TIFU by accidentally giving my nephew a book about a little girl killing her family members

Submitted by AustinLVII t3_124tb2w in tifu

My sister got upset with me for giving my nephew a book that she felt was inappropriate for his age. I had been sorting through my childhood items and gave him some of my old toys and books. One particular book he wanted had a cover that displayed mature themes, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. The cover depicted a little girl with blood on her and a knife and axe in the background. I thought it was just a children's book with a creepy cover.

After giving my nephew the book, my sister called me and cursed me out, saying that I had given her son a book about a girl murdering people. I was confused because I didn't remember the book being about that. When I went to her house to see what book my nephew had received, I realized it was the book I had given him with the creepy cover.

The book was about a little girl who murders her aunts, but it was written in the format of a children's book and did not have any graphic scenes of the murders. Instead, there were pictures of the aftermath, like one aunt in a fishtank and another with her dead body covered by a carpet on the floor.

Also, the back of the book on the bottom literally says ages 14+

I apologized to my sister because I had forgotten what the book was actually about. While my sister may have overreacted, I do find the situation a little funny in retrospect.

TLDR; I gave my nephew a book without realizing it was not appropriate for his age. The book was about a little girl who murders her aunts, but was written in a children's book format without graphic scenes.

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pepsikitkat t1_je0x3d5 wrote

It's funny,, but I see her point,, just someone explain to the child that little girls don't cut their aunt's up and stuff them into a fish tanks,,gif

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___Phreak___ t1_je0xjkt wrote

Clearly some of them do, why lie?

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Shutthefunkdown t1_je20myb wrote

Because it's possibly a better idea to ease children into the reality of the world, than to shove it down their throats in sudden doses? Not saying to wrap them in cotton wool, but giving context and background before showing them harsh reality may give them some kind of foundation to work with whilst they process.

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nullpassword t1_je31r99 wrote

I know what happens when you're not ready. Book get shoved in the closet and you develop a slight aversion to closet. Cuz that's where the monsters go. (or at least that's where I shoved It )

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Mikisstuff t1_je2q0xe wrote

The irony of getting this book from the aunt tho...

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sphynxzyz t1_je1ct12 wrote

> The cover depicted a little girl with blood on her and a knife and axe in the background. I thought it was just a children's book with a creepy cover.

What world are you from that a childrens book has this as a cover? I just looked at the cover, while to a kid it might look like a childrens book, you as an adult should have maybe taken a look and realized it's not for a child. You said your nephews 7, book is 14+ yeah you FU.

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L41L41 t1_je1ivia wrote

>What world are you from that a childrens book has this as a cover?

Germany. Those were the fairytales my grandmother told my siblings and I before going to bed. Lead to some sleepless nights back when I was 6.

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Abbot_of_Cucany t1_je1kjqc wrote

Between Struwwelpeter and the folktales collected by the brothers Grimm, Germany has a long tradition of horrifying children's books.

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Loko8765 t1_je1mvwl wrote

For example, Cinderella… the glass slipper was not glass but a kind of fur, non-transparent, the stepsisters literally cut off one or several toes to get their foot inside, the prince doesn’t notice until his pet crow tells him to look at the blood dripping on the ground.

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yum_disc t1_je1oyir wrote

"Guru guru Blut ist im Schuh" i remember my teacher in elementary school read us that story lmao

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Penetrative_Pelican t1_je1r0eu wrote

I remember my mom once slipping up and putting on a tape of the fairytale where a boy put his head in a chest of apples and being decapitated

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Taleya t1_je29vyn wrote

One hacked off toes, the other parts of her heel iirc.

I grew up on Irish tales, reading Germans was nbd lol

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pinto_bean13 t1_je33cbf wrote

Then the crows pecked the stepsisters’ eyes out

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Loko8765 t1_je408bd wrote

Yikes, totally forgot that! Then again, I did read it when I was… maybe 12, because it’s relevant to the discussion, but in any case a long time ago!

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denatured_enzyme_ t1_je1y2rw wrote

omg when I was around 8 or 9 my mom bought me a book that was a compilation of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and she also bought a book of Grimms fairy tales. I had a blast reading Hans Christian Andersen's stories, and then I finished the book and thought hm maybe the brothers Grimm compilation will be just as good!

I was wrong. Shit gave me nightmares for YEARS. I didn't dare open the book again till I was 12.

