Grandmother Forces Granddaughter to Read Books Over Tablet
The Original Post
My granddaughter is in 4th grade and she struggles in reading. She doesnât have a learning disability, it is just a subject that she struggles in.
Recently my daughter in law had to go back to work ( she was a SAHM) because of financial reasons. She started about two weeks ago and due to this I now babysit after school for an hour or two before they come and pick her up.
I have been having her do her homework in that time. It has become very obvious she is a very poor reader ( I would say she is behind a grade in the subject). She asks me all the time to read a question for her, and I have started sitting down with her having her read out loud ( which she hates).
She doesnât know how to sound stuff out if that makes sense and is extremely slow at it. If the word is longer than like 4 letters she doesnât really get it. Example: we had to sound out the word broken
I have brought it up my DIL and asked if there is any extra reading practice she wants me to do. She said they have been working on it and will bring her tablet that has some stories she is reading and to just have her read for a bit after homework is done.
This is the issue, DIL gave me the tablet and headphones and told me where the app was.  We finished the homework and I told her to read her story. The app reads it out loudâŚ.
Grandkid doesnât even follow alongâŚ. She just kinda stares and sit there. So I took the tablet  and gave her a child books and made her read it.  I would give her a min or two and then have  her tell me what happened on that page. And have her show me any words she doesnât get and have her sound them out.
When my DIL came back, I informed her what happened and handed back the tablet. She was upset that I am not using the tablet and read along are helpful. I told her her daughter is not reading along, and she actually needs to practice reading not listening
She got mad at this and asked it was questions her parenting and I said no but it doenst change the fact she needs to actually practice reading
She has been pissed since and my son called telling me to use the tablet. I also said no and she will be reading physical books and if he has a problem with that then he can get another babysitter.
They are pissed at me but are still having me babysit. My husband thinks they are being idiots but I could have been nicer about this.
What Reddit Said
Reddit overwhelmingly rallied behind the grandmother’s tough-love approach. Teachers flooded the comments, confirming that audio apps don’t teach reading skills. Moreover, many pointed out that the parents have clearly been avoiding the real problem for years.
However, some users noted the grandmother could have been more diplomatic in her delivery. In fact, most agreed her methods were spot-on even if her communication was blunt. The consensus was clear: sometimes grandparents need to step up when parents drop the ball.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: Grandmother is Not the Asshole (NTA). This grandmother forces granddaughter read books situation perfectly illustrates how family conflict can arise when tough decisions benefit the child. Reddit praised her for prioritizing actual learning over keeping the peace with parenting disputes.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (8,986 upvotes, 1,861 comments)