Some people hold some things so sacred that they get very protective of them, and refuse to allow other people to share them.
What complicates this is that these people have no rightful ownership of these things like dates, songs, or places that hold special meaning to them.
As a result, when they learn that someone will be holding their birthday party at a certain venue, choosing a specific song for their first wedding dance, or having a celebration on a certain day, they won't take kindly to it at all.
The only thing that surprised Redditor MurkyMitzy more than learning that her mother was getting remarried was the day on which she was choosing to get remarried.
While the original poster (OP) took this news with something of a grain of salt, her husband was less subtle with his feelings.
Even going so far as to make a shocking declaration about how his future with his mother-in-law (MIL) will be if she goes forward with the wedding on her chosen date.
A declaration the OP had no trouble telling her husband she found completely ridiculous.
Having some doubts about how she handled things, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole" (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for telling husband we don't own our anniversary date?"
The OP explained why the day on which her mother chose to get married proved a major point of contention between her and her husband.
"My 71-year-old mother is getting remarried quite suddenly to a man she hasn't known long, about 6 months."
"Since it's not either's first marriage, they're getting married at the courthouse on a weekday."
"The date she chose happened to be my own wedding anniversary, even though she knew it was my anniversary."
"It will be my 21st anniversary when she gets married."
"When my husband found out, he became angry and asked why she stole our day."
"Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer it if she had chosen a different day too, but I'm not going to get worked up about it."
"He is not going to the wedding, and he is saying he will never talk to her again over this."
"I don't know what that means for holidays, birthdays, things like that but I'll cross that bridge some other time."
"I also feel like we should not be avoiding her and her new husband. We should be over there all the time to make sure mom's ok."
"I told him I was upset about the day she chose too, but that we don't own that day."
"AITA for saying that?"
"Our anniversary holds special meaning to us, but I wouldn't expect others to treat that day special."
"My husband and my mother have always gotten along."
"They are both lovely people."
"I did tell my mother that one of the days she had to choose from was my anniversary."
"And my husband did take me out for a very nice evening for our anniversary."
"More specific info-mom had 4 dates she thought she could choose."
"Magistrate was on vacation for 2 of them, and the other day was booked when she called so this ended up being her only option."
'She's not been able to tell him any of this because he won't talk to her."
"And he gets very upset if I talk about the topic at all."
"Mom did not remember my anniversary date until I reminded her."
"Honestly, I have no idea what day my daughter's anniversary is either."
"I do care about my anniversary and my husband."
"And my mother."
"I can care about multiple things at once."
"He is a good man, and she is a good mother."
"She has never been manipulative, though she does need help, being 71 years old."
"My husband and mother have gotten along very well until this incident."
"When I said I wished they could just get along, I meant right now."
"She calls him son, and he calls her mom."
"They were always good with each other."
"And I'm not cutting either one out of my life so…"
"AITA?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You're The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
While the Reddit community was somewhat divided, the majority of people did end up finding the OP to be the a**hole for the way she treated her husband.
Some agreed that the OP was correct in pointing out that she and her husband didn't own the date, and was right to tell him so, even if most people understood her husband's anger at this, which they felt he was entitled to.
"NTA."
"You are right: You don't OWN the date."
"But it might cause your husband NOT to be there for her events."
"That MIGHT be true for you if you decide for it to be that way."
"But that is certainly not true for your husband."
"HE is fine to have other priorities."- Aggressive-Mind-2085
Others understood the frustrations of the OP's husband a bit more, feeling he had every right to be annoyed. Even if they still respected that it didn't bother the OP, many found the true a**hole in this situation to be the OP's mother.
"You are right."
"You don't own the day."
"Your husband is also right."
"He makes a big deal out of an anniversary and your mother choosing that day can hurt her relationship with him."
"I could go either way but I'm going to go NAH here."- naraic
"Your mom is not someone like a friend or distant relative."
"Your mom should absolutely not be doing this and actually seems vindictive."-Critical_Item_8747
Most, however, sided completely with the OP's husband, feeling that the OP should be more upset that her mother chose to get married on their anniversary date. The date itself had no meaning to her and was more out of convenience, while others found the wedding of the OP's mother highly suspect.
"Unpopular opinion but YTA."
"The comments and replies I've read made it sound like OPs husband and mother DO NOT get along."
"I doubt someone who has been married for 21 years would get THAT upset over something so minor if it wasn't built up over time."
"So to me it seems like the mother is intentionally trying to antagonize OPs husband and her not backing him up undermines their own relationship."
"I had a courthouse wedding, there are stipulations on when they do them."
"The thing is if one courthouse doesn't match your schedule you can go to another if there are more in your area (my city has 5 that I know of and only one had a slot around the time my wife and I wanted)."
"Also if it's something important to a family member it isn't hard to compromise and change the when, I'd have been so okay with waiting a week or two if that made a world of difference to someone we cared about."
