Photo: Poppy Pix / Papuchalka - Kaelaimages / Shutterstock
She just had a baby!
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Oct 16, 2022
A mother decided to pack her and her newborn son’s belongings and go to her mother’s house after her husband and his mom ganged up on her.
Posting to the subreddit "r/AmItheA--hole" (AITA), the new mom explained she had given birth five weeks previously and that her mother-in-law had started crashing on the couple’s couch.
Despite her annoyance with the living arrangements, the wife decided to keep her mouth shut thinking she would “just ignore her and focus on my son.”
The husband has scolded his wife, saying she should be grateful for that his mom has given up her own life to help with the baby.
Narcissistic mothers-in-law are a commonly discussed topic on social media, and this woman proved just how far some moms will go to control their adult children.
The new mom was forced to leave after her mother-in-law refused to keep meals out for her while she was breastfeeding.
She had been in the bedroom breastfeeding her son and was looking forward to eating dinner.
She realized she was late to eat, but assumed her husband had done her the courtesy of saving her a plate of food.
After walking out of the room, she asked him about dinner, and he told her that it was “probably” still on the stove.
As she approached the kitchen, her mother-in-law let her know that there was no food
She was stunned when the woman said, "Well, we didn't see you at dinner table, so I thought you weren't hungry".
The new mother admits that she yelled at her husband’s mom, letting her know that she was hungry after taking care of the baby.
The woman simply shrugged it off and said it was her daughter-in-law’s fault for not showing up for dinner.
In turn, the husband forbade his wife from raising her voice at his mom and seemingly ignored the fact that she was hungry and had nothing to eat.
When she called his attention to the fact that he had not considered her, he got angry, asking what she wanted him to do.
She stated the obvious, “I don't know, maybe save some food for me?"
The mother-in-law, of course, jumped to her son’s defense calling his wife “selfish” for arguing with him after he had worked all day.
She returned to the bedroom and packed a bag for herself and the baby.
She called her brother for a ride to her mother’s house.
As she walked out the door, her husband said she was acting childish.
Once again, the new mom tried to explain the angst his mother was causing, but he accused her of being ungrateful for the sacrifice his mom had made for them.
The woman got in the car with her brother and left, happy to find that he had brought her some food.
Not surprisingly, the husband didn’t take his wife and son’s departure lightly.
He continued to call repeatedly, labeling his wife as “nuts” and demanding she come home.
Enjoying the cleanliness, company and variety of healthy food choices at her mom's house, the wife decided not to return to her home.
Of course, drama ensued, and the man got his family involved, accused his wife of keeping him from his child and making too big a deal over food.
Most Redditors empathized with the new mother.
One commenter said, “Breast-feeding while on an empty stomach. That’s like going into debt. There should’ve been heaping mounds of food waiting for you.”
Another user focused her comments on the mother-in-law’s actions, “So basically his mother came to take care of him and show off her new grandchild under the pretense of helping you.”
The user continued, “Your MIL is ignoring you and your husband is using her as an excuse to skip out of doing his part of parenting. Were there no warning signs earlier in the relationship? Kick her out, tell him he needs to start pitching in or file for divorce.”
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment & news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.