The story that terrified me the most was something about a princess or a high-ranking girl (forgot what rank she was) whose mother died and her stepmother used it as an excuse to treat her badly, demoting her to the rank of a slave. I don't remember the story or what it was called, but she had a horse and it was her only friend, and then someone killed it? There was also at some point someone being decapitated and their head being buried in a potted plant, and she dug up the head by accident one day. What the fuck lmao. The only other detail I remember was one character being named Falada, I think it was the horse?? Idk that story freaked me out so much I never dared to read it again, so it's been years and my memory of it is hazy

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Blergh_MaGerks t1_je25g4z wrote

I have two copies of Struwwelpeter, one I was given as a child and then my Mom gave me the copy she had as a child. 100% the reason for my dark humor. I love that book so much.

And then he had no thumbs 👍🏽 ✂️

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deg897 t1_je4vdte wrote

The first ballet I’d seen was a Bros. Grimm version of Snow White performed by a Russian dance troupe. Man was it dark, violent and painful. Totally turned me on to ballet and, especially, Bros. Grimm fairy tales. But I’m not seven, either.

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vonhoother t1_je5dhpo wrote

When our daughter was small we bought the complete Grimm fairy tales. Some we read out loud. Some we didn't, like "The Jew in the Thornbush."

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ahkian t1_je1jat2 wrote

Some of the Goosebumps books had some creepy covers and they were definitely for kids

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AustinLVII OP t1_je1iusx wrote

I assumed it was some halloween themed book or something

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Jingoisticbell t1_je1l8a1 wrote

I would’ve made the same assumption, honestly. So, now you know!

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spitxpuppy t1_je2a2yu wrote

if you've seen the actual cover then you know how easily that could be mistaken by ANYONE for a children's book, it's very tame for the subject matter and cartoonish.

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dog_in_a_wheelchair t1_je3kqtf wrote

Lmao I love when people freak the fuck out over someone else’s lame family shit on Reddit

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Antassium t1_je1kf6p wrote

Yeah, I read books like this when I was younger. Not 7, but maybe 12-15.

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ThumbsUp2323 t1_je3wuei wrote

The really gruesome horror on that cover is how out of alignment and register the typeset is.

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TheRealMisterMemer t1_je1i8c3 wrote

CHERISE THE NIECE! There were people on r/tipofmytongue looking for that book a while back lol

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Agomir t1_je1jrk7 wrote

Then again, I remember some of Roald Dahl's books being quite gruesome at times...

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ThumbsUp2323 t1_je3va9n wrote

Lewd ah hell, as well.

We all know from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that "the snozzberries taste like snozzberries", but what exactly does that mean?

Dicks. It's a dick joke. Yah. Charlie and company were licking dick-flavored wallpaper.

How do we know? In a later work about "the greatest fornicator of all time", Dahl used the word "snozzberries" in an exchange about a sexual assault against Charles Bernard Shaw in a scheme to steal and sell his semen.

>"How did you manage to roll the old rubbery thing on him?"
>
>"There's only one way when they get violent," Yasmin said. "I grabbed hold of his snozzberry and hung onto it like grim death and gave it a twist or two to make him hold still."
>
>"Ow."
>
>"Very effective."
>
>"I'll bet it is."
>
>"You can lead them around anywhere you want like that."

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Jingoisticbell t1_je1mfyr wrote

Hope you have/keep the pre-2023 editions.

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EffectiveGeneral8425 t1_je4pnga wrote

Damn guess those 10 people didnt read a Rohald Dahl book as a kid and realise the language in it really effects fuck all.

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AustinLVII OP t1_je0ooz7 wrote

My nephew is 7 btw forgot to put that

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Oohshiny77 t1_je2ewi5 wrote

Don’t feel too bad, it was an honest mistake. Is your nephew reading at a high level? If he is you can have a discussion with him about the contents of the book and what he understands, unless his mother has completely nixed the book. I don’t really see an issue with it, but at 7 years old I was reading Pet Sematary, Firestarter, and The Shining and the like with my parents’ permission because they knew my comprehension level.

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mommyaiai t1_je37x94 wrote

Same! I thought I was the only one raised by Stephen King books.

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ScaryOtaku666 t1_je3yjvc wrote

May I ask what the book is called? Seems like an interesting read

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Liastro t1_je3ym56 wrote

Oof. Apologies and some groveling is probably due

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JaccoW t1_je2c7k4 wrote

That's pretty funny.

Reminds me of the time my family gave our two sheltered cousins a DVD for a movie called 100 girls.

We got it back shortly after.

Turns out it was about a guy who gets stuck with a girl in an elevator when the lights go out and they have an intense romance in the dark. When he wakes up she is gone and all be remembers is her titties would fit a champagne glass. To find her in the female dorm he tries dating all of them.

Shenanigans ensue.

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lookn_glas_shrd t1_je3ldum wrote

What a hilarious take on Cinderella. Glass slipper? Nah. Put your titty in this glass. Lmao.