"So overall I think YTA not because they own the day but because by not supporting the husband OP is by default supporting the mother who sounds kind of obnoxious at best."-DKGroove
"Look I wouldn't make a big deal about it, in your position, but I find it weird that she chose your anniversary out of those four dates."
"It's weird."
"TBH getting married this week is hugely concerning."
"Have you talked to your mum about a prenup?"
"Has she made any move to secure her assets?"
"Seriously."
"YTA if you don't make sure she's secure herself as best she can."- greenbunnyblue
"YTA."
"Because it upsets your husband so much, and because your Mom is getting married at a courthouse (relatively easily rescheduled)."
"You should have assisted in delivering his objections politely to your mother."
"I planned my wedding on my Sister's birthday because my wife said, 'It was the only day everyone could attend'."
"Sis was really sad but gracious, about it."
"12 years later, I still regret, wish I could go back and change it."- Polar777Bear
"YTA."
"You don't own the day, but She chose that day for a reason, when it's not hard for a different day to have been chosen."
"Don't be so naïve."- privatejokerzz
"I'm going with YTA."
"It sounds like your husband and mother do not generally get along and this is indeed the last straw on a big pile of burning hay."
"You don't own the date, but it has significance for you over the last 21 years, no less."
"No, you don't have grounds to request that your mother respects it; she can attach her own significance to the same date."
"But that doesn't mean hers now override yours."
'You can choose to spend the day with your husband, guilt-free."- sanguinepsychologist
There's nothing terribly wrong with the fact that the OP doesn't feel as protective of her anniversary date as her husband does.
But seeing that it does matter to the OP's husband, and doesn't seem to really matter at all to her mother, perhaps the right thing for the OP to do is intervene and kindly request they get married on any other day.
Doing so might also shine some more clarity about the intentions of the man the OP's mother is going to marry.
















New Mom Irate After Father-In-Law Ruins Her Birthday With 'Vulgar' Comment About Her Breasts
There's nothing quite like the feeling of going through all the work to prepare a fun celebration, just for someone to undo it with an unkind or gross comment.
That feeling just gets worse when it's your birthday, and that comment was made by someone who's supposed to care about you, sympathized the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor Rude-Pepper-2389 had recently given birth and decided to have a special birthday celebration to reconnect with her loved ones after becoming a mom.
When her father-in-law stopped by unexpectedly and then made comments about her body, the Original Poster (OP) was left so uncomfortable that it ruined the whole celebration for her.
She asked the sub:
The OP wanted to have a special birthday celebration after her baby was born.
"I currently have a five-month-old and haven’t really been taking care of myself or dressing up since having the baby."
"It’s my (25 Female) birthday, and we were having friends over at our house for a private dinner to celebrate."
"My husband (24 Male) and I have been together since we were 18."
"I decided to put on this new silk shirt I got, which, admittedly, was low-cut, but I felt cute in it and felt comfortable around the friends we were having over."
Everything was fine until the OP's father-in-law (FIL) stopped by unexpectedly.
"My husband's dad decided to stop by on his way home from work."
"I will say, he was likely drunk. He works two hours away and proudly told my husband he's down to only four beers on his drive home each day... so, that's healthy."
"When he came in, I was on the couch with my baby propped up beside me, bottle feeding him. Keep in mind, I am not breastfeeding, so no, my breasts are not any larger right now."
"My husband's dad leaned down to look at the baby and then suddenly shouted, 'D**n, son, she could knock you out with those things in bed! Like cracking two coconuts together.'"
"This was fully and undoubtedly in reference to my breasts."
The OP was shocked by the comment and very uncomfortable.
"It made me deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed."
"I was so stunned, I couldn’t even process what he said to me, and our friends just stared at me, blinking."
"He’s a redneck, so he's said some pretty vulgar stuff over the years, but this just seems to take the cake, as it was the first time it was directed at me."
"When he stepped out, I told my husband he needed to speak to him, and that the comment wasn’t okay."
"I went to change clothes and decided to never ever wear that shirt again."
"When I brought it up to my husband, he said he didn't hear the comment at first, but then he laughed when I told him what he said. He's always laughed when he feels awkward and has always had a hard time standing up to his parents in any capacity."
"When he and my father-in-law spoke, my FIL just said, 'I shouldn’t have said that to her, I know how she can be,' which just feels even more like I’m just being dramatic."
"Since then, I think my husband just wants me to drop it and move on, truthfully."
The OP wasn't sure what to do after what happened.
"This genuinely ruined my entire night. Am I just too sensitive, or was this an inappropriate thing to say?"
"There's also been no apology since then. This happened on Thursday, and then my father-in-law came by again on Friday with flowers to wish me a happy Mother's Day before Mother's Day Sunday."
"I think that was his way of trying to just breeze past the awkwardness. He's never gotten me a gift the whole seven years I've known him, so the flowers were odd. But I still feel really uncomfortable."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that her father-in-law's comments were rude and just plain creepy.
