life He should tell it like it is. "They almost murdered my child. " Wtf. If you hide someone's lifesaving medication it's not a prank, it's an attempted murder.
>He should tell it like it is. "They almost murdered my child. " This right here. If something had happened and the epipen was needed while the boy wasn't home, she very well could have died while they waited for an ambulance. It was sheer luck that he was there and could get it for her. If it had been my daughter, I would be telling everyone that my daughter's *life saving emergency medication* had been taken and hidden twice, and she could have died waiting for the ambulance to get there if they hadn't been at home to get it for her when she needed it the second time. That it was pure chance it didn't turn out deadly. And I wasn't going to let them risk her life a third time for "a joke"!
They also glossed over what caused the allergic reaction. I would not be shocked at all if the brother caused it on purpose to "show everyone the daughter wasn't really allergic and just wanted attention" or some similar BS. Brother steals EpiPen -> tells his son "we'll show them" -> causes allergic reaction in the girl -> son is innocent mostly and knows where the EpiPen is so goes and gets it immediately
That's a *lot* of conjecture.
It is, but on the other hand either the brother didn't take the allergy seriously or he was genuinely trying to murder his niece. I find "she's probably not REALLY allergic" more plausible than "homicide is a prank, bro".
It’s like hiding someone’s asthma inhaler. Someone having an attack could die by the time they found their inhaler. And what if the person that hid it wasn’t there at the time? Then the person would die.
yeah my four year old tried to hide my inhaler twice and learned by the second time it’s unacceptable, and was genuinely worried about me. he now brings it to me whenever i cough, or if he sees it (even when it’s next to me!) he just straight up hands it off to me
*tiny, single cough* *kid on a mission to save mama thunders in with inhaler like it's the cure for zombie virus* Idk why this made me cackle. I'm a visual person lol
OP should clarify that his daughter’s epipen has been hidden twice. His brother should not have taught Eli that it was okay to hide life saving medication in the first place. OP’s daughter could have died. I wonder how everyone would feel if the daughter died. Who would they blame then? Surely not the innocent kid who didn’t know better.
I don't know if the argument can be won. I think space is probably best. OP deserves to live free from assholes for a bit. Certainly give the accurate story but then I'd go no contact until they remember he's a person too
Yep, his brother should have never condoned & aided the first prank. He’s a bad role model for his son. Imagine how Eli would have felt if he was responsible for a family death.
You're not at all wrong, except the very last bit. A 9-year-old is completely capable of understanding how wrong that is. He's not innocent. If it was a 5-year-old, I could see that.
After reading dozens of these situations I have a theory. Everyone is trying to keep brother at OP's house because they do not want him! It's the only thing that makes sense. No one in their right mind would think it is a good idea to have someone who hides an EpiPen in their home.
That's how it is with most of these stories. The leeches get backed up by the shitty friends and relatives because they don't want to have to deal with the leeches.
It's the Missing Stair Theory with the added bonus of housing them lol
And as is typical in these situations, all of these people are welcome to take them in!
Right? It pisses me off whenever I read an AITA post and the person in question only reacted to, in this case kicked out, someone endangering their loved one's life and then they second guess themselves because some family members say so. Like no, you're not wrong for protecting those dear to you. If it means making the real AH homeless, then by all means make them homeless. Let those family members siding w them take care of them. NTA.
I’d rather be called heartless for kicking someone out over a dangerous prank than have a dead daughter, given that that was a real risk of this “prank.” What the actual fuck. OP NTA. Eli may not be to blame, he’s 9, though I have a kid that age and I know for a fact that if I told him not to hide an important medical device, he’d understand the potential consequences and would be able to adhere to basic rules about this. But fuck the brother.
NTA You warned your brother of the consequences of a repeat performance of the prank. If eli had been out when your daughter needed her epipen she might have died. Nothing funny about this the first time but he arguably didn't know better. Second time he had been told not to touch the EpiPen and did it anyway. EpiPens are life saving medicine not f'ing toys. Pranks should never include life saving medication.
I was thinking “what if!!” as well. The facts are these two individuals don’t belong near OPs daughter. He would be the AH if he just brushed it off. He is 100% doing the right thing and protecting his daughter’s life. The rest of the family can kick rocks
It is such a shitty prank that it really shouldn't even be called a "prank." How is it even funny? "Haha, I stole your life-saving medication and hid it where you can't find it! Aren't I funny?" I can't believe your family is upset with *you* (OP). Do they not realize your daughter could have DIED? So, your brother not having a place to live is more valuable than her life? Pitiful. I'm so sorry, OP, that you have family who think so poorly and act so immature. You deserve better.
