‘AITA for fighting with my mother after finding out she’s preaching her new religion to my daughter?’

A Redditor found herself in a unique situation after witnessing her 59-year-old mother “indoctrinating” her seven-year-old daughter with the tenets of a religious cult she had been following recently. 

Taking to the 'Am I the A**hole' subsection of Reddit, the 32-year-old author shared that her mother, who “has always been a bit of a free spirit,” often babysat her daughter. However, recently she “saw red” when she found her daughter saying some “really strange” things that she had heard from her grandmother. 

The OP, asked the question to fellow Redditors, “AITAH for Falling Out with My Mom After Finding Out She’s Preaching Her New Religion to My Daughter?”

OP has a ‘falling out’ with her mother

Giving the background, the Redditor said her 59-year-old mother is “the type of person who goes all in on whatever new thing she’s into like crystals, yoga retreats, you name it".

"But recently, she joined this really intense religious group, and things have gotten… weird," she wrote.

“At first, I didn’t say much about it. She seemed happy, and I figured it was one of her phases,” shared the OP, before adding that her mother usually lost interest after a year or two. 

But lately, the mother started talking about the religion a lot. The OP admitted, “I shrugged it off because, honestly, I didn’t want to argue with her.”

However, OP’s mother would often babysit the OP’s daughter when she was working late and that was where the problem started.

The woman said, “I thought it was all good crafts, baking cookies, the usual grandma stuff.”

“But last week, my daughter came home and started saying some really strange things,” shared the OP, quickly adding, “Stuff like, “Grandma said we have to prepare for the end times” and “Only the chosen people will be safe"."

Flabbergasted, she asked her daughter “where she heard that". Her daughter replied, “Grandma talks to me about it all the time. She reads me stories and tells me what will happen to people who don’t believe."

OP gets angry after her mother 'crosses a major boundary'

This was the last straw for the woman. “Y’all, I saw red,” confessed the OP, and shared, “I called my mom right away and asked her what the hell she was doing. She didn’t even deny it! She said she was just “sharing her beliefs” and that she was “helping” my daughter by teaching her the truth.”

The OP told her mother in clear terms that this was "completely unacceptable". The woman shared, “She got super defensive, saying I was “trying to silence her” and “keeping my daughter’s soul in danger"."

“I lost it. I told her that she was crossing a major boundary and that I wouldn’t let her see my daughter anymore if she couldn’t keep her religion to herself. She basically said she couldn’t make that promise because her faith is “too important"," added the OP.

Her bursting out, however, divided the family. “Now, half my family is mad at me," said the OP.

“My brother is on my side and thinks Mom’s gone off the deep end, but some of my aunts and cousins are saying I’m being too harsh and that I’m “punishing her for her beliefs"," continued the OP. 

She reasoned, “But like, I’m not banning her religion or telling her she can’t practice it. I just don’t want her indoctrinating my kid! My daughter is 7 she doesn’t even know what any of this stuff means yet!”

“So now, I feel stuck. My mom won’t back down, and I can’t trust her to babysit anymore,” added the OP, and asked “Am I overreacting here? Should I have handled it differently? AITAH?”

Internet declares OP is NTA for confronting her mother over religious indoctrination

The Reddit community sided with the OP as they felt she was right in setting a healthy boundary. 

One Reddit user said, "NTA, you’re 100% right to protect your daughter from being pushed into any ideology she’s not ready for. It’s not about silencing anyone, it’s about making sure your child isn’t influenced by something you don’t agree with. Your mom should respect your boundaries, especially when it comes to raising your kid."

"NTA! Keep you daughter on distance from your mom for the moment stuff like this can get out of control quickly specially where religion is involved!" said someone else.

Another Redditor declared, "NTA," before elaborating, "This is indoctrination, brainwashing, and abuse. She’s clearly comfortable crossing boundaries, and I’m sure this is one among many. Don’t let her be around your child unsupervised. She’s not to be trusted."

Another user declared, "This is crossing a major boundary, and it's important to protect your child from that kind of influence. You're doing the right thing by setting limits. NTA."

"NTA. She’s definitely crossing a line by talking to your daughter about that stuff. It’s your job to protect her from being pushed into things she doesn’t understand yet. You’re just setting a healthy boundary," explained someone else.

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