Everybody loves a good joke.
Pranks are an entirely different story.
Yes, pranks are jokes, but they're jokes that can get really out of hand.
People may want to think about their comedic abilities before they put them into action.
Case in point...
Redditor ThrowRA8-4-6-2 wanted to discuss his experience and get some feedback. So naturally, he came to visit the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit.
He asked:
"AITA for getting annoyed with my GF for changing my last name to hers at a wedding for a joke?"
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
"G[irl]F[riend] and I are heading to a wedding next month."
"It's a couple she knows getting married - I've met them once or twice."
"I don't know anyone else at this wedding."
"The other day, her friend called to check if he 'should also change my name on the guest plan,' at which point she admitted to me that, as a joke, she had RSVPed my last name as her last name."
"Meaning it would be visible this way to other guests on the name tags at the table and perhaps on other things."
"I was immediately pissed off with her and said I didn't think it was funny, and she shouldn't have done it."
"She was indignant and upset, thought it was a funny joke, that I was overreacting, etc. AITA here?"
"See, I'm aware that it could be funny if you know your partner likes those jokes."
"We joke with each other about taking each other's names when we're married, her joking that I should take hers, etc."
"But for me, this feels like a big overstep."
"For one thing, it's childish."
"I would be embarrassed for her friends and other guests to presume we are married, only to find out it's a dumb joke."
"And also for her friends to think we're not taking their wedding seriously."
"But also, it feels like a power move."
"She knows that me taking her name would represent a victory for her, and so the joke feels less playful and more a competitive jibe at my expense."
"I have to put up with others believing I'm someone who took my wife's name and abandoned my own."
"No offense to anyone who chooses this, but my name is a part of my identity, and I dislike what being thought to have changed it puts across about me."
"She grudgingly accepts my point of view but, in general, feels more upset at having been 'told off.'"
"And that her naughty playful side is what people like about her and that I'm at fault for trying to repress it and being uptight. "
"I just feel it's crossing a boundary."
"So AITA?"
Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
Many Redditors declared OP WAS the A**hole.
"YTA."
"'I have to put up with others believing I'm someone who took my wife's name and abandoned my own.'"
"Ummmmmm. Like women have been expected to do since forever!" ~ LetsGetsThisPartyOn
"I agree OP's reaction disturbs me!"
"To the gf: don't take his name."
"He does not deserve it if this is his reaction to pretending to have your last name for about 4 hours!"
"Dude, this was a joke, not the masterful 3d chess 'win' you seem to think it is."
"To OP's gf, do you really want to stay with someone who cannot take a joke and who punishes you for just trying to do a fun minor prank?"
"He seems more upset that he somehow 'lost,' rather than trying to see the humor."
"And enjoying the fun of being called Mr (your last name) for an eve (to me, this would be cute AF and fun, cause smiles), and the intensity of his overreaction is scary AF to me."
"Does he react this badly when he loses board games or even minor arguments?"
"If yes, get out now!"
"He frankly seems super controlling about this, and the edit did not help him seem any better."
"Maybe it was a bad joke in his eyes (my guy totally would think it was cute and funny, would lean in, have fun with it), but even so, it seems like a massive d**kish overreaction to me."
"You fixed it, but let me guess, he still cannot let it go and is still punishing you!"
"If I could not have fun in my relationship, I'd nope right the hell out, this instant! YTA." ~ KatarinaSkill
"Oh, I think he's the a**hole not for any feminist name changing s**t but because he's thinking this deeply into a joke."
"Like here he is talking about oh people are going to assume all these things about me and assume that we are not taking her friend's wedding seriously and all this s**t. It's like bro you're not that special."
"No one's going to be paying that much attention to yours and your girlfriend's names."
"She did it because it was an inside joke, and she thought it would be funny and rightfully that no one would give a f**k, but if it's not a funny joke to you, just tell her it's not a funny joke, that's it."
"He's making it seem like it's this big life-changing, f**king decision or action."