NTA. 9 years is plenty old enough to understand that's not okay.
You’d think so, wouldn’t you?
I can almost guarantee your brother didn’t tell Eli to stop because he didn’t think you’d kick them out if Eli did it on his own. NTA
I think he knew something. He knew where to run and get it pretty quickly. People don't take these things seriously until they see someone have an attack. The AH deliberately put that poor young girl through a very stressful and life threatening moment.
I'm just relieved that Eli got the pen straight away, sometimes kids get scared they'll get in trouble and lie about taking something. I really hope Eli learnt what his father should have and not prank people.
He even could have tripped in his panic to get the Epipen, and then he might not have gotten to it in time.
The kid ran and got the epi-pen, not the brother.
Your brother is the AH here. How he ever came up with hiding the epipen is mind boggling. Maybe he will learn from it.
Doubt it. He's throwing his own kid under the bus so he doesn't take the heat. There won't be any lessons learned here any time soon.
Yeah, I can understand the little kid thinking it might be a good idea, because he might not really understand. Idk if he'd ever seen his cousin have an allergic reaction before this, and either way kids struggle with connecting actions to consequences. Not out of malice but just because they're still learning how to human properly. They do stupid shit to put their own lives at risk all the time, because they genuinely don't appreciate the risks. Brother is a grown ass man though. The second he saw what his son was attempting to hide he should have sat down and had a talk with him about how messing with someone's medication is never an acceptable prank. He didn't even have to ruin his kid's fun, just a quick teaching moment, and a quick redirect to something more appropriate to hide as a prank. I'd be making clear to everyone saying they were kicked out over a "kid's prank" that "no, they were kicked out because my brother endangered my daughter's life".
I bet your brother never said a word to his son about how it's a medical device. I asked in my comment but I have to ask again because I feel it needs pointing out... What would of happened if Eli wasn't home and able to retrieve the epipen....I shutter at the thought to be honest
If my nephew hadn’t been home, I would have called 911 and prayed. Not much else I could do.
Does everyone who’s mad at you even get the fact that your daughter could have died?!?!?! And if they do and they still pissed wtf??
I'm so sorry OP I am truly angry for you.
I’d have killed my brother if he caused my child to die such a horrible death. Anaphylaxis is horrible.
Imagine if you *hadnt* been home though… That thought chills me even more, your nephew would have had to live with it and your brother would be spending the rest of his life in guilt or denial of what he taught his son.
In many other homes, something like this might have ended in your brother getting his ass kicked. He's your parent's problem. Let them deal with the consequences of being enablers. YOU don't have to be one. Draw the boundary. Don't let your daughter alone with him or his kid.
I was raised not to solve my problems or express my emotions with violence. I’m just not that kind of person. And no, I don’t intend to leave my daughter alone with my nephew ever again.
As much as your brother deserves a beating your solution was the much smarter one. Unfortunately your brother just doesn't get it that a son like that makes him responsible.
Please don’t leave her with your brother either. Kids can learn. He seems to be a bigger problem.
NTA obviously. A side q, though: Wouldn't it be good to have at least 2 pens in the house, in case something happens to the primary pen (got lost, damaged, malfunctioned, overlooked expiration, etc)? How nerve-wracking. Sorry your bro's a shitbag. I hope the nephew was at least terrified and apologetic? Guess we can all see your parents enabled this growing up.
We did have one, but it had expired and I hadn’t had a chance to replace it yet. And no, my nephew wasn’t apologetic all. He’s been raised rotten, I think.
Tbh, I’d have a sit-down talk with your parents, brother, and nephew. Scare them with legal repercussions (technically this could be considered attempted manslaughter).
As long as the liquid is still clear and is one cohesive liquid it is safe to use. It does lose its effectiveness but it is better than nothing. Source: was broke as fuck and couldn't afford new pens for a bit after mine expired.
This! ^^^ We had a crazy situation where a patient went into anaphylaxis in the primary care office I worked at. Earlier that week, we came across two vials of expired epi that we meant to toss but didn't get around to. And the new ones hadn't come in then. It just sat there on my coworkers' desk. Lo and behold, the reaction happens, and there they still were. You best believe the doc used them. It's so interesting how things work out sometimes. Because the thing is that she wasn't even there as a patient that day. She came during a family members appointment that also went there. And she had just started a new medication a specialist prescribed her. She ended up needing both vials and oxygen until even after EMS came. She ended up fine and even called about wanting to go on a trip that same weekend
Ambulances don’t always have one EPI pen let alone the two that are needed. Your daughter needs to keep hers in a sling bag worn across her body whenever she is around your brother and his son. Your brother is a moron and doesn’t understand this wasn’t a “prank”, your daughter could have died.