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Apaniyan t1_je1hdeg wrote

I looked up the book, it's not that bad. Unless the kid is easily scared, it does seem like a dark humor book for kids. I wouldn't have batted an eye if you gave that to my three year old. She loves those kinds of books.

Eta: The preview I found I could only read up to where she killed the old one during a snow in. If it gets worse after that point then maybe not kid friendly.

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abthanee t1_je1mlvd wrote

Ew to the fact you said she overreacted. Yeah it's a bit funny but she didn't overreact. You didn't like her reaction.

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Siviawyndre t1_je2bqqy wrote

Being german, all these harsh reactions confuse me. Those were regular bedtime stories when I was little.

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thereia t1_je1hn9p wrote

Your sister did not overreact. You F’ed up.

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doingthehumptydance t1_je20uob wrote

Good thing you didn’t give the kid a bible, there is waaay worse shit in that!

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EzraKelley t1_je29gl6 wrote

Every year at Easter little kids are forced to hear about an innocent man who is whipped, tormented and tortured to death, but yeah, let's get bent out of shape over non-religious fiction.

I mean, yeah, OP kind of fucked up for not double-checking a book with an illustrated cover was kid appropriate, but in the grand scheme of literature, there are so many worse things he could have given his nephew.

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CaIamitea t1_je2d5ag wrote

I kind of did things backwards growing up, and couldn't speak in an understandable way until I was 7/8 until I went to speech therapy, however had read all the books in my school library and the individual class libraries I'd been given permission to raid by that point. Being such a voracious reader my family just let me get on with it, so there wasn't any oversight. In those early days I was mostly into Victorian horror, which on its own is probably too much for the pearl clutches, but there was ample sex, drugs, and violence throughout other books. Particularly Piers Anthony with Bio of a Space Pirate and his Tarot series being early reads. Literally no negative repercussions. I would go so as to posit that training children only to be children, withholding key facets of the human condition, is probably doing far more harm.

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Vedeynevin t1_je2facb wrote

The reactions to this must be confusing for Germans, lol

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SeaOfFireflies t1_je1fdlx wrote

Now next holiday season get the Edward Gorey's ABC book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

Also while a fuckup, I would say it was a bit of a fuck up on the sister as well if she is not looking at what their kid is given.

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Liathano_Fire t1_je1zkgg wrote

Where I live people are up in arms about a library event based on "The Last Kids on Earth"? book series.

I don't even want to know how they'd react to this.

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DocPeacock t1_je20xg0 wrote

How old is this nephew?
I think it depends on the kid if this is appropriate for them or not. Plenty of kids stories and fairy tales have people getting boiled alive or cut up or eaten. Some young kids can handle horror movies. Some won't sleep well for months afterward.
Not too bad of a FU.

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werpicus t1_je292cr wrote

“Sister may have overreacted”

You’re not the one that’s going to have to get up in the middle of the night with them when they have nightmares.

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Empty_Fortune_3690 t1_je2baxh wrote

Next week nephew shows up at your house with a knife and axe. You did give them the idea.

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Madmorda t1_je2onb8 wrote

I would 100% give my nephew or niece that book lol. I'm just sorry that your sister isn't as cool as mine :p

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danielspoa t1_je3xjb8 wrote

> The cover depicted a little girl with blood on her and a knife and axe in the background

this is the part you noticed and didn't think much of it? lol

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xzsazsa t1_je37oxf wrote

If it makes you feel better my mom accidentally played the Banana Split horror movie to my 5 year old when he stayed the night.…She thought it was the show from the 70s that my sister would watch when she was a small child.

Lots of talking and cuddles had to happen to undo that mess.

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panicPhaeree t1_je3jsct wrote

My 9yo is a spooky kid, he would love this.

Your sister needs to loosen that grip or your nephew will learn how to her past her control.

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Mushroomify t1_je2lqa7 wrote

What’s the book called? Asking for a friend.

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traindriverbob t1_je2s7pn wrote

Next time you and your nephew hang out definitely don't play Country Death Song by the Violet Femmes lol.

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kityone t1_je31dlc wrote

When I was 14 my mum gave me a fantasy novel called Tender Morsels. In the first few chapters of the book the main character (who is around 15 at the time) is raped twice, once by her father and the second by a group of village teenagers. And she gets pregnant both times. My mum had no idea what kind of book she'd given me. Oh, and I read the whole thing anyway lol.

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LaneLaneyLane t1_je44uz5 wrote

Haha. I read IT when I was 13ish and was not expecting the fucked up sexual content of that book. (Except to be honest it didn’t really affect me at all.) there’s also plenty of books for 10 year old that 7 year olds read full of murder and fucked up things. I reckon the kid is fine. If I was the sister I would have made sure the kid was okay and laughed it off.