"And that she was deliberately being disrespectful or some s**t like man sat here and wrote a whole thesis on his girlfriend, doing a joke that they have done for a while instead of just being like hey it wasn't really that funny to me, please just don't do it again."
"No one cares about him that much and the self-importance is just a lot."
"Another post where I'm left thinking... do you even like your partner?" ~ Slow-Compote9084
"It's the perceived 'power move' - OP feels she was attempting to dominate him and overreacted out of fear of losing his power to a [insert any minimizing/derogatory term for woman here]."
"For some men like OP, the very worst thing that could happen to them is to believe they are being perceived as weaker than a woman."
"He needs to rethink his 'identity' as something that cannot be stolen from him or altered by the perceptions of others."
"Perhaps if OP were secure in his masculine identity, his GF would no longer find it funny to nudge his fragile ego and watch him scramble to protect it from shattering." ~ New_Chest4040
OP came back with an Update...
"Lot of thoughts here, feeling blessed for all the balanced and constructive feedback I'm getting."
"Just to clarify, as I think my word choice has rubbed some people the wrong way, I have absolutely no problem with my gf keeping her name if we married."
"Personally, giving up my own name goes against my values, not because I'm a closet misogynist, but simply because I'm a person who values their identity."
"My gf knows this and still chose to make our joke public with her friends, whom I don't know."
"Okay, have at!"
Reddit continued...
"It is hard to tell what exactly happened."
"He said he was 'pissed off and said she shouldn't have done it' the GF also feels 'told off.'"
"If he just said I'm pissed off, you shouldn't have done that."
"I did not like it because XYZ, then I'd say NTA."
"If he was shouting, breaking furniture, going on about it for hours, then obviously YTA."
"He has not really included much for me to think it was more like the latter so I would say NTA based on solely the information given."
"He could obviously be hiding the stuff that makes him look bad and like TA." ~ HappyDrive1
"OP says he isn't a closet misogynist in his, but the tantrum he threw (what kind of MAN will these randos I'll never see again think I am!) Implies otherwise."
"If OP had went to his GF calmly and been like 'honey you know how I personally feel about keeping my last name. I feel hurt by your actions, and it's not a joke unless everyone is laughing and she was still pissed then I would assume it's a total power play on her part."
"My B[oy]F[riend] is also very attached to his last name but has told me when we marry I'm very welcome to keep my own, and if I decide to do so, we can hyphenate future children's last names."
"And honestly, I know Reddit likes the 'just leave your partner' solution but if OP feels this strongly about joking about his last name cause it's going to become an issue later on, he needs to go find a partner with different and aligning views on the matter." ~ GundamGirl94
"They aren't even ENGAGED!"
"I could see doing this as a lark as a married couple or engaged."
"But she put their names down as the same without any consultation with her BOYFRIEND."
"It crosses an unspoken boundary, in my opinion."
"I'd be weirded out if a boyfriend had altered my surname to his if we were dating."
"I doubt I'd be comfortable afterward."
"NTA. Girlfriend assumed far too much with this." ~ Bring-out-le-mort
Well OP, this is quite the situation.
Reddit clearly has some strong thoughts on the matter.
Maybe you and the GF should have a long talk about jokes and boundaries.
Try and enjoy the wedding.
Woman Asks If It's Wrong To Hold Grudge After Mom Told Her When She 8 Years Old That She Wished She'd Aborted Her
While some people view having and raising children as the greatest blessing, some parents hold their children's existence against them for their entire lives.
And when they feel that way about their children, they're unfortunately typically pretty honest about it, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor heavelymango knew from the time she was young that her mother did not really like her and significantly favored her sister.
But when her mother told her at the age of eight that she wished she had aborted her, the Original Poster (OP) held on to that grudge for years after the fact.
She asked the sub:
The OP had a grudge against her mother.
"I (22 Female) have been holding onto a grudge due to something my mom told me when I was roughly eight or nine years old."