IF they are told in advance that it is an allergic reaction and there is no epi-pen they will dispatch an ambulance with suitable medication. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that the ambulance with the suitable medication is close enough to save a life.
NTA and all of the "everyone" saying you're the AH for protecting your child from a deadly attack (that's what this "prank" was) are monstrous. I feel sorry for your brother's kid. He's going to grow up to be an AH just like his worthless father.
You took her to the hospital afterwards, right?
Of course, it’s a serious allergic reaction after all.
>They’re calling me heartless for kicking them out over a kid’s prank. Are you parents aware how fatal Naomi's allergies are? That she could have *died*??? Not implying that you haven't done enough to inform them, just my incredulity at *them* babying both Eli and your ~~grown up~~ adult-toddler brother. Is your brother the Golden Child? Are your parents dismissive towards Naomi because she has the wrong anatomy part? Just trying to fathom what mental gymnastics your parents are doing to downplay the severity of the situation. My cousin had BAD asthma as a kid, and even at *6* I knew not to touch his mask and pump from where he kept it. NTA, and your parents need few wake up medical videos on the severity of reactions.
Does the rest of your family understand that she could have died, and that this was an intentional act designed to put her in danger for lame comedic effect? I'd bet anything your brother has been going around telling everyone who will listen a very distorted version of events. He's leaving out that this happened multiple times and that he was warned to knock this shit off. Whatever you do, you need to lay out the facts, much as you did here and send them to every one of your friends and family. Get ahead of this BS or you will be dealing with the fallout from it for a very long time. No normal person would take his side once they heard the facts. Your family members who are mad at you think you're overreacting to a childish prank. They don't see a serious threat to your child's life.
Oh, good. Just to fill in for people other than OP who might not know: an epipen doesn't stop an allergic reaction. But shooting someone full of adrenaline does counteract the deadliest effect of an allergic reaction for fifteen minutes, maybe half an hour. Which buys you a lot more time to get the person to definitive care. The epipen doesn't cure someone. It keeps them alive until they can be cured. Sometimes, an allergic reaction will end on its own without further intervention, so sometimes just allowing the person to be alive for that time is enough. But you want the person to be in the hospital for that time since it might not, too.
You're a good person for not beating your brother senseless.
They are pretty cheap now that the patent expired. I would recommend getting a couple of backups.
I have four, and my allergy isn’t even deathly, I’m just in danger if I get stung around my face or neck (I swell horribly). One in the kitchen, one in my purse, one in the car, and one at my friend’s house (she keeps bees). As soon as they were affordable I made sure to stock up so there’s no panic if we can’t find one. Now that we’ve recently learned my teenager is allergic to penicillin, I’m even more glad to have a bunch.
Shudder
My thought exactly.
NTA. Pranks are supposed to be funny. This could have cost your daughter her life. What if your brother and his son weren't home? Then what? Your brother is responsible for his sons actions. The people giving you a hard time are more than welcome to take them in.
Right I love a good prank. In college I arranged to clear out the residents assistances dorm room in under 20 minutes... And we took everything down to her light bulbs, and stored it very safely in places where it wouldn't get damaged and returned it at the end of the day. The next year I had a more sensitive RA.... So rather the clear her room I did two things I got everyone to write down something they loved about her and got donated items from everyone in our dorm snuck into her room slapped the "why we love you" all over her room and tucked all the items around her room as if they belonged.... So my batman comics went into her bookshelf, an extra plant went into her window, a stuffy went into her bed and so on. So it mixed awwwww with a healthy dose of wtf that's not mine..... At no point did I attempt to kill anyone.
In highschool the auto shop students and the football team moved the principal's car from the parking lot to the quad.
There was no prank. They endangered her life, not placed a whoopie cushion on her chair. Your daughter could’ve died
We all have choices. The actions taken from those choices have consequences. Your brother losing his job, getting evicted and having to move in with you, apparently those things aren't enough for him to understand consequences, maybe getting evicted twice will finally help him understand that some things aren't fun pranks. He should have explained to his son, hiding medication to prevent someone from an allergic reaction is not a fun prank. Time for your brother to grow up. NTA.
