Butting In?

Question

My 16 year old boy interrupted my conversation with my wife.I told him not to butt-in My wife said that the boy just interjected his opinion and therefore wasn't butting-in. I said he didn't have the right to interject anything because the conversation didn't include him or was about him. Who is right?

Answer 1

At the time you were right - However it is now an empty victory cause if you bring it up now - your wife will be right when she gets ticked off at you for proving you were right and then you will be wrong...hummm

Answer 2

There sounds like a lot more going on here then what can be seen on the surface. It would be nice to know what the general subject matter of the conversation was. Were you and your wife having a private conversation and he walked into the room for the sole purpose of adding his opinon? Okay that is rude. Or were you having this conversation at the dinner table or in the family room where he was already present? What was the nature of this conversation? Unless it was the first, I agree with your wife. Unless you were having a conversation about something intimate between you and your wife which should have been done in private, your son is part of the family and it usually does have something, if not directly, do with him.
16 year olds are trying to find their place in the world and the family. To me it sounds like he may have been agreeing with or supporting your wife and you didn't like it and became defensive. Your son is not a casual stranger off the street adding his 2-cents to the situation.

Answer 3

Well - good question.

I see both points of view however I am a firm believer that when adults are having a conversation the children regardless of age, need to mind their business and stay out of it. I also think that every parent goes through this a some point or another. I know I deal with this issue all the time.

If the conversation had nothing to do with your son then he should have kept is comments to himself or at least approached you and your wife with something like "sorry to interrupt but I couldn't help over hearing you and here is what I think...."

Good Luck

Answer 4

He is 16 and is trying to become a man. You can council him on the proper way to interject his comments or opinions with respect, but don't deter him from expressing himself. That will surely hurt his confidence. Your wife is right, you are wrong.

Answer 5

I suppose if the conversation was held in front of him, he felt he had the right to chime in.
I have found that if I have something important to discuss with my mate, I find a time when the children are not around.
Hope this helps.

Answer 6

well , if he was listening in at the door on a private conversation your right but if you were having this conversation in the same room as him then well maybe he needed to add his opinion,maybe this conversation effected him in some way. but,he should have said excuse me may i say something,happy holidays

Answer 7

You were right. He shouldn't have been in you alls conversation in the first place. So, he shouldn't have said anything because you all weren't talking to him

Answer 8

i would have to agree with you. You and your wife should be able to have a conversation without anyone
interrupting. I do feel she should give you more respect and listen to you and not what a child has to say. My husband and i have told our children when we are not talking to them they need to wait until we are done. Its respect for others.

Answer 9

If your boy was listening in on the conversation--what's wrong with his opinion? Sometimes our children can teach us!

Answer 10

Your son shouldn't have interrupted. He needs to learn manners. I used to get in trouble for that when I was that age. He needs to learn to wait for his turn to talk, unless, of course it was an emergency.