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kityone t1_je4n23o wrote

I think reading that stuff as a kid did desensitize me to sexual content in fiction. But didn't affect me in real life circumstances. Same probably goes for the kid, heaps of books, shows and games feature death, doesn't mean he's suddenly going to turn violent, just means he'll get used to seeing that stuff in fiction.

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arquistar t1_je31pjs wrote

You should get him "The Adventures of the Princess and Mr Whiffle" to make up for it. The stories are very light and fluffy up to a point

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Downbeatbanker t1_je3qzom wrote

My 5 year old is watching YouTube videos of granny and horror stories all day and that half cut Japanese woman asking random kids if she is pretty. It grosses me out but she says don't worry it's only paint.

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Equality-Slifer t1_je4q0n3 wrote

Dude took "never judge a book by its cover" literally.

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Squigglepig52 t1_je4w3ne wrote

How did that cover NOT hint about people getting killed? Bloody kid, ax, knife - seems a no-brainer.

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LegacyofLegend t1_je4z1z6 wrote

Fuck my brain dude I thought it said accidentally killing my nephew.

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Akitiki t1_je50tv3 wrote

~You can't chop your Papa up in Massachusetts!~

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TimeSummer5 t1_je5f730 wrote

Give him warrior cats or watership down instead

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S2Charlie t1_je5iubo wrote

Yeah man... I try to not gift murder books until at least the 8th birthday 🤣

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smooze420 t1_je2glq2 wrote

Why is that even a book for teenagers too?

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cosmernaut420 t1_je2uwuf wrote

I think your sister thinks you want her dead for some reason. That's the only reason I can see her coming unglued this hard about a book approved for teenagers.

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New-Cow4744 t1_je3n1mj wrote

Op hasnt really specified their nephew's age and they themselves think that its not appropriate for his age so

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OGHeartlessFox t1_je346dr wrote

Dose no one know that Disney tales are by brother grim i think the name was.

They use to be handed to kids

Rapunzel prince had his eyes ripped out by thorns and rapunzel gets slapped her hair cut and took to "waste and desert place where she lived in great woe and misery" for 7 years where she ends up with 2 kids and he wonders blind living off roots and berries till he find her.

Oh and rapunzel is 12 and "prince charming" was in his 20s.

That the kid handed out version the real life rapunzel story even worse. Kids are curious and tech is everywhere lately.

takes a few min to find out there "favorite Disney princess" or cartoon ture dark past.

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HaikuBotStalksMe t1_je3ak02 wrote

Holy shit. People still believe in age striction stuff? I thought we grew out of it in the mid 90s.

Like yeah, they shouldn't be listening to the gamer word until they're at least 12. Fine. But murders and such are fine when they're around 10. Killing is edgy and funny around then (as an entertainment thing).

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remington2024 t1_je17k1z wrote

You need to be more responsible as a human being. If you are unable to behave and monitor what you do or give access to children, it is best you avoid meeting children.

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LeafRivers t1_je1gphl wrote

You're a pretty big fuck up there, buddy. Maybe check yourself before you destroy some more children?

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Slave35 t1_je17pl8 wrote

So, here's the thing. Kids are incredibly sensitive and it's extremely harmful to expose them to adult content or really anything above their age level. You owe your sister a big, sincere apology.

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Jingoisticbell t1_je1lwxp wrote

Kids are pretty resilient. Just bc it’s not appropriate for a 7 year old doesn’t mean that’s it SOOOO inappropriate that he’s going to be traumatized and wetting his pants every time he see’s a spooky drawing for the rest of life.

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MysteryRadish t1_je220jr wrote

All kids are different. I like horror movies now, but as a kid I was VERY scared of them: I couldn't even look at horror movie posters or covers. If somebody had shown me even something basic like Friday the 13th back then I would have gone into full-on panic mode.

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Slave35 t1_je1ydou wrote

No, but nightmares for a few months are a very common occurrence to something violent or scary. Leading to other difficulties such as loss of sleep and degraded school performance.

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Jingoisticbell t1_je1zcbt wrote

It was a drawing. He’s 7 years old and I’m going to assume does not live in a bubble.

Jeez, ppl.

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SmashLegend25 t1_je1ucg0 wrote

Just because I read 1984 when I was 13 didn’t mean I was traumatized by it. I just became more mature.

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wiedmaier t1_je0wktz wrote

That isn’t like a funny haha fuck up. It’s just an L. Take the loss, but why tell everyone?

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AustinLVII OP t1_je0x28h wrote

that's the point of this subreddit is it not?

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