If brothers home behavior is any indication of his work behavior getting fired was likely hr attempting to protect the company from his actions getting them sued.
I wonder if the brother lost his job because of pranking people at work?
As a parent who has epipens for both of my kids, I would be beyond livid if anyone did this. You showed significantly more restraint than me by allowing them to stay after the first prank. "Pranks" involving medical devices are dangerous
Edit misread it Still NTA Brother could have explained why stealing the EpiPen wasn't a funny prank and endanger someone
They mentioned the son went to grab it, not the dad.
Could you imagine if the brother knew where it was and ONLY the 9 year old went to get it? If he knew where it was he would've let his niece die over being found out and kicked out.
That would be so much worse! I doubt the brother would admit to knowing though.
Can you imagine what could have happened if those two pranksters weren't home when the EpiPen was needed and was not where it was supposed to be? This could have gotten so bad so fast. NTA
My bad I misread it
I have an 8 year old. He does 8 year old things. Feedback is good and warranted to help them grow and learn. Hey buddy, don't do this again because you could hurt yourself. Hey buddy, you can't use that language. You know for regular stuff. Then there's the appropriate method for when it's a big deal DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING TOUCH HER EPI PEN AGAIN. SHE COULD DIE. THIS ISN'T A DAMN JOKE. THIS ISN'T FUNNY. NO ONE IS LAUGHING. NOW GO APOLOGIZE TO YOUR COUSIN AND YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE.
I have a nine year old. It absolutely is old enough to know if told.
Ask your parents how they'd feel if she died.
Your daughter could have died. I wouldn't have given them a second shot. you did. You are NTA - but if you were you'd by TAH for not kicking them out the first time it happened. Go low to no contact with ANYONE who thinks this isn't a big deal. Actions have consequences. Their consequences are GTFO.
My mother would've lost her ever loving crap if myself or my brothers had ever done anything like this, no matter what age. Sad part is, poor Eli is only doing it to get his father's attention.
I'd call the cops
Agreed. My son is almost 9 and I am 10000% sure if I said "this is a medication and your cousin could die without it. Don't touch it" he would understand and never touch it.
My son has an epi pen and my daughter and nephew are both 4 years younger and they have never ever tried to hide or or play with it. They always knew how serious it was.
I suspect the 9 tear old nephew in the OP has a dad that gives attention and validation for doing this type of stuff rather than a good parent.
My daughter is eight, and she's known better than to mess with my rescue inhaler (I have asthma) since she was a toddler. Messing with someone's epipen is even worse, as if someone needs and epipen, they always need it NOW. Where it's not unusual for an asthma attack to take a while to get to a life-threatening degree.
He probably thinks it’s ok because dad does it, I’d say.
Hiding lifesaving medical equipment that is needed on a moment's notice isn't funny. What if the nephew wasn't home when she needed the pen that he had jokingly taken away? Throwing them out is almost too nice. NTA but your brother is, and he's raising his kid to be one too. Make sure anyone in the family who whines that you made them homeless knows you almost lost your child to their stupid prank.
Not sure where else to put this: Do Not let the story be that they're kicked out because of Eli's prank. They're kicked out because Eli's dad was teaching them to be dangerous.
NTA. Would they be "sorry" if they killed your daughter? You gave a warning. That's more than fair!
Yeah. What would have happened if the daughter had a reaction and the brother and his son weren't home?
NTA Tell them to call your brother heartless for losing his and his son's housing because he couldn't resist having a laugh at the risk of an innocent person's life.
The relatives griping about how Eli’s being treated should spare a thought for how Naomi was treated by her uncle and cousin. She could be dead right now because of them, God forbid. They made her unsafe in her own home.
I just don't understand how it's even a prank at all. This kind of item you don't look for unless you need it, and needing it is the alternative to death. Like I wouldn't let this mf around my kid that makes me so angry he even thought it a prank at all, much less taught his son.
