How do you define family? Our go-to definition would be Dominic Toretto's favorite word. But obviously, it's actually a bit deeper than that. While some people (especially my boomer parents) think family is your blood - the group you're born into and descend from. But the reality is a bit different. I consider my neighbors to be family. We spend quality time together at least one night a week, play games and share meals. While family can be people you choose, that's often just a bonus in addition to your Mom, Grandma, cousins, whomever. And your in-laws, who should embrace you as their child's life partner, and welcome you to the family. Sadly, that embrace is woefully absent from some married people's lives. This story from u/restaurantcrasher is a depressing look at some seriously messed up family dynamics. Allegedly, her husband's family has regular dinners together - and only invites her half the time. While we know it can be nice to have some alone time with blood relatives (especially parents), it seems that OP is the only significant other who is not consistently invited. What. The. Hell.
When u/restaurantcrasher felt she'd had enough of the exclusions, she decided to crash their fancy dinner by making a reservation at the very same restaurant. It did not go over well. Her mother-in-law said it was rude of OP to interrupt their family dinner. Which really says a lot - namely that she doesn't consider her own son's wife as family. The husband didn't do anything to help the situation, either. Instead of apologizing or explaining the situation, he told his wife that the decision was one they had come to as a family.
The entire saga fills me with a whole lot of feelings - none of them positive. It would seem the folks of r/AmITheAsshole, and of Twitter (where the post went viral) are leaning the same way.
Seriously. What is the point of getting hitched if you don't want to invite them places?
Updated January 3, 2023