A 15-year-old had already planned a movie outing, and his mom had no objections until another parent got involved.
His mother posted on Reddit’s r/AmItheAsshole forum asking whether she would be wrong to tell another parent she was not comfortable with the arrangement. Her son, referred to as John, had organized a group outing with friends to see the the upcoming A24 horror film ‘Backrooms,’ set for release May 29, 2026.
The mother of one of John's friends, whom she referred to as Bob, approached her after school with questions about the movie. Bob's mother told her Bob had not confirmed attendance because she wanted more information about the film.
She asked about timing, content, and how they would travel. The poster said she told Bob's mom what information she had and told her to ask John directly, since he was the one planning the outing.
Bob's mother then told her about a horror movie she saw as a child and said it still affected her. She also said she was uncertain whether to allow Bob to go. At the end of the conversation, she mentioned that if Bob did attend, her husband would go too and sit in the row directly behind the boys.
The poster wrote she nodded and moved on from the conversation, but said she could not bring herself to tell her son. "I'm realizing it's because it's weird," she wrote.
Commenters pushed back on the poster. One user wrote, "You're acting like it's some random adult tagging along. It's one of their parents. There's nothing weird about a parent supervising a group outing. In fact, most people consider it good parenting."
The commenter also noted, "It's an R-rated movie. They can't even get into the movie without an adult in the U.S."
The A24 film 'Backrooms', directed by Kane Parsons, has been rated R. According to AMC's policy, guests under 17 must be accompanied by a guardian who is 21 or older to attend an R-rated film.
Another commenter wrote, "Yeah, that's what I thought when I read the title. But to read that it's his father? Totally normal. Very strange of OP to find this weird. YTA." A third added, "I love how the 'odd' mom is completely and totally normal."
The poster updated her post after commenters pointed out the rating. "Comically, I had no idea this movie was rated R," she wrote. "In that case, Bob's dad going saves me from having to go."
In this insightful moment from our YouTube Live Stream on Raising Mentally Resilient Children in the 21st Century, Clinical Psychologist Valentine Kathambi expounds on the possibilities of overparenting one’s child, what it looks like. #parentingwithpurpose pic.twitter.com/4cNSEn2ZS2
— thementorshipcircle254 (@DrKendiashitiva) May 26, 2026
A second update followed. She wrote that she accepted feedback for not knowing the rating, and as for why she felt Bob's dad was suspicious, she said, "I've never even met him".
She also addressed criticism of her parenting approach. The poster said she was a high school teacher and that gradually giving children more independence in low-stakes environments was her parenting philosophy. "That's exactly why my son is such a mature, level-headed kid," she wrote.
She confirmed she would not say anything to Bob's parents about the seating arrangement. "Besides 'thank you,'" she wrote, ending the post with a smiley.