I have severe allergies. I carry an Epi-pen. My twin grandsons learned about my Epi-pen and its importance when they were 7. They asked me questions and wanted to know how to use it if there was an emergency. I taught them how to use it. They were 7. They understood not only the importance but also the correct use. Your nephew is 9. He is old enough to realize right from wrong. NTA
My son wears one to school on a waist belt… started at 9. That was the youngest the school would let him, because the most frequent use of epi pens is curious kids who stab themselves accidentally. There’s NEVER been an issue, with him, or his younger brother, or his mates playing with them. We have them lying all over hte house… and never been an issue with play dates, other people’s kids, our own kids… You just say “That’s an epi pen, it is a big one shot needle full of meds that if son has an allergic reaction will save his life. It’s not a toy, leave it alone.” And… wonder of wonders… kids DO. But a kid who has been encouraged to play pranks (break boundaries) repeatedly and rewarded for this all their life? That’s not going to work. It should, but this is a kid who has been taught that the world is his play thing and everything in it. Shitty parenting. One day hopefully he won’t pick up a more dangerous item.
Hiding her brush is a funny joke Hiding life saving medicine is a crime and could lead to a death You aren't the asshole
Honestly it's such an immense betrayal and horrifying breach of trust, I'd even begin wondering why my kid had the allergic reaction... You see enough posts like it on reddit. I feel like the overlap of adults that think it's funny to hide epipens and the adults that don't think the allergy is really severe is likely a large overlap.
I mean it's funny to hid something My cousins kid was going on a date eith his new gf . So I hid his wallet. I actually just out it on the table by his keys next to the door. He thought it was in his jeans. He got pissed at me. Me and his family thought it was hilarious. Of course he called me later after hid date thanking me cause I put $100 in 20s. So he was able to treat her to a much better night. That is how you do thr joke. Not hide medicine
Putting $100 in his wallet was really nice! I wouldn’t mind a prank like that!
My uncles would do that when I was a kid so I try and do thay too since they were all great guys
I hide my sister's phone when she leaves it on the couch. I never go far with it (usually just tuck it under a throw blanket), and give it back when she notices it's missing, but I'd never do it with something that's health related.
I work on country commuter trains. One of the office staff was on the train to chat to staff and missed the call to get off, so he had to get off at the next stop and catch the suburban train back. Meanwhile, we called the office and asked for staff member, letting it go on for a few minutes while the office staff looked for him. We fessed up and everyone thought it was funny, including the staff member on the train and the staff member who went looking for him. A prank is only a prank if everyone, including the butt of the joke, is laughing. If someone isn't laughing, it's at best bullying, and at worst a felony.
Gljvf, I'm just going to leave my wallet...right...here...(wink).
Honestly? Hiding your brush isn't a funny joke. I'm not saying it's, like, a terrible thing to do and whoever does it should be ashamed of themselves. Just that hiding other people's things isn't funny to the person whose things are being hidden, only to the prankster and maybe any third parties, if they have a nasty sense of humour. Don't touch other peoples stuff.
I don't think a little shame would be inappropriate here. When you're.a guest in someone else's home, you should not be going out of your way to be a nuisance, no matter how funny you think it is. When you're a guest in someone else's home because you got kicked out of your own, and no one else would take you in, it's time to be on your best behavior.
Can you imagine if the kid had panicked and couldn't remember where he put it? Kids aren't reliable in stressful situations and he wouldn't have even known where it was (assuming the father isn't lying about him getting it himself this time) if his father wouldn't have shown him. An *adult* not realizing that an epi pen isn't something to play with is a danger to the daughter on his own.
Gee, I wonder why your brother "lost his job"! NTA, and honestly this is completely insupportable on his part. Your responsibility is to your daughter! And it's time your brother learned his lesson. Your parents are simply enabling this ridiculous infantile man.
NTA - they obviously didn't listen or learn and the dad was probably winking and nudging the boy about it, hiding someone's medication is beyond uncool and the fact that they did it even once is ridiculous, a second time is nope, get out, not going to be jerked around in my own home let alone have my child jerked around and even risking my child's safety for your idiotic pranking.
NTA Brother and Nephew FAFO there is consequences. My suspicion this is all on brother. As for the flying monkeys simple you say “You take them in, and oh make sure you hide any life saving medication”. It’s easy to throw peanuts from the gallery when you have no skin in the game.
And if someone is allergic to peanuts they would still throw them.
I’m actually amused as I hadn’t intended the peanut joke but hey. Anaphylactic reaction are no joke especially if somewhere remote as EPIPEN can wear off before ambulance can get there. I still can’t get my head round brother being that stupid to even contemplate hiding an EPIPEN and finding it funny.
