Thanksgiving is a time for families to share gratitude for the year and bond before the new year. However, that makes it the perfect stage for family drama as secrets spill over dinner.
A Reddit user went through a horrible experience with his children and family-in-law during the holiday.
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He and his children fought with his parents-in-law over religious differences after years of tolerating each other, leaving him at a crossroads. When does meddling become too much?
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The Thanksgiving Clash
The Parents-In-Law Demanded An Apology
The poster is a 41-year-old Jewish man with two teenage children from a previous marriage. He remarried a 37-year-old woman from a conservative Christian family (Red Flag 1). According to his post, his new wife isn’t religious but attends church occasionally with her family.
During Thanksgiving, the man discovered his mother-in-law snuck pork into dinner, and it’s a religious taboo for Jewish people.
He got upset, but his 15-year-old was more vocal about his disappointment. He yelled expletives at his step-grandmother for tricking them like that and purposely making them break their religious vows.
The older woman defended herself, saying she wanted them to learn that it wasn’t a big deal. The argument led him to leave dinner with his children while his wife opted to stay with her parents (Red Flag 2).
They subsequently spent the holidays separately as his wife told him the parents-in-law wanted an apology from his son before they were allowed back into the house. He didn’t know whether to oblige them or stick by his son.
She Crossed A Line And Got A Warranted Response
Respecting Others Religion Is Basic Human Decency
The Mother-In-Law Committed A Crime
She Was Insensitive With Her Plan
He’s Not The Jerk
This is a no-brainer, “Not The Jerk” verdict because the parents-in-law were out of line! While it’s never okay for children to disrespect their elders, we can make exceptions for elders who refuse to respect children.
Honestly, they’re the ones who owe the man and his children several apologies, including one for demanding an apology.
Even the Bible is against deception, so they sinned to prove a point. Also, they committed a crime because it’s religious violence to make people go against their values for your pleasure.
Let’s talk about the red flags highlighted above – marrying a conservative Christian as a Jewish person would always lead to clashes because both religions have a history of persecuting each other.
Secondly, the wife owes loyalty to her husband and children, not her parents, so she was wrong to choose them over her husband. She should’ve followed him home and then spoken to her parents later.
Hopefully, they work things out.
They’re Going For Couple’s Counseling
