A 25-year-old female revealed on Reddit that she recently got engaged to her high school sweetheart, a 26-year-old male. The couple has been dating for seven years.
The Original Poster (OP) expressed her love for her now fiancé and divulged she gets along well with most of his family members except for his mother — who has been persistently “nagging” her for not giving her a grandchild.
A group of people gathering | Source: Pexels
OP penned that although this may be harmless, her husband-to-be has continuously told his mother that she already has a grandchild — whom she does not want to accept.
“My baby girl (5), she’s my best friend’s daughter. They sadly passed away, she was my godchild so it only felt right that I should take her in and bring her up in a way I knew her mother, my best friend, would want,” OP explained.
She and her loved ones have been busy with wedding preparations and have already started getting bridesmaid dresses. The lovebirds decided to make their newly found daughter a flower girl at their wedding.
A pregnant woman and a little girl touching her stomach | Source: Pexels
OP divulged that the child (whom she calls Ellie) adores flowers, so it was only befitting to involve her on their big day to make her feel at home as her new parents.
This is significant because the mother-in-law-to-be is making life difficult for young Ellie. It is why OP has been bickering with her about the child. Most recently, while at a family gathering, her fiancé’s mom made snide remarks about Ellie,
saying: “I simply don’t understand why an adopted child should take the place of a true blood.”
Mother and daughter leaning on each other’s backs | Source: Pexels
These statements made OP furious, and she pulled the mom to the side to ask her to avoid making them because she knew how much it meant to Ellie to be part of the family. “She kept saying I was being rude to my new family,” OP disclosed.
The mother of one became infuriated even more by the in-laws’ comments and exchanged some words, too. According to OP, the in-law was deeply hurt by what she said to her, but she couldn’t care less. She took Ellie and left the house, only for her fiancé to come home and tell her that his mom said she verbally abused her and even made threats. “I did no such thing,” OP wrote.
Days later, Ellie became upset that she had not seen her cousins at her fiancé’s home. OP decided to pull herself together and go to the house to apologize to her in-law.
A woman and child at a dining table | Source: Pexels
While there, all was well until she heard a scream from Ellie. She rushed upstairs only to find the in-law yelling at the child while holding Ellie’s teddy bear that her late mother had made for her. This teddy meant a lot.
Once more, OP snapped at her fiancé’s mother, who stood by, embarrassed in front of other family members. However, she did not back down and uttered more painful words. OP remembered:
“She then gained confidence saying she was upset that I had chosen ‘fake blood,’ over ‘real blood.'”
Pensive grandmother and granddaughter having a conversation in the kitchen | Source: Pexels
OP was heartbroken seeing her daughter cry as her future husband grabbed the toy and took her away from the heated situation. OP further expressed:
“I finally had enough, saying if she has so much problem with her being the flower girl. She might as well skip the wedding and just join us for the reception.”
The in-law started crying at that moment, and though OP admitted she felt bad for saying that, she would not take back what she said to her. After leaving the premises, other family members told OP’s husband-to-be that she needed to apologize and that they would not contact her because what she said to her in-law was harsh.
Online Users React
The recent altercation has left OP questioning whether she did the right thing by exchanging such words with her future mother-in-law. Reddit users have since weighed in on the matter. Many people expressed that they stood by her decision.
Do you think OP could have handled the situation better? Do you believe the in-law is in the wrong and should be the one apologizing? What would you have done if you were in OP’s situation?