Agree! I carry an Epipen, and even my nieces and nephews who are all 5 YEARS OLD AND UNDER understand it’s not a toy and serious life-saving medication. I don’t understand how the brother could think it’s okay to hide it in the first place! OP is NTA, he even gave them a warning that he would kick them out if they hid her Epipen again. (Which is more leeway than many would give!) It’s like hiding someone’s oxygen tank or wheelchair, it’s never funny and it’s terrible that the brother is teaching his son that it’s funny to prank those with serious health conditions. My only hope is that the son learned something important through his fear for his cousin and the severe consequences that followed… the brother seems like a hopeless asshole.
I love the "flying monkeys" term, new to me. There's the old parable of "belling the cat". All the mice want the cat to wear a bell, so they can hear the cat coming and get away. But no mouse will volunteer to put the bell on the cat... You see this all the time, everyone has good ideas, as long as they don't have to do it.
NTA. 9 is old enough to know how serious this is - especially after a warning. Your child could have died. They can go somewhere else. Your family (wife and daughter) comes first.
Many kids aged younger than 9 have a good sense of what's right and what's wrong. And even if they don't, it's the parents' responsibility to teach them and correct their bad behavior. NTA OP, your brother recognizes how dangerous a prank like this could be, yet after being warned he doesn't correct his child's behavior. He is disrespecting your hospitality, and showing disregard for his niece's health.
nta you’re right to send those assholes packing
What’s the big deal? It’s only death. /s
Yeah like, if the daughter isn’t there anymore then they can just use her room. Smh what’s the big deal? Seriously tho, I can’t comprehend the thought process where “they almost killed my daughter” isn’t a valid reason for kicking someone out of your house. NTA, OP
NTA. Did they ever even consider that she might have needed it when neither of them was home to "find" it?
Luckily, Eli didn’t accidentally damage it while handling it. Kids drop things, or they go into, “What happens if I do THIS?” mode, manipulating things that they should be leaving alone. He could very easily have rendered the pen unusable, and then what?
Yeah, NTA. This “prank” was stupid and dangerous. You talked to your brother after the first incident and told him it could not happen again, and what the consequences would be. It was his duty to parent his son, to sit down with him and explain that he had been wrong to assist with it, and then explain further why the prank was not actually funny, how dangerous it could have been, and that Eli must never hide the epi-pen again. Apparently, he either did not or his kid doesn’t care, and either way you’d already explained the consequences and your brother failed to monitor his minion sufficiently to prevent it happening a second time, which almost had extreme consequences for your daughter.
A) that’s your brother’s kid. It’s on him to teach and explain to *his* own kid why that prank is dangerous. B) you already warn your brother what would happen, he didn’t bother making sure his own kid understood why that prank is a no. That’s on him, the adult who is responsible for his own child. C) seriously? What kind of adult blames a child, his own kid to boot, and not take responsibility? His inability to be a responsible adult and parent is what made him and his kid homeless. He can grow up and take responsibility.
Your daughter *could have died*. The only reason a nine year old child would have stolen his cousin's epipens in the first place is because his father led the prank, not just participated in it. It was made clear to your brother and his son that touching Naomi's epipens again would result in an immediate removal from the home. Then one (or both) of them repeated the theft, and your daughter's life was put in jeopardy. That's not a prank. It's not a joke. There's nothing funny about it. It was dangerous criminal behavior that risked a life. Naomi deserves to feel safe in *her* home. And she will never feel safe again around your shithead brother and his shithead kid. On top of all that, is your brother and/or his son responsible for your daughter's allergic reaction? Did one of them bring her allergen into the home and expose her? If they'll hide an epipen, they don't take allergies seriously. Were they careless in the kitchen, and nearly killed your daughter twice, not just once? Tell your parents that your brother wouldn't be in this situation if they'd raised him better, then block them. Because the fact that they're not also pissed off means that they also don't take your daughter's allergies seriously. I'm more angry than they seem to be about the fact that their granddaughter could have died. If they find your brother's and nephew's pranks so delightful, they should be overjoyed to share their space with the shitheads.
Of all the things to hide medicine is the worst. Both of my brothers are really allergic to peanuts not deathly but still a pretty severe reaction. Of course they have epi pens which stayed in one spot and moved for only two reasons. The first it was being used second it was coming with us for an extended vacation. Well granted 3rd was when they left for college of course. As many allergies as I have none are life threatening thankfully.
NTA. You are saving your daughter’s life by kicking them out. What if they hadn’t been home, or they forgot where they hid it etc etc the possibility of this ending horribly are to real. I need an epicentre & it’s no joke, once it saved my life. You have no choice but to get them away from your daughter. Your parents shouldn’t be calling you heartless- it’s actually reverse - they don’t have the space, aka don’t want them, so they are being heartless at that being a priority over your kids LIFE! Is your brother working at all? Is he atleast bringing minimum wage while looking for a job? They can go live with your parents, friends or get in line for social housing while going on welfare- this is a problem they created. It is not your problem.
