Woman asks if she's wrong for cutting ties with brother over April Fool's Day prank.

In theory, April Fool's jokes should be playful and funny for all involved. After the initial shock of the prank wears off, the person being pranked should be able to laugh and see the intentions were ultimately in good will.

However, a lot of people think they can be cleansed of their sins by labeling any manipulation or trick as a 'prank' and that's simply now how it works.

In a recent post on the Am I The A*shole subreddit, a woman shared how her brother 'pranked' her on April Fool's day by hiding her pain meds, and now she refuses to speak with him.

AITA for refusing to talk to my brother after his April fool’s day “joke” of hiding my pain medication?

OP kept the post honest by admitting that she doesn't have the best relationship with her older brother, and generally finds him annoying and invasive.

I (20F) live with my parents and older brother. I’ll be honest - I do not like him. We do not get along. He’s annoying and intruding and loud and I could go on. I try to just ignore him.

On April Fool's Day, OP's brother thought it would be a funny 'prank' to hide the pain meds she uses to treat period pain.

For April fools day yesterday, as a “joke,” he decided to hide the pain medication I take to deal with my periods. I have horrible periods, especially the first couple days (which yesterday was) and the pain can be debilitating and make me cry if I don’t have the pain meds to help (even then, I still have pain, I’m just able to function).

OP spent all of April Fool's trying to find her meds to no avail, and then the next morning her brother returned them and revealed it was all a prank.

I basically couldn’t find them all day yesterday then this morning he gave them to me and said “April Fools!!” His prank was hiding this on me since I “relied on them so heavily and need to see I don’t need pain meds to get through the day.” He said that’s what I get for keeping the meds in the kitchen (which I do because they need to be taken with food and/or water).

OP was deeply angry with her brother and is currently giving him the silent treatment despite his protests.

I was f*cking pissed. He saw me crying and wincing in pain and hid them from me? I told him to f*ck off and that this would be the last conversation we’d have for a while. I’m ignoring him but he keeps texting me like “come on really?” And giving ME dirty looks in the hallway like I’m the one who did something wrong.

Her parents have decided to stay out of the rift and respect OP's need for space, but her brother is persistent about the fact that hiding the meds was meant as a joke.

My parents are staying out of it as we’re both adults. They say f how I want to deal with is by ignoring him then it is what it is.

AITA? I don’t think this was a joke. I think this is over the line.

ineffable_sweetness definitely agrees with OP about her brother crossing a line.

NTA. I'm not sure why he thought watching someone be in pain all day would be funny, but it's not. He crossed a line.

gunnyhunty thinks that OP's parents are jerks for not fully siding with her and calling out the brother's unconscionable behavior.

NTA. It wasn’t a joke, and it was over the line. Your parents suck for acting like what he did was fine and needed to be worked out between you. He wants to act like a child, he should be treated like one.

I loathe people like him who think he has the answer to everything and feels that he has the right to take action against someone’s will. I wouldn’t talk to him either, possibly ever again personally. If he offered a genuine and heartfelt apology I might consider it.

I suggest finding someplace, preferably locked, that you can hide your medication since your AH brother wants to play thief and doctor.

alakaiex thinks OP should cut off her brother and potentially seek medical treatment.

NTA. He’s horrible and an idiot who clearly doesn’t know what a cramp is. You might want to talk to a doctor about PCOS or endometriosis.

Leas_Alpenglow thinks OP's brother partially felt it was a 'joke' because it was period pain, and not another less gendered kind of pain.

NTA.

If someone were to come between my arthritis flare up and my pain medication... for kicks!?! That motherf*cker would get a throat punch, or get a one way ticket out of my life.

Seems extreme, but my pain is also extreme and I'm not spending a minute trapped in this meat suit while someone else withholds medication for a laugh? Nah dude, nah. I also have extremely painful cycles, and pain management is essential for chris'sakes.

wind-river7 thinks OP should use this as leverage to give her brother a taste of his own medicine in the future, so he learns.

NTA. Brother saw you in pain all day and still kept your medication hidden. Remember that the next time he asks you for a favor, because at some point in the future he will. It is not a joke when no one laughs.

While it's clear that OP did nothing wrong, the biggest question at hand is whether she should even consider letting her brother back into her life, and what role her parents should (or shouldn't) play in this. While this may have been a 'joke' to him, knowingly watching a family member in pain and thinking it's funny is a sign of deeper psychological issues.