A father-to-be wonders if he did the right thing by throwing his mother-in-law (MIL) out of a baby shower after what she said about her sick pregnant daughter.
The 28-year-old dad-to-be, aka original poster (OP) fire_trousers22 explained on Reddit this week that his expectant 29-year-old wife has endured months of nausea and severe pain.
She had only lately felt well enough to attend the gathering, which was intended to be a show of care and support by her loved ones.
‘Money and attention’
Despite this, the OP’s MIL accused her daughter of exaggerating her illness to avoid work. According to the post, the MIL claimed the mom-to-be was merely seeking, “Money and attention,” prompting a furious response from the dad-to-be.
After repeatedly trying to de-escalate the situation, he lost patience when the MIL’s comments reduced his wife to tears.
“I was LIVID,” the OP said to fellow Redditors.
“I told her she needed to shut up or leave, because this day was about supporting my wife and our baby, so she needed to do that.
“That ticked her off, so she screamed at my wife and I for being ungrateful until my wife cried, so I told her to, “Just f**k off already’.”
While the remainder of the event went smoothly, some relatives later criticized his reaction, arguing that ignoring the MIL’s behavior would have been the better approach.
‘Nasty, unsympathetic’
Many Reddit users supported the “Papa Bear’s” decision, with one writing, “You defended your heavily pregnant and sick wife from her nasty, unsympathetic mother.
“If [the] MIL wanted a baby shower done her way, she could have thrown one herself.”
Another user added that the, “MIL was seriously slandering her own daughter. Your wife was just too sick to give [the] MIL the pushback she deserved, so you stepped in to defend your wife.”
Direct Confrontation
According to Momwell, conflicts between in-laws are common, especially during major life events like pregnancy and childbirth. Experts advise that when in-laws overstep, direct confrontation—while uncomfortable—can be necessary to prevent ongoing tension.
A related piece from Newsweek discusses similar disputes and highlights the impact of in-law interference on marriages. It notes that when one partner fails to support the other during family conflicts, it can create long-term resentment.
An individual on Reddit agreed with the majority of users that the dad-to-be did the right thing, “And since she made her feelings known, if she continues this way, [the] MIL might just not ever see her grandchild.”
Newsweek has contacted fire_trousers22 comment via Reddit.
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