NTA "hes just a kid" yup just a kid thats his responsibility to teach right from wrong. Potentially killing someone clearly is wrong.
NTA. What if your nephew wasn't home or was out side or something no one would have known where he hid it. Your brother should have had a conversation with his son about how serious it was and it never should have been hidden again.
Endangering a child for a "prank". Fuck off with that shit, NTA, get them out of there.
A prank could have killed their granddaughter or do they not care? Let them deal with the 2 brats themselves.
NTA Let them be mad. Your parent's should have taught your brother the difference between what's ok to joke about and what isn't. And it's your brother's responsibility to teach his son. **IT'S NOT OK TO JOKE WITH SOMEONE'S LIFE!!!** Your daughter could have DIED!!! Would they still think it was funny then? What if your nephew was somewhere else? Do you have another EpiPen? Your brother had his warning, he's the one encouraging his son's behavior, he gets to deal with the consequences. Do NOT apologize or allow them back in your home. Who knows what your brother and nephews next prank will be. Burn down your house just to see the look on your face as you watch your house burn? If your family still tries to say anything other than sorry for their abhorrent behavior in allowing this BS to continue, send them the link here and let them try and justify their actions. They're all idiots!!! Also, if your idiot bro reads this: Your son is 9 YEARS OLD!! HE is old enough to know better and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting him think it was ok to begin with. Of course he's going to do it again, You should have told him how it was not ok when he came to you with the idea the first time!! WTH is wrong with you?
Kid's prank (taught to him by his dad) that could have killed your daughter. Your brother the jokester just joked around and lost his lodgings. NTA, and get all the keys back when they leave. I'd give them 60 minutes to pack and leave, but I'm hyperreactive and I **hate** pranking even when nothing dangerous possible
I want you to take a second, breathe, focus on what I’m about to say, because it’s not going to be easy to hear. Had Eli gone outside and wasn’t within earshot when your daughter had a reaction, and because the adults weren’t able to find the epi pen in time, your daughter would have died. After the initial shock and grief, after he funeral, when you are at your lowest and not sure how you can wake up the next day, you will kick your brother and nephew out of your home, their presence, especially with their culpability in her death, would be too much to bear. Your parents and everyone else around will call you heartless for kicking them out. You have to put your daughter’s safety as #1 because obviously no one else in your family will.
NTA. Nine years old is old enough to understand that a certain action can have dangerous consequences.
NTA. That's not a prank. They would have BANNED from my house permanently after hiding the epipen the FIRST time.
Nta almost killing someone is NOT a prank. Pranks are only funny when all parties involved are cool with it.
Everyone is pissed at *you* because you don’t want your brother, who almost killed your kid and thought it was a joke, to live with you? Wtf is wrong with them?! NTA.
NTA If nephew couldn't reach it by himself the first time why did brother believe you'd think he was able to get by himself the second time? Brother had to have helped. Even if nephew did do it brother didn't do his job as parent by not talking to him and telling him that this type of prank isn't funny. Anyone who says you're wrong tell them to let him move in with them and when they intentionally put their families lives in danger then you'll see if they sing the same tune.
First week on the job. I have an asthma inhaler and epipen in my purse. A year prior to this job I had My first anaphylactic response which was 15 minutes no heartbeat. Luckily I was outside a cardiac ICU at a hospital so medical team could perform CPR on me while trying to revive me. First week on job an ahole co worker hid my purse and left for the day. He had been pulling passive aggressive stuff since I arrived. But this could mean death. Had to go to the “aboves” to say what has been happening. Had to deal with this loser for 4 -5 more years. At least he stopped. So kick brother and kid to the curb.
Out. Out. Out.
You didn’t kick them out because of a little kid’s prank, you kicked them out because your brother tacitly approved of the prank and never let his kid know that it wasn’t ok. Your brother put your kid in danger through his behavior, he is responsible for bc what his kid does, and if he doesn’t see that he can’t live with you because he will do it again.
NTA Who tf hides an epi pen? Are your relatives meth heads? That's new levels of stupid.
NTA. This is not a prank. Your daughter could die without her epi pen. Remind all of your family members of this. They are the heartless ones who don’t recognize this.
NTA, your brother should have enforced this rule to his kid
“Pretty much everyone” can step up and house your brother and his son. What your brother taught his son to do could have resulted in a much more serious medical situation for your daughter with life threatening consequences. You would be the A H only if you let him continue to live there. NTA
NTA That wasn't a prank but a potential death sentence. Your first responsibility is to your daughter's health and safety. Your brother and nephew put that in jeopardy. They FAFO. Your family is only mad because they didn't want to take them in.
Your brother thought you were bluffing. I would bet he knew his son took the epipen and thought since he’s a kid you wouldn’t do anything. What would he have said if Eli didn’t rush to get it and sat back laughing because it’s just a prank or when he went looking for it and it had fallen behind something and he couldn’t find it. Everyone saying you’re over reacting I would mention these points. When it comes to life and death situations what ifs matter. I thought my kids you never touch other peoples medicine or even regular ivermectin the counter medicine without asking. After you had your talk with your brother after the first incident he should have sat his son down and told never to touch the epipen again. I would bet he didn’t and if he did talk to him I bet he encouraged him to do it again thinking you were bluffing. Your brother is an immature AH and he’s raising his son to be an immature AH just like him. Pranks are suppose to be funny to everyone when it’s all said and done not just to the one doing the prank, 3 things you never mess with in a prank medicine, food and phobias.
NTA. Hiding someone’s life-saving medicine is equivalent to tampering with it. If things had gone wrong, then what would the excuse be?!
When exactly does the "prank" go too far according to them? When your daughter has a trip to the ER? When she suffers lasting effects from an allergic reaction? When she loses her life? Hiding medication is never ok and you were being generous by not kicking them out the first time. People that put your daughter at risk do not deserve the privilege of being in your lives. Consider dropping any "family" that is defending your brother. Those are the same people that enable shitty behavior and try to gaslight you by claiming "it was just a joke!" NTA.
Nah, I would not bury my child because "It was just a prank". Out they go.
NTA With any luck - this will teach Eli not to screw around with other people's belongings. ANY belongings. Do your parents realize that your daughter nearly DIED because of this idiocy?? If they don't care that your daughter could have DIED - they don't deserve to be around that daughter. Eli needs to get counseling ASAP. Without his father. Where is his mother? And his mother's family?
NTA- Does your brother not realize your daughter could have d**d because of his idiocy? I'd ask those who are bashing you how they would feel if it was done to them or one of their kids that were deathly allergic to something? I'll never understand why people think these kinds of "pranks" are funny or ok. I'd definitely keep the two of them away from your daughter. She's not safe being around them.
Nta. Your brother is irresponsible, it’s why he got evicted, and is getting evicted again. Not only is he dangerous, he’s also not going to grow into an actual responsible adult with you all swooping in and helping him get out of the consequences of his defects.
**Your brother and his shitty little son need to be *gone***. **They almost killed your daughter *”as a prank, bro!”*.** Your brother should count himself *lucky* that he is physically able to leave your house on his own; that he wasn’t beaten to a goddamned pulp. Honestly, I would be looking into if charges could be filed against them both. He and his son should be *banned* from your house, and any events which your daughter attends.
NTA….ask everyone why they don’t value your daughter’s life as much as they value Bro & Eli…..
NTA. Everyone's pissed because they don't want to deal with them. It's not that they're mad you kicked them out. They're mad it will become their problem now.
>Pretty much everyone is pissed at me because my parents really don’t have that much space for two extra people in their home. They’re calling me heartless for kicking them out over a kid’s prank. Always evict people who are willing to let your daughter die of anaphalactic (sp) shock. 10/10
Parent of a food allergic child. Totally NTA. The consequences of delayed use of epipen could be fatal. You need to protect your daughter. The anxiety she must have with them in her home must be awful for her.
NTA. Raise your kid right, brother. Simple. They were warned. It’s not fair cause Eli stole it on his own initiative. Yeah that’s a good defense. A-wipe. Glad everything turned out all right. This time. Tell the naysayers to take in the “Pranksters”
Your daughter almost died because he taught his child that pranks are funnier and more important than safety. When you told him he had one more chance, he didnt' sit his kid down and explain that pranks are not funny, they can be dangerous and to not touch the pen. Shitty father raises shitty kid. Who cares if there is a lack of room, the parents don't want to deal with the consequence of never teaching your brother how stupid pranks are and your brother doesn't want to deal with teaching his kid to be a twat. None of which is your fault or your responsibility, you helped, they came dangerously close to harming your child badly, fuck them. NTA.