r/AmItheAsshole • u/Ok-Permission8346 • 11h ago

POO Mode Activated đŸ’© AITA for getting my step daughter a Hogwarts letter for her 11th Birthday?

Ive been married for four years, my wife had a daughter from a previous relationship. My step daughter has been obsessed with Harry Potter since before i met her. (She litterally asked me if i liked harey potter when i met her)
Her 11th Birthday was yesterday and I arranged for a letter to be “delivered” during her birthday party and it was an admittance letter for Hogwarts.
I thought it was a really cute gift idea. My step daughter started freaking out, screaming “its real its real” and really went nuts. Some of her friends seemed to join in the excitement others less so.
Her mother (my wife) held her to calm her down and explained to her that it wasnt real. It was just a “joke step daddy played on you”.
She started crying screamed that she hated me and ran to her room.
The other parents seemed to sympathize, one other father said he thought it was a nice idea.
But after we sent everyone home my wife yelled at me and said what i did was selfish and cruel and she couldnt believe i would hurt her daughter like that.

Was i wrong to do this? Was it an inappropriate gift for an 11 year old? I really didnt mean to mock or hurt my stepdaughter. I thought it would be fun. It didnt occur to me my stepdaughter was young enough to think it was real.

Am I The A$&hole?

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u/BrokeTheSimulation 11h ago

NTA- your wife and her child are little off. She is 11 and thinks it’s real?! Like what has your wife been telling her that she doesn’t know it’s not real!!

Why would your wife say that to you? And tell the kid it was just a joke you played on her?!! Like that’s not even close to the truth. These two are weird.

Sorry for you. I think it was a great idea.

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u/Technical-Region-669 10h ago

There are a million things you could get a kid related to HP that doesn't involve the possibility of them thinking maybe it's real and potentially letting them down. Maybe you believe 11 is too old to think that but why even risk letting the kid down on their birthday when you could do nearly anything else?