I (34M) am child-free and have been my entire life. I’ve always loved hobbies like building LEGO sets, collecting action figures, and even some light gaming. Over the years, I’ve turned one of the rooms in my house into a "toy room," which is essentially my personal space filled with collectibles, intricate LEGO models, and a few rare items I’ve spent a lot of time and money acquiring.

My sister (38F) has three kids: 9F, 7M, and 5M. She’s always known I’m into this stuff and never seemed to care until recently when her family came over for a visit. Her youngest son (5M) saw the room while I was showing my brother-in-law around the house and immediately got excited. He asked if he could go in and play.

I gently told him that the room wasn’t for playing, and I’d be happy to set up some toys he could use in the living room instead. This didn’t go over well with my sister. She said I was being ridiculous and that I should let the kids "be kids" and enjoy themselves. I stood firm and explained that many of the items in that room were fragile, expensive, or had sentimental value.

Her kids were disappointed, and she accused me of being "selfish" and "not understanding how to be part of a family." She’s since brought it up multiple times, saying I’m "hoarding toys from actual children" and making her feel unwelcome.

To be clear, I love my niece and nephews. I’ve always gotten them gifts for their birthdays and played with them when they visit. But I see my collection as more of a hobby or an art display than something for kids to handle. It’s not like I have a house full of toys and I’m refusing to share—it’s one dedicated room that I’ve spent years building up.

My parents are split on the issue. My mom thinks I could’ve "compromised" by supervising the kids in the room, but my dad sides with me, saying it’s my house and my rules. My sister’s still upset, and now I’m starting to wonder if I overreacted.

So, AITA for not letting my sister’s kids play in my toy room?

The British prongs look like they can handle enough current to charge an EV in 10min and not even be bothered

32M here, and I can't help but feel old seeing that most people my age who are single are moms. Nothing against single moms at all—I even tried dating one when I was 28, a 33F, thinking that was my only option at the time. But honestly, it turned into a complete disaster. The relationship was incredibly messy—so many awkward dynamics with her kid and the father. I felt like I had 100% of the responsibility but zero authority. Anytime I tried to step in or say something, I was labeled the bad guy or accused of not loving her child.

The kid also served as a constant reminder of her ex-husband, and she often compared me to him, claiming he was better—even though, by her own accounts, he was worse. It was incredibly frustrating. Also you can see the disrespect in the kid behavior. Looking back, I’m glad I walked away because, in hindsight, she just wanted someone to act as a father figure for her child and help her out, and then have another kid with her. that relationship left me pretty traumatized, it still haunts me time to time, fuckk i hate ruminating over that relationship.

I’ve realized that the single mom route just isn’t for me—it didn’t work out, and I don’t think I could go through that again.

But man, getting back into dating is rough. It feels like single moms are everywhere, and it just makes me feel even older. Yikes. Just needed to vent.

for context, i’m 14f almost 15

• no devices in my room

• my internet gets turned off if i don’t do what i’m asked to within 10 minutes

• my screen time is 15 minutes for most of my apps

• absolutely no boys till i’m 18+

• no social media at all

• i can’t close my door (even my bathroom door)

• i’m not allowed a phone till i’m 16-17

• no passwords on any of my devices (such as my ipad and pc)

• all devices get checked every 2 days

• i have to be asleep by 10:30pm or i don’t get internet for 24 hours (it’s currently 11:30pm)

• my apple watch and ipad can never have their location turned off

•my parents downloaded an app where they can access all my messages, photos, search history even if it’s deleted and more.

i’m struggling. 😭

edit: keep in mind my sister who’s 12 has NONE of these rules. she has about 6 boy best friends and has social media, a phone, and no curfew

So... I was out with my toddler at a playground

A random well-meaning(I hope) woman approached me to tell me what I was doing wrong, the risks of helicopter-parenting, the benefits of a dog companion, how to change my toddler's diapers etc

I just smiled and nodded my head through it as she told me damn near everything I knew already. I don't understand why she felt she had to give me a 10 minutes lecture on how to be a parent, and a part of me felt like it's because I am a man, and that automatically means I know less about caring for a kid than a woman