"Growing up, I was a rebellious kid and always felt as if my mom favored my older sister. My sister would always get whatever she wanted."
"I know she was born with Down syndrome and always needed more attention and care, but if my sister wanted my tablet, for example, she would have it for the whole day while mine was limited to 30 minutes so she could have it."
"As a kid, I lashed out more because of this. She could take all of my things, but I could never use hers."
During a heated moment, the OP's mother said something unforgivable.
"Eventually, this led to an argument with my mom. I don't recall the whole thing, but it was related to my sister and how I felt my mom didn't care about me or give me the same amount of attention."
"The fight got heated, and I probably told my mom that I hated my sister and her."
"I remember she said back, 'I never wanted you from the start. I knew I should've aborted you when I had the chance.'"
" I didn't know what aborted meant at the time, and I remember I looked it up, and it made me cry. I never forgot it, and it lingers in my mind whenever I am home."
The OP's mother pressured her to "let it go" and move on.
"Even growing up, I still brought it up, and she would get mad, saying I need to let it go and how I'm stubborn for not just forgetting what she said."
"There was even a time in high school when she took me to a therapist, and she complained about how I never dropped what she said."
"She says I need to move on from it because it has affected my relationship with her, and she wants to fix it."
"I know I'm older now and it was so long ago, but it still hurts, and I feel like it's made me not want to have her in my life in the future, and I have told this to her."
"How I don't want her in my life once I move out, get married, or have my own kids."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that this sounded like a core memory more than a grudge.
"The axe forgets. The tree remembers."
"It sounds less like you're holding a grudge and more that this is a formative, core memory for you."
"It won't stop being a core memory (unless maybe with the help of a lot of therapy). Has your mom ever apologized for saying that? Because you don't have to forget to forgive, but if she's not remorseful for saying that terrible thing to her young child (not just remorseful that you remember it), then she probably needs therapy (or is a narcissist/sociopath/similar)."
"You are certainly not obligated to 'get over it.'" - Hot-Can3615
"This is not a 'grudge'; it is pain that is still felt to such a degree. If she said it, then she was thinking it. She'll probably never apologize, but that doesn't mean your pain is or was invalid." - Fast_Register_9480
"NOR. This kind of thing needs a real apology. Like she needs to acknowledge the damage and genuinely care about it. Brushing it off won’t make it go away." - TentacleWolverine
"NOR. Did she really want to fix things? She basically just told you to get over it from the start instead of giving you a sincere apology."
"That isn't working on anything. She wants you to get over it so she can pretend that she never said it, so she doesn't have to feel bad about what she did. It doesn't sound like she cares much about how you feel."
"She just doesn't want to deal with it. For that reason, I would still have issues with what she said." - Chemical-Ad6809
"If your relationship with your mother is being affected by the actions of your mother, your mother is responsible for fixing it."
"You should know you probably aren't ever going to get closure, but you don't have to swallow it down. It helps to be the person you needed when you were younger out loud to yourself, but especially to others."
"For example: My name is Liz, and my mom told me to go ahead and do it already and save us all the heartache when I finally had the courage to tell her about how much I've been struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. I'm never going to forgive her for that, and we have never been close as a result of her actions."
"You aren't holding onto a grudge; you have a core memory of your mother distilling her feelings into a world-shattering sentence."
"You did not have a secure attachment before and can't have one now because of the deep trauma. You do not apologize for being stabbed."
"Find another therapist. I mean it. Someone who cares about your well-being wouldn't force you to apologize for being verbally abused as a child. I'm 29 now, and I lived through it. I still struggle with suicidal ideation daily, but once I stopped relying on my mom and unstable sources for support, my life got better immediately."
"You want things for comfort and familiarity. Don't let your mom or your therapist gaslight you into crossing a boundary."
