Family is supposed to be there for one another, but more often than not, they can be the source of pain and tension. Not everyone has a good relationship with their loved ones, especially if their family members are entitled people. Some moms and dads even use their power to guilt trip their kids into doing what they want, but it never ends well.
A man found himself in this exact situation when his girlfriend’s mom threw a tantrum about his baby’s name. But she was shell-shocked when nobody tolerated her horrible behavior.
More info: Reddit
Man stands up to girlfriend’s entitled mother when she tries to force them to use her baby name idea, he decides to ban her from meeting her grandchild
Image credits: Kampus Production (not the actual photo)
24YO guy shared that his GF’s mother is a “judgmental, crazy alcoholic” who has always criticized her, which is why they didn’t tell her they were expecting a child
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
The MIL found out about it and demanded they use the baby name she wanted, saying that it’s “her way or no way” but the guy refused point-blank
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
She then threatened them, saying she wouldn’t be in her grandchild’s life if they didn’t pick the name, to which they replied that it was probably for the better
Image credits: u/Unhappy_Plankton_287
When the woman started having a meltdown, the guy told her that she was delusional if she thought he would allow her near his kid and that she made her bed and should rot in it
The poster is a 24-year-old man who has been dating a 23-year-old woman for over a year. He shared that everything has been going right with their relationship and that he loves his girlfriend. The only problem is her mother. He explained that his girlfriend’s mom is a judgemental and crazy alcoholic who has often criticized her daughter so much that she ended up crying every time they talked.
That’s why the girl went low contact with her mother. Low contact or no contact means cutting off or curbing the relationship one has with a family member or members. This is a step taken to reduce the physical, psychological, or emotional suffering they experience at the hands of the abusive person. According to Psychology Today, it is used “as a tactic to protect oneself from continual hurt, it is generally the last resort.”
That’s why, the poster stated, when he and his girlfriend found out that they were expecting a child, they only decided to tell her dad about it. The woman has a better relationship with her father and told him the news, but unfortunately, her mother overheard it. She then began demanding that the couple use the baby name that she wanted. She even said that if they did not pick the name she wanted for the kid, then “she [wouldn’t] ever be in [their] child’s life.”
What the mother was trying to do was guilt trip her daughter and future son-in-law. According to Verywell Family, guilt tripping is “a way of shaming or blaming a child in order to convince them to do something or to comply with a request.” This type of action forces the other person into an uncomfortable and stressful situation.
Image credits: Vitaly Gariev (not the actual photo)
The mother continued her guilt trip by crying and telling the couple they could not ban her from seeing her grandchild. But the man stood up to his future MIL and told her that he would not “allow her to be near [their] child” and that she must be delusional for thinking so. He even said that she had made her bed and that she could rot in it.
The girl’s mother seemed to show typical narcissistic traits, which are often characterized by a belief that the world revolves around the narcissist and their needs. The narcissistic parent can negatively impact a child’s emotional and psychological welfare. In this case, while the girl was growing up, she might have struggled to deal with this toxic relationship that her mother had created.
Toxic family members may intentionally or unintentionally do harmful things to the people around them. They may also not recognize their bad patterns of behavior. According to Take Root Therapy, “one type of emotional abuse by a toxic family member is frequently being painfully critical of others.” As the poster mentioned, his girlfriend was always criticized by her judgemental mother, which is why the couple probably did not want that cycle of abuse to continue with their child.
That’s why the author stood up for his future child and for his girlfriend. He made sure that his MIL understood their boundaries and he showed that he wasn’t afraid to confront her. The post got 8.4k upvotes and 1.4k comments with netizens telling him that he was right to put the woman in her place. How would you have handled this unhinged MIL? Tell us in the comments.
Commenters were supportive of the guy and told him to ignore his parents because they had probably never encountered narcissists before
