Many people have strained relationships with their in-laws, but some stories take unexpected turns. This is what happened to the woman who decided to share her story on Reddit. She planned a trip with her husband and declined his mother’s insistence to join. However, at the airport, she discovered her husband had secretly booked his mother a ticket. Read the full story in our article.
What actually happened?
I, a 30-year-old woman, have a strained relationship with my husband’s mother. From the start, she’s made comparisons and critical remarks about me. Despite this, she later started to excessively praise me and even imitated me once by dyeing her hair purple like mine. When it backfired and people commented negatively, she blamed me.
Recently, my husband and I planned a two-week trip abroad. I organized and saved for it, while he handled ticket bookings. My husband’s mom wanted to come along and threw temper tantrums when I said no. She called, texted, sent people to talk to me into letting her come, even threatened to call the police and make some complaint up to get us to stay if she can’t come.
My husband said we should just take her, but I told him he was wrong to tell her about the trip in the first place. He gave me an ultimatum. Said he wouldn’t go if she can’t come, and I told him I’d gladly call his bluff, which made him take his words back and say, “FINE! I will tell her to stop it because we won’t take her.”
Things got quieter, suspiciously quieter.
On the day of our trip, we arrived at the airport, and my husband seemed preoccupied, searching around as we walked. My husband was walking ahead of me and was looking left and right like he was looking for someone. I asked him, but he didn’t respond. He led me to the waiting area and the first thing I saw was his mom standing there with her luggage. I froze in my spot, I felt a cold wave washing over me, and I was fuming inside.
She and my husband were hugging, that’s when I quietly turned around and started walking towards the exit. My husband followed me while shouting at me to stop. He tried to stop me, but I told him off the harshest way possible. He tried to say I was overreacting and that his mom was there “anyway” and I should let it go and not mess the trip up for us. I told him he and his mom could still go and that I was going home.
I went home and sobbed into my dog’s fur for several minutes. It turned out he booked her a ticket without me knowing. An hour later, he came home yelling and raging about how pathetic and spiteful I was to walk out and go home and ruin the trip last minute. I told him he caused this to happen, but he said that I was being so hard on his mom, it’s ridiculous.
I refused to fight any more, but he kept on berating me and then called my family to tell them that the trip was cancelled and that it was because of me. My family said that I shouldn’t have ruined it for myself and should’ve sucked it up and done my best to enjoy it.
Did I really overreact?
Users online agree that the woman was right in this situation.
Even though the author started thinking that she overreacted, online users supported the woman in her decision and even suggested that she needed to divorce him.
- I don’t wanna call the divorce card but... divorce. You told your boundaries, and you said no. She crossed it. Your husband told you he would tell her no, he lied. He tried to pin you in a corner by not saying anything and bringing her anyway, and got upset you refused to be a part of his little trap.
And then to berate you? He’s not a good man. He needs to go. PeanutButter_Toast_ / Reddit - He gave you an ultimatum — no loving partner would ever put you in that position. He’s a mummy’s boy and she’s manipulative. You have every right to enjoy a holiday with your husband without them behaving like children.
You did the right thing. The next right thing to do is leave. He doesn’t respect you. RubyLarkspur87 / Reddit - Hubby lied to you and put his mother before you? I’d be looking to get out of that marriage. That would be a dealbreaker for me. secondrat / Reddit
Some people clearly said that her husband’s relationship with his mom is not healthy, and some wished the author a happy life where she would be her main priority.
- You know that if you had sucked it up and gone with them, the entire vacation would be all about catering to his mom. Whatever SHE wanted to do. Whatever places SHE wanted to go, places SHE wanted to eat. You’d be the third wheel on your vacation. savethebooks / Reddit
- Look, this is some next-level boundary stomping. Have you read this really old book called Sons and Lovers, by chance? Classic Lit. Your hubs sound a lot like the protagonist who is in love with his mom.
You sound like a hardworking, good and kind person. You can find someone willing to set you first in their life. - You didn’t overreact in any way. (Does anybody else notice that the person who believes that you’ve overreacted is always the one who has done something bad?)
Anyway, by now you’ve realized that your marriage isn’t real. Momma is #1 to the mother’s boy.
So, what do you do next? I hope you make yourself #1. fire_goddess11 / Reddit
The author is not alone in this situation, though. A 28-year-old soon-to-be bride shared her anticipation for her upcoming honeymoon with her soon-to-be-husband. Having dated for three delightful years, they were prepared to embark on their journey as a married couple. However, Jane revealed that her future mother-in-law had different intentions.