"It might help to ask for a written five-part apology from your mom. 1. Acknowledge what you did 2. Say why it was wrong 3. Promise not to do it again 4. Ask how to make amends. 5. Share your feelings at this time if there's anything you'd like to say."
"My mom can be a good person and a bad mom and role model. Being in your own company is so much better than poor company." - PotLuckyPodcast
Others hoped the OP would go no contact with her mother sooner rather than later.
"NOR. It’s emotional abuse. And you do not owe her closeness after that, especially as she refuses to be accountable for that and try to make it up to you."
"She knows you have her number, and she can’t forgive you for knowing what a colloidal b***h she is."
"It’s unlikely that will change; it will at least be turned back on you with her the victim."
"Stop expecting her to apologize. If she doesn’t pay your bills, ghost her." - SnooCheesecakes2723
"My mom said something similar. My brother and I were adopted, and when I was a teen, in front of a church lady, she said, 'We didn't even really want you, but the people didn't want to split y'all up, so we just took you, too.'"
"Me and the church lady were shook. When I say my falbbers were ghasted. Like huh? She didn't remember saying that when I brought it up years after the fact."
"I also got grounded two times for two separate nine weeks (for C's on my report card) and a three and a half to four months (for smoking at 16 and getting caught because she liked to just pop up out of nowhere), and we just had a talk about that, and she didn't even remember."
"She said, 'No, I didn't. I never grounded you for that long,' and when I gave my rebuttal, she said, 'Well, if I did, it definitely wasn't for no nine weeks or months,' and this started because she was praising me for reading so much and liking books. I said, 'Well, when you were grounded like me, that's all I could do (no TV, no friends outside of school, no music, nothing but my room and books)."
"There's a reason I only call or answer her calls once or twice every few weeks. And I only call to get food, really..." - ManicalMoe
"‘Fine, I'm sorry’ is not an apology."
"Whilst I’m sure it was said in anger, most things said in anger have a grain of truth. There are also some things that no half-decent parent ever says to their children, no matter how angry they are, and this is one of them! It also sounds like she has made repeated similar comments of not wanting you as her child."
"I understand her eldest had a disability, but this is no excuse for neglecting and emotionally abusing her younger child. Lots of families deal with a child with additional needs whilst still managing to prioritise their other kids. Children with Down syndrome are capable of understanding ‘that’s your sister's, not yours; give it back’ !! It sounds like your mum has mental health issues?"
"Do you have a present father or other family you can turn to?"
"Protect your peace. Your mum has hurt you time and time again, honestly, for no real gain other than momentarily satisfying her anger. You owe this woman nothing." - Background_Term9810
"I went through something similar. When I was a little girl, my mother used to make comments that implied she didn't want me, though it was never that explicit. 'I only had you because your brother wanted a sister,' and 'My figure never recovered after you; after your brother, it did.'"
"Each comment stayed with me, but I never addressed it with her. I tried to move on and leave it in the past. She did a lot of horrible things throughout my life, but her behavior was always ignored because that's the precedent my dad set, where she can do essentially whatever she wants."
"A few months ago, she came to see me because I was desperate for help and sick. Instead of helping, she made my life so much worse. I won't go into details. At one point, I could no longer keep it inside, and I told her that she is a narcissist, to which she responded with, 'It would have been better if I had never had you.'"
"In some ways, it felt really good to hear her come out and say it. It felt good to hear the truth I've always known."
"I don't know what you should do, but I've chosen to not forgive."
"Every time I forgave, I just let her know that she can get away with whatever horrible things she had done. Her apologies were never real apologies. She always found ways to blame me or others for whatever she had done."
"And I'm truly just done with it. As sad as it is to not have a mom, it's sadder to pretend that you have one when in reality you don't... quite the opposite, if anything." - Neos_Mom
"So, OP, what will hurt more: keeping her and the grudge in your life or making a break and going low or no contact with her?"
"Frankly, we've no idea of what she might have been dealing with at the time, but regardless, what she said was said only to cause pain and suffering. 'Sorry' doesn't magic that intent away."