"NOR at all. That was really rude of him. Anyone would be offended." - Bookbringer
"NOR. That’s firmly in the category of what should be an 'inside thought,' and we should learn what those are at a much younger age than this guy is."
"F**king h**l, this is an absolutely mental thing to say out loud, let alone to your daughter-in-law." - Electronic-Fennel828
"FIL is an AH. I love that you think his being a redneck excuses it, but d**n. Even rednecks should know better than to speak that way to their son's wife."
"What does your husband have to say? Does he understand how breath-takingly rude his father was, or is he Team 'That's Just How He Is'?"
"I'd go very low contact with the old perv. NOR, he put you in an uncomfortable position with his crude remark. Is he married? I'd tell the MIL. I'd tell the whole family. Yes, it's embarrassing, but he is the one who should be embarrassed. Don't accept his non-apology." - Top-Bit85
"Maybe I’m desensitized after having large breasts since I was 13 (I’m 28 now), but I let out a little snort based on how immature of a joke it was. I’d simply tell FIL, 'Yes, I know, my boobs are big,' and move on."
"That said, I would never make such a comment about another person's body. Just because I'm technically fine with it doesn't mean I assume anyone else is!"
"Not everyone is the same, and if OP felt uncomfortable, she’s NOR. Her body, her boundaries." - Both_Original2094
"I’m sorry. That’s upsetting. My father is like this with his father. Even if it’s very offensive comments, he’s uncomfortable and has problems confronting him. It sounds like your husband isn’t going to have a talk with him, which is hurtful."
"I would explain to your husband how uncomfortable the situation was for you and that it’s a serious matter, especially if it happens again. And if he still tries to brush it off, then I would tell him you no longer want your FIL coming to your home."
"It’s your life, too, and he’s not the one being hurt here, you are." - w_coastultraviolence
Others were specifically angry about the tactics the father-in-law used to try to get out of trouble.
"Seriously? Saying 'I know how she can be' is a classic way to blame the victim for having boundaries. It’s your birthday, not a Hooters convention. What a creep. If he can’t look at the baby without checking out your breast, he shouldn't be invited to the house." - Specific_Parsnip3264
"'I know how she can be' is so f**ked up. He's the one being a disgusting person. You need to shine up your husband's spine to properly call him out at the time next time, because there will be a next time." - dancepantz
"The bit that pisses me off the most is, 'I know how she can be,' which is his way of making it her problem that she doesn't like her FiL sexualising her in front of her friends." - Outside-Partait-8935
"The 'joke' comment is gross, but that follow-up comment is infuriating. NOR, OP. But this guy will be in your life for a while, so firmly & calmly shutting this stuff down is completely appropriate."
"I'd wear the d**n shirt again to the next family function and look him right in the eyes next time!" - RationalFish
"When we let things like this slide for others, it's not long before it ends up on our doorstep, and of course, nobody says anything because keeping the peace is the norm. It doesn't have to be getting into their face and yelling abuse back. Just a comment such as, 'Well, that's super tacky to say,' or asking them why they'd say that." - Kattnapped
"The OP said, 'He's said some pretty vulgar stuff over the years... but this is the first time it was directed to me.'"
"Normalise calling stuff out when they are talking about others, and they won't feel so comfortable saying it to you."
"It's a gross thing for him to say, but I guess him buying you flowers is his way of saying sorry."
"Sounds like you are in the situation of a lot of new mothers, where you suddenly realise this stuff matters because you want better influences for your child, and better support for yourself. NOR." - Jumpy-Jello-
Now, about that shirt...
"Please re-think your decision to never wear the cute shirt again, girl!! It's something that you liked very much because it made you feel good about yourself. Don't let some backwoods id**t ruin that for you."
"Wear that shirt till it's worn out and can't be worn anymore!! You should be able to feel good about yourself in whatever you like to wear."
"Your husband should have immediately checked his father, not waited until he was told to do so after his father left the room. In front of everyone there, your husband should have told his father not to ever speak about you or to you in that kind of manner, and if his father doesn't like it, he knows where the door is."
"Hubby should have called him out for his response as well. You did absolutely nothing wrong. You were not the problem; his dad was. This comes down to your husband needing to protect his wife, and he didn't do that." - Lynzo141982
"If he is a redneck, like you said, he won't outright apologize, but flowers are his way of saying sorry."
"I hope he won't say anything again, or else you can expect a nicely tended garden for at least a year."
"About your top, I hope you can wear it again. It takes a lot to feel cute, being a new mum."
"If not, get some fabric dye, dye the top a different color, and embroider a flower on it. This makes the top new, different, and every time you wear it, you can use the mantra ... I'm cute, I don't care what anyone says."
"You've got this!!" - No_Kangaroo_6637
Even if the father-in-law was joking and meant no harm, this is one of those situations where he needs to admit that his joke did not land well, he did cause harm, and he needs to apologize. Just because some people enjoy joking in that manner does not mean that everyone will be comfortable with it, and it's important to respect everyone's boundaries and zones of comfort.