‘I can’t believe you’d come to dinner without a shirt!’: A Family Visit Turns Haywire When the New Mother Shows Up to the Dinner Table Mid-feed for Newborn

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Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Feb 3, 2024 12:00 PM EST

Meeting your partner's family can be stressful. It can fill you with nervousness about being liked, or the feeling that you have to impress them. Nothing is worse than having an embarrassing or humiliating moment in front of in-laws. As close as you can become to your partner's family, there will always be a level of intimacy that is private. 

It can be even more stressful when your in-laws are staying in your home for days on end. Not feeling like you have your own space, or that you have to adhere to your MIL's demands can drive someone over the edge. Especially if they just had a baby! Not only would you be stressed with having to take care of your newborn, but you'd be juggling making a good impression with the baby hanging off of your chest. And that's essentially what happens here! For the full scoop, read this hilarious Reddit piece that has a demanding mama regretting her words.

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  • 01
    Posted by u/ConflictActive222 11 hours ago AITA for coming to dinner basically topless?
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 02
    I've dreaded posting for a while because I'm afraid I might be the AH. But i just gotta know. So here goes. My parents in law and brother in law came to visit and stay for a month with my husband (27M) and i (28F) after i had my baby. For context if it makes any difference, I'm German, husband and his family are Italian. The baby was 3 months old at the time and i
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 03
    breastfeed her. Usually I'd just nurse on the couch in the living room but because company was staying, I'd go to my bedroom. After i nursed her, she'd fall asleep and take a nap and I'd have some free time. Since family was visiting, i tried to plan her naps around our mealtime to spend time with family uninterrupted. My mother in law has this thing that when food is on
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 04
    the table, you be there pronto. Sometimes I'd be late coming to a meal because babies can be unpredictable and she wouldn't fall asleep right away or nursed longer than normal. To this my mother in law would barge into my room and annouce food was ready, all impatient. This startled the baby and made the process last much longer than it should have. The
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 05
    result is I had to eat much later than everyone else, alone, and the food was cold. It left me fuming. More work to do with the baby and I'm secluded. This happened several times. I asked my husband to talk to her and explain i can't always come on time. He talked to her but she still did all this anyway. So i simply decided to stop being late to the dinners. The next time
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 06
    she barged in my room and announced food was ready, i came without hesitation. I came to the table exactly as i was. No shirt, half a bra, baby hanging on one (nothing was seen as the baby's head covered up everything anyway but still) Ensue uproar. Goes something like: MIL exclaims what the I'm doing at the table like this. I'm indecent, there are
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 07
    men at the table. I should be ashamed. I yell back what the does she keep calling me to the table for if I'm not yet ready. I have no reason to be in my room alone with my baby while everyone else is out having a great time together. Brother and FIL are trying not to get in on the argument. Husband ushers me back to my room and scolds me, taking his mother's side. He means he gets I'm frustrated
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 08
    but this action didn't help anything. But... After that MIL didn't bother again while i was busy with the baby. So what if i came to some meals a little after everyone had started eating. The roof didn't cave in! Anyways everyone lived happily ever after. The end. AITA?
    via u/ConflictActive222
  • 09
    Thinking TOOLoud 11 hr. ago Partassipant [3] NTA. A well-placed piece of malicious compliance.
    via u/Thinking TOOLoud
  • 10
    Raise Otherwise5650. 10 hr. ago. edited 10 hr. ago Love it. I'd be at husband though. "You had your chance to talk to her. Either you weren't trying hard enough to be convincing, or she
    via u/RaiseOtherwise5650
  • 11
    didn't give a . If you're 1, go talk to her. I just did what she asked." "Next time, nut up and actually handle your mother before I have to get my out at the dinner table."
    via u/RaiseOtherwise5650
  • 12
    Cultural Section_862 9 hr. ago Pooperintendant [... i've had a pretty few days "before I have to get my out at the dinner table." made me actually chuckle. thanks stranger
    via u/Cultural_Section_862
  • 13
    My_Poor_Nerves. 8 hr. ago Is your book on how to handle useless husbands available for preorder yet?
    via u/My_Poor_Nerves
  • 14
    ClosetIsHalfYarn · 2 hr. ago Prevention is key. Primary prevention: avoid getting a useless husband. Secondary prevention is also referred to as contraception, and
    via u/ClosetIsHalfYarn
  • 15
    limits the chances of husband being upgraded to parent while simultaneously preventing difficult MILs from achieving Grandmother status.
    via u/ClosetIsHalfYarn
  • 16
    Melodic-Watch5735 2 hr. ago Except some people actually want to have kids. Which is why your primary prevention is the key here: don't marry spineless mommy's boys!
    via u/Melodic-Watch5735
  • 17
    Tilly828282 1 hr. ago Page 2: Don't have a baby with a useless man If situation fails, consult the appropriate table of contents.
    via u/Tilly828282
  • 18
    TheHatOnTheCat. 6 hr. ago Yup, tell your husband you're disappointed in him. He should have handled his own family.
    via u/TheHatOnTheCat
  • 19
    If he knows how to usure women away and scold them, he should have done this to his mom every single time she interrupted you and woke the baby.
    via u/TheHatOnTheCat
  • 20
    I'd tell your husband if he dosen't learn to control his mom she can't stay.
    via u/TheHatOnTheCat
  • 21
    . TheLoveliestKaren · 5 hr. ago Professor Emeritass [72] He also should never have eaten without her. He should have kept informed and when OP was close to done with the baby, warmed up food for both of them and ate together.
    via u/TheLoveliestKaren
  • 22
    theresbeans 2 hr. ago THIS. If anyone is the AH in this story, it's the husband for not taking care of his wife when she's doing everything for their, equal responsibility,* child. To let his mother bully her,
    via u/theresbeans
  • 23
    and then leave her to eat alone every night, is next level assholery.
    via u/theresbeans
  • 24
    Suyeta_Rose 7 hr. ago NTA.. I mean you were an AH but only in the best possible way. When people are being not only ridiculous but also rude like that. I honestly can't think of a better way. Bravo.
    via u/Suyeta_Rose
  • 25
    lld287 33 min. ago Partassipant [1] To me that only further affirms you are NTA- you pushed back strategically, not as a default, defensive reaction. Your husband needs to grow up and be a partner.
    via u/lld287

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hilarious marriage baby drama relationships lol mother in law love family reddit thread newborn Reddit funny dating
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