"Me, I think spending time alone or with friends or in therapy away from her might be what you need here. You might come to some sort of acceptance, but if this is something that's just going to keep coming between you, then stop trying to have that relationship." - Tal_Tos_72
After the OP received feedback, she shared a few clarifications from her original post.
"I wanted to clear some things up, take accountability where it's due, and provide some much-needed context from many people commenting the same questions."
"I want to be completely honest. We had many arguments, and I was a rebellious kid. I acted out and argued with my mom."
"I don't want to give off the impression that I was an entirely innocent kid who never did anything wrong and my mom just snapped out of nowhere. We both said hateful and hurtful things to each other during our fights."
"Growing up, the only way she would accept an apology was if I got on my knees and begged her for forgiveness. If I ever asked her to apologize to me, she would say, 'I have nothing to apologize for; you should be the one begging for my forgiveness.'"
The OP had a lot of physical memories, too.
"Things also would turn into physical arguments, not just verbal ones."
"There were times when she would get so angry she would get physical. Like yanking me by my hair, twisting my arms, or throwing things at me (like remotes, a bug spray can, or a radio)."
"When she yanked my hair, I would fight back just to get her to let me go, and she would scream that I was trying to kill her and she would get me arrested. When she twisted my arm, and I begged her to stop because it felt like it was going to break, she would say she hoped it did."
"When she threw objects at me, she would say she wished they would hit my face."
"I remember in middle school, during an argument, she said she wished she could break my face and that she hated it because I look like my dad. I won’t lie, whenever she said things like that, I would say nasty comments about how she chose to have him put us in her."
While the OP wasn't financially ready to move out yet, she hoped to as soon as possible.
"Why haven't I moved out yet? The main reason I haven't been able to move out is financial."
"I wasn't making enough to support myself without worrying about whether I’d end up having to crawl back home."
"Thankfully, I have recently found a better-paying job. My plan is to move out between mid-to-late October, or early November at the latest."
"The only reason I can't leave this exact second is because I have a few legal/administrative things to get cleared up so I’m completely untied from my mom, which will take a few weeks."
The OP also had proof that her mother liked her sister better.
"Has my mom ever admitted to favoring my sister? Yes."
"In arguments, she has explicitly told me that she doesn't see me as her legitimate daughter, and that she adored my sister more and forever will. She has also called me a 'monster,' told me there is a certain type of evil inside of me, and said she was afraid I would be just like my dad and try to harm them."
"She would even tell me that she was telling family and friends these things about me, but then later claim she 'just said it in the moment' and wouldn't be crazy enough to actually tell people that."
"Because I was so confused growing up and didn't know if she was lying or telling the truth, I started avoiding our family when they came over."
"Naturally, that just made things worse because she would get mad at me for avoiding them (even now as an adult), completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who lied about what she told them."
Unfortunately, the OP didn't have support from her father.
"What about my dad? My dad is not in my life."
"He was around sporadically, but never as a stable parent. My parents separated before I was born and divorced when I was two or three."
"Growing up, it was just constant back-and-forth toxicity, with him telling me how toxic my mother was, and her telling me the same about him."
"He would mostly only come over to see my sister, and often used me to care for her if he wanted to take her out to eat. Ultimately, my dad didn't care about anyone else other than my sister (and his drugs)."
"I hope this can clear some questions on the original post. I know I didn't provide many details as I originally should have. I honestly didn't want to post something too long, and I honestly did not expect it to be noticed."
"Thank you all for taking time to talk to me and share your thoughts."
The subReddit fully sided with the OP, pointing out that no matter how heated the moment was, it would never excuse the terrible things the OP's mother had said to her.
If the OP's mother really wanted a relationship with her, she'd drop the defensiveness and demands, offer a genuine apology, and work hard to be better for both of her children.
That takes a very rare kind of person to pull off, and it didn't sound like the OP's mother had that in her.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp