Guy Makes Homeless Brother And Nephew Leave After Severely Endangering His Daughter With Their Prank
Interview With Expert
When kids first learn about the concept of pranks, there are probably only a few things that they find funnier. But as time goes by, most people realize the issues that this behavior usually comes with, and they either grow to do it more subtly or stop it altogether.
However, that is not always the case. As one Redditor shared, his brother has always considered himself to be a jokester and has never grown out of it, all while teaching his son to act the same. When the poster’s sibling got evicted, the man took his brother and nephew in, only to kick them out soon after because of a severely dangerous prank the kid played on the author’s daughter after being taught to do so by his dad. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: Reddit
People who never grow out of pranking are usually nothing more than annoying, but sometimes, they can create downright dangerous situations
Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)
A man and his wife took in his prankster brother and nephew, who were evicted from their home due to getting fired
Image credits: Tatiana Syrikova (not the actual photo)
The nephew, with the help of his dad, decided to play a prank on his cousin by hiding her allergy medicine, which made the poster mad when he found out about it
Image credits: Stock Catalog (not the actual photo)
Despite a warning, a couple of weeks later, the boy decided to play the same prank again, and this time put the girl in severe danger, as she was having an allergic reaction
Image credits: Common-Efficiency338
The boy managed to get the medicine in time, but the girl’s father was so angry that he sent his brother and son packing
The OP shared that his brother and 9-year-old son, Eli, were recently evicted after the man lost his job. Since the only other option for them was to stay with the OP’s parents, who didn’t have much free space, the poster and his wife took them in.
Since the brother has always considered himself to be a prankster, he taught the same to his son. So, one day during their stay, the kid, with the help of his father, decided to play a prank on the author’s daughter by hiding her EpiPen, which is vitally important to be accessible to her as she’s allergic to many things.
When the OP found out about it, he scolded his brother and warned him that if anything like that happened again, he and his son would be kicked out. But a couple of weeks later, Eli did the same thing, and this time, the situation was a lot more serious.
Thankfully, the boy went and got the EpiPen in time, but the poster was done. He told his brother and nephew to leave, which resulted in family drama and the OP being called heartless.
The commenters, however, were all sure the author did nothing wrong. They collectively agreed that hiding a life-saving medicine is by no means a joke and that the brother is raising his son to be a jerk just like him.
Image credits: Plato Terentev (not the actual photo)
It’s quite likely that every one of us knows someone who never grew out of playing pranks on others, even though everyone around them did. That raises a question: Why are some people like this? To help us find that answer, Bored Panda reached out to Nick Hatter, a therapeutic life coach, who was glad to lend us his expertise.
Nick began by explaining that just because people grow older, it doesn’t necessarily mean they grow up psychologically, as the ‘inner child’ still remains a part of us. “Playing pranks and being silly comes from that part of us. Some people are developmentally stunted, psychologically speaking. Physically, they could be in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. But mentally, a part of them may be anywhere from 0 to 10 years old!”
When it comes to playing dangerous pranks, the expert said that for teenagers, this comes from a developmental phase they go through when they want to establish an ego/identity that is separate from their parents. If the person is mentally stuck at that age, such behavior may as well transfer to later years, too.
“Going against parental wishes and authority can be one way they try to establish ego independence — even if it means putting themselves, or others, in great danger!” said Nick, adding that playing pranks might also help teens fulfill their emotional needs for status and attention from others, like being known as a jokester.
If someone is in a similar position to the OP and has to deal with a person close to them playing pranks where they really shouldn’t be, the expert suggested setting firm boundaries. “If you’re a parent, make sure the consequences/punishment[s] are clear and stick to them. Follow through. Do not resort to hitting (which is physical abuse).”
“For someone who is not a child, e.g., a relative/friend, use the formula, ‘When you did X, I felt Y, and I would prefer it if you could do Z. If the behavior continues, remind them of the boundary,” said Nick, adding that if all else fails, it may be necessary to cut that person out of your life, as allowing your boundaries to be violated will diminish your self-esteem over time, creating resentment and shame from within.
In the end, it seems like the OP’s solution to the problem was really the only way to go. It’s understandable why his family may have viewed it as a harsh thing to do. However, when pranks are not only annoying but also put people in serious danger, the issue becomes something that cannot be ignored.
What did you think about the story? Do you think the OP could’ve handled the situation differently? Tell us all about it below!
The commenters supported the author and agreed that the only jerk in the story was his brother for allowing such dangerous pranks to take place
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
You May Also Like
Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk
Do you think childless individuals should be expected to chip in for group babysitting costs during friend gatherings?
17 Y.O. Is Done Sharing Her Birthday With Her Late Twin, Parents Are Not Having It
Do you think the girl should be allowed to celebrate her birthday without the remembrance of her deceased twin?
A prank is using a whoopie couching, not something that could kill someone. Anyone who has a problem with this man's decision is welcome to take them in. They were literally playing games with the daughter's life!
That must have been terrifying for OP’s daughter (not to mention OP and his wife). If that was me I wouldn’t feel safe in my own home. I’d be checking my epipen every minute in paranoia. It’s crazy that OP’s brother doesn’t understand how serious this is. And I doubt he sat his son down and told him not to take the epipen. Easier to apologise than teach his son.
Load More Replies...
It wasn't funny the first time. AFAIK hiding life saving medicine can be a criminal offence. Dude should definitely GTFO.
Grandma, grandpa: your one grandchild almost killed your other grandchild. And you are whining about living space??
Hopefully OP has noted just which of the grandkids Grandma and Grandpa actually give a damn about.
Load More Replies...
Nope, not too harsh. The fact that he's still claiming it's 'just a child's prank' shows he clearly doesn't care for anyone. The brother is a bully and raises his child to be a bully too. The 9 year old clearly doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation, and as soon as this blows over, will prank her again. And you bet it will be just as ignorant, destructive and cruel as the last one. It's not the 9 year olds fault, but with such a father he won't learn unless something really bad, truly traumatic happens that'll teach him not to trust his father's skewered sense of 'humour' and OP can't risk that being the death of his daughter. He's responsible for his own family and their protection first, his brother is second. He told them clearly what would happen if they dared touching his daughter's life saving medicine and they showed him they just don't get it. They had their chance and wasted it. That's on them. It's not hard to just not prank someone to stay welcome.
Hiding her toothbrush is a prank. Hiding her EpiPen is attempted murder.
It's only a good prank if everyone laughs about it afterwards, including the person who was pranked. I hardly need to add (but I'm going to anyway) that a prank which ends in a medical emergency doesn't count as "good" or funny. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
There are some things you just do NOT mess with. Food. Meds. Medical equipment. Mobility equipment.
If the grandparents have no room, then daddy can get a hotel room for himself and son. He best get a job real soon, wherever he can. Because I sure as heck wouldn't be taking him in again. Possibly the son only, but that kid would be learning some rules REAL quick.
F**k this noise they'd be out my house so fast their feet wouldn't touch the ground.
Yeah + they'd have NO time to pack their s**t.
Load More Replies...
Reckless endangerment. That's the term I was looking for and couldn't remember, even in my own language to be able to look it up.
Load More Replies...
Curious as the what caused the need for the epi-pen. If they take her need to be able to put her hand on it at a moments notice as something to joke about I'd bet they would be careless about preventing her need for it too. Get them out of the house yesterday. 10000000 times NTA.
My thoughts exactly, did they also think giving her something she's allergic to was 'funny' as well?
Load More Replies...
It's only a prank if you know the person you're pranking will laugh/appreciate it. If you know they won't, or even if you're not sure, then it's not a prank, it's bullying. Parents that teach their kids to "prank" without teaching them this distinction are s****y parents and s****y people.
You were doing them a favour and as a result your daughter wasn't safe in her own home? They're lucky you didn't report it to the police or social services.
Soooooo........hiding an EpiPen is a "harmless" prank, and it was supposed to be a "joke." Well, if that's the case, what exactly was the punchline supposed to be, DOA due to anaphylaxis? A real gut buster, for sure /s. Obviously the bad apple doesn't fall too far from the diseased tree. OP wasn't just evicting a couple of pranksters, but a couple of potential murder defendants.
What if Eli hadn't been home to retrieve the pen????
I have a younger brother and while we both never made it out of the jokester phase, we understand the phrase "Life or death ain't a prank". Worst case we've ever done was shut off the heater while the other was showering or hiding a trinket or two that was suddenly a necessity on a special occasion. This though, IS life or death and OP did well to throw his sh*tty excuse of a comedy act extended family out the door. Hope he let the door hit them on the way out as one last reminder and prank payback. SMH!
Hiding people's things is also stupid. No one wants that kind of irritation, especially if they're under a time crunch while prepping to go out. It's even worse if it's a treasured item and suddenly they don't know where it is. There's nothing funny about hiding things
Load More Replies...
i recently looked up the legal consequences of what would happen when someone takes away a medical device (insulin pump, hearing aid, etc) because i had been reading a story about a substitute teacher confiscating a child's hearing aids. turns out it would probably fall under "theft of medical device" and could result in up to 20 years in prison. pretty sure an epi-pen would be considered a medical device. that's how absolutely severe this kind of "prank" is.
Pranks are stupid. All of them, full stop. They're never funny to the person being pranked, and people who make pranking their whole personality are immature, boring, and obnoxious. I'd have tossed this guy and his kid the FIRST time they hid the Epipen. You don't fool around with someone's medication.
DON'T ever even think of being the a*****e here. They put your girl into unnecessary jeopardy which could have been fatal! You cannot at any time risk this again! (And yes, I have an epipen as well). You should have evicted them after the first time "prank". This is no pranking. It shows they have no compassion, no empathy and no sense of responsibility.
The brother is not immature, he is actually an a*****e. If the girl had had a serious problem he could actually have faced serious criminal charges. He is also responsible for not teaching his kid there are limits and consequences. Perhaps the nine-year-old boy doesn't understand how serious the situation is, but he should have learnt you don't interfere with other people's property, especially medicines.
So the rest of the family is all upset about idiot pranksters facing consequences for what could reasonably be called ATTEMPTED MURDER, but no concern given to the victim of the "prank", the child who nearly DIED? Guess we know who the favorites are in THAT family.
I would have kicked them out like how you would kick out a pest from your home.
Evict them? How about getting the police involved.... 9 is too young to REALLY charge with attempted murd3r, but the threat would probably scare the cr@p out of him and brother..... :-D
I'd be asking the parents if they'd be so accommodating of their grandson's "joke" if it meant their granddaughter was dead.
It shouldn't have happened in the first place. After it happened once all of the ✨adults✨ should have sat Eli down to have a serious discussion about Naomi's allergies and the importance of this pen. The fact that it happened TWICE?
I can imagine my 8 year old daughter hiding an epi pen, getting caught, and my wife and I explaining it's life threatening and not to do it again. She'd be distraught over the thought of endangering someone, to say the least. I can't imagine helping her hide it. And after I made it clear the first time it puts a life in danger she'd never do it again. She's no angel, there's plenty she does repeatedly and gets punished for. But she'd never put somebody's life in danger after being informed. And what kind of POS parent helps their kid hide a life saving device as a "prank."
I would give those to one minute to grab their shoes and GTFO, then toss their stuff out the front door over the next five minutes. Even if it were at 1am. But I do blame the OP for letting "pranksters" in the house to begin with. I never would under any circumstances.
I'm not fatally allergic to anything but I could not live with people who thought it was funny to hide my things, especially medications. Yes, it is not the 9-year-old's fault his dad is teaching him to be an a$$hole but the OP was right to kick them out. His daughter could have died, and his brother is recklessly endangering his niece. He taught his son that it was funny to hide her EpiPen in the first place and did not later teach his kid not to do that. I'm very curious as to how this man lost his job and if he was fired for his immature and reckless behavior. I wouldn't trust those two not to give her food she's allergic too because dying of anaphylactic shock is apparently funny.
I would've kicked him out from the first time, but that wouldn't have been fair to the kid. After the kid did it, just proves that they're both selfish AH that don't care about endangering the daughter
“Prank”?? Correction: that’s called “ATTEMPTED MURDER”!! The kid was told that EpiPen was to keep OP’s daughter alive; he STILL played with it & deliberately hid it! Honest to god, the entitlement & sheer gall of some people. 😑🤦♀️
A prank is using a whoopie couching, not something that could kill someone. Anyone who has a problem with this man's decision is welcome to take them in. They were literally playing games with the daughter's life!
That must have been terrifying for OP’s daughter (not to mention OP and his wife). If that was me I wouldn’t feel safe in my own home. I’d be checking my epipen every minute in paranoia. It’s crazy that OP’s brother doesn’t understand how serious this is. And I doubt he sat his son down and told him not to take the epipen. Easier to apologise than teach his son.
Load More Replies... It wasn't funny the first time. AFAIK hiding life saving medicine can be a criminal offence. Dude should definitely GTFO.
Grandma, grandpa: your one grandchild almost killed your other grandchild. And you are whining about living space??
Hopefully OP has noted just which of the grandkids Grandma and Grandpa actually give a damn about.
Load More Replies... Nope, not too harsh. The fact that he's still claiming it's 'just a child's prank' shows he clearly doesn't care for anyone. The brother is a bully and raises his child to be a bully too. The 9 year old clearly doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation, and as soon as this blows over, will prank her again. And you bet it will be just as ignorant, destructive and cruel as the last one. It's not the 9 year olds fault, but with such a father he won't learn unless something really bad, truly traumatic happens that'll teach him not to trust his father's skewered sense of 'humour' and OP can't risk that being the death of his daughter. He's responsible for his own family and their protection first, his brother is second. He told them clearly what would happen if they dared touching his daughter's life saving medicine and they showed him they just don't get it. They had their chance and wasted it. That's on them. It's not hard to just not prank someone to stay welcome.
Hiding her toothbrush is a prank. Hiding her EpiPen is attempted murder.
It's only a good prank if everyone laughs about it afterwards, including the person who was pranked. I hardly need to add (but I'm going to anyway) that a prank which ends in a medical emergency doesn't count as "good" or funny. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
There are some things you just do NOT mess with. Food. Meds. Medical equipment. Mobility equipment.
If the grandparents have no room, then daddy can get a hotel room for himself and son. He best get a job real soon, wherever he can. Because I sure as heck wouldn't be taking him in again. Possibly the son only, but that kid would be learning some rules REAL quick.
F**k this noise they'd be out my house so fast their feet wouldn't touch the ground.
Yeah + they'd have NO time to pack their s**t.
Load More Replies... Reckless endangerment. That's the term I was looking for and couldn't remember, even in my own language to be able to look it up.
Load More Replies... Curious as the what caused the need for the epi-pen. If they take her need to be able to put her hand on it at a moments notice as something to joke about I'd bet they would be careless about preventing her need for it too. Get them out of the house yesterday. 10000000 times NTA.
My thoughts exactly, did they also think giving her something she's allergic to was 'funny' as well?
Load More Replies... It's only a prank if you know the person you're pranking will laugh/appreciate it. If you know they won't, or even if you're not sure, then it's not a prank, it's bullying. Parents that teach their kids to "prank" without teaching them this distinction are s****y parents and s****y people.
You were doing them a favour and as a result your daughter wasn't safe in her own home? They're lucky you didn't report it to the police or social services.
Soooooo........hiding an EpiPen is a "harmless" prank, and it was supposed to be a "joke." Well, if that's the case, what exactly was the punchline supposed to be, DOA due to anaphylaxis? A real gut buster, for sure /s. Obviously the bad apple doesn't fall too far from the diseased tree. OP wasn't just evicting a couple of pranksters, but a couple of potential murder defendants.
What if Eli hadn't been home to retrieve the pen????
I have a younger brother and while we both never made it out of the jokester phase, we understand the phrase "Life or death ain't a prank". Worst case we've ever done was shut off the heater while the other was showering or hiding a trinket or two that was suddenly a necessity on a special occasion. This though, IS life or death and OP did well to throw his sh*tty excuse of a comedy act extended family out the door. Hope he let the door hit them on the way out as one last reminder and prank payback. SMH!
Hiding people's things is also stupid. No one wants that kind of irritation, especially if they're under a time crunch while prepping to go out. It's even worse if it's a treasured item and suddenly they don't know where it is. There's nothing funny about hiding things
Load More Replies... i recently looked up the legal consequences of what would happen when someone takes away a medical device (insulin pump, hearing aid, etc) because i had been reading a story about a substitute teacher confiscating a child's hearing aids. turns out it would probably fall under "theft of medical device" and could result in up to 20 years in prison. pretty sure an epi-pen would be considered a medical device. that's how absolutely severe this kind of "prank" is.
Pranks are stupid. All of them, full stop. They're never funny to the person being pranked, and people who make pranking their whole personality are immature, boring, and obnoxious. I'd have tossed this guy and his kid the FIRST time they hid the Epipen. You don't fool around with someone's medication.
DON'T ever even think of being the a*****e here. They put your girl into unnecessary jeopardy which could have been fatal! You cannot at any time risk this again! (And yes, I have an epipen as well). You should have evicted them after the first time "prank". This is no pranking. It shows they have no compassion, no empathy and no sense of responsibility.
The brother is not immature, he is actually an a*****e. If the girl had had a serious problem he could actually have faced serious criminal charges. He is also responsible for not teaching his kid there are limits and consequences. Perhaps the nine-year-old boy doesn't understand how serious the situation is, but he should have learnt you don't interfere with other people's property, especially medicines.
So the rest of the family is all upset about idiot pranksters facing consequences for what could reasonably be called ATTEMPTED MURDER, but no concern given to the victim of the "prank", the child who nearly DIED? Guess we know who the favorites are in THAT family.
I would have kicked them out like how you would kick out a pest from your home.
Evict them? How about getting the police involved.... 9 is too young to REALLY charge with attempted murd3r, but the threat would probably scare the cr@p out of him and brother..... :-D
I'd be asking the parents if they'd be so accommodating of their grandson's "joke" if it meant their granddaughter was dead.
It shouldn't have happened in the first place. After it happened once all of the ✨adults✨ should have sat Eli down to have a serious discussion about Naomi's allergies and the importance of this pen. The fact that it happened TWICE?
I can imagine my 8 year old daughter hiding an epi pen, getting caught, and my wife and I explaining it's life threatening and not to do it again. She'd be distraught over the thought of endangering someone, to say the least. I can't imagine helping her hide it. And after I made it clear the first time it puts a life in danger she'd never do it again. She's no angel, there's plenty she does repeatedly and gets punished for. But she'd never put somebody's life in danger after being informed. And what kind of POS parent helps their kid hide a life saving device as a "prank."
I would give those to one minute to grab their shoes and GTFO, then toss their stuff out the front door over the next five minutes. Even if it were at 1am. But I do blame the OP for letting "pranksters" in the house to begin with. I never would under any circumstances.
I'm not fatally allergic to anything but I could not live with people who thought it was funny to hide my things, especially medications. Yes, it is not the 9-year-old's fault his dad is teaching him to be an a$$hole but the OP was right to kick them out. His daughter could have died, and his brother is recklessly endangering his niece. He taught his son that it was funny to hide her EpiPen in the first place and did not later teach his kid not to do that. I'm very curious as to how this man lost his job and if he was fired for his immature and reckless behavior. I wouldn't trust those two not to give her food she's allergic too because dying of anaphylactic shock is apparently funny.
I would've kicked him out from the first time, but that wouldn't have been fair to the kid. After the kid did it, just proves that they're both selfish AH that don't care about endangering the daughter
“Prank”?? Correction: that’s called “ATTEMPTED MURDER”!! The kid was told that EpiPen was to keep OP’s daughter alive; he STILL played with it & deliberately hid it! Honest to god, the entitlement & sheer gall of some people. 😑🤦♀️
72
45