When a couple announces their pregnancy to their friends and family, many are excited and overjoyed for them. They all want to help and be involved in any way they can, knowing that one of their close friends and family are expecting. Sometimes, however, people want to be too involved in things. So much so that it makes the expecting parents feel smothered and uncomfortable.
One soon-to-be mom wrote into Reddit seeking advice on her pushy and overbearing mother-in-law (MIL).
The Reddit user stated that she hasn’t had problems with her MIL in the past, but ever since the couple announced their pregnancy, things have taken a turn. She ended up seeking out advice from the community.
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The soon-to-be mom said she has no time for this kind of behavior from her MIL.
“My MIL is mostly a person who is easy to get along with, but for some reason, the lady has snapped after we announced that I’m pregnant. We let her get out all of her excitement, but didn’t really encourage it. She keeps doing this weird thing where she refers to the baby as ‘her’ baby. If I can be honest… I’m sure it’ll change as time goes on, but I find the whole thing rather boring,” she wrote.
She’s almost annoyed that the only thing anyone ever talks to her about is her pregnancy.
“It’s really not that exciting or interesting, and I cannot relate to women who never shut up about it. It’s like the only thing anyone wants to talk to me about,” she wrote.
Many of us can relate to that!
Recently, her MIL came by and decided to bring up baby names.
“MIL was over a few weeks ago and started talking names. She told me to give her a list and she’d go through and let us know which ones she liked or didn’t like.
I asked her why that was necessary, and she said ‘Oh, you know! Just making sure we’re on the same page,'” she said.
Obviously, the Reddit user was confused because why should her MIL need to be “on the same page” with baby names?
“I asked for clarification to that, why we’d need to be on the same page, and she started getting a bit cagey about it. ‘Oh you know. Just one of those things. Gotta make sure everyone’s on board with the name.’
At that point, I cleared my throat and said, very kindly but firmly, ‘There’s no reason for anyone else to be ‘on board’ with the names we’ve chosen,'” she added.
Well, her MIL did not like that response one bit because she ended up going crazy over it.
“She got a bit upset at that and said, ‘Well it’s my grandchild! My baby!’
I said ‘No, she’s not your baby. Grandchild, yes. But… you don’t think you get ‘a say’ in anything involving her, do you? Like… you don’t think you get any say in her name, how she’s raised, what schools she goes to, how she dresses, any of it, right? You know you’re not the parent here, right?'”
Her MIL ended up calling her ungrateful and a slew of other words and insults.
“I just got up and said I was bored with this conversation and went to the backyard to go read in the sun while she melted down to my husband about how I’m stealing all the joy from her and that don’t I get that grandma is the most important role she’ll ever play?” the expecting mom wrote.
She asked the Reddit community if she is the asshole and is the one in the wrong here, as she wasn’t entirely sure.
Many people said that it’s not the grandma’s place to have such a big say.
“Stand your ground I’m so proud of you! That’s just insane thinking she’d have a say in the name and threw a fit when she didn’t get her way. What was she expecting? She already had kids, it’s your turn,” one person commented.
One new grandma saw the post and even weighed in on the conversation.
“If I acted that way in front of my son, he would 1) boot me out of his house so fast my head would spin, and 2) block me froM all his social media. And damn if I’d ever see my granddaughter. Why? Because I raised him with some damn autonomy. He and his [girlfriend] have every right and responsibility to make every decision for and about their daughter,” she said.
Do you think this grandma-to-be was out of line?
Most of the Reddit community did and the expecting mom shared an update thanking people for their kind words and support.
How would you have reacted if you were in this new mom’s position?
