Mother-in-law gifts woman $500 tattoo removal gift certificate for Christmas, woman has gotten 3 more tattoos since then: ‘The audacity of this woman I swear’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Dec 31, 2025 2:00 PM EST

We all have things we like that other people might not like. Like we learned when we were children, one should never yuck another person's yum. If the desired hobby, food, color, or anything of that nature isn't necessarily your thing, that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own lives to do with as they please. Contrary to popular belief, that's why we humans aren't all simply one conjoined being and, instead, exist as separate entities with free will.

You might be wondering what "yum" is being "yucked" in this story. If you read the title (which we're sure you have), you'll notice the hot topic of the day is tattoos. For some reason, the concept of tattoos strikes a nerve in folks, young and old. The main talking points against tattoos are "You'll regret it when you're older" and "You don't want all of those weird drawings on your body." Tattoo enthusiasts see their body as a canvas and tattoo artists as the paintbrush. Tattoos, whether you like them or not, are collections of memories. For many, this brings a feeling of insurmountable joy. Why should they sacrifice that for another person's preferences and comfort? Spoiler alert: They shouldn't. That's why when a woman's mother-in-law decides to gift her a $500 tattoo removal gift certificate for Christmas, she gets three more tattoos instead. Scroll to read.

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  • a woman with tattoos and a photo of an older woman overlayed
    via Natalia Blauth For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "AITJ for refusing to use the $500 tattoo removal gift certificate my MIL gave me for my birthday"

    My husband and I have been married for 3 years together for 6. Theres an age gap between us hes 43 and Im 31 which has never been a problem for us but his mom has always had issues with it.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • She talks to me like Im some rebellious teenager instead of her sons wife and life partner One of her biggest problems is my tattoos.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • I love them theyre well done and theyre a huge part of who I am. I literally cannot imagine myself without them and my husband thinks theyre sexy as hell so win win.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • She made comments while we were dating but my husband told her privately to knock it off and she did for a while Then 3 years ago we hosted both our families for my birthday dinner.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • It was our first big gathering after getting married and people brought gifts which was sweet.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • I was planning to open everything after everyone left but MIL handed me an envelope at the dinner table and insisted I open it right there in front of everyone Inside was a card and a $500 gift certificate to a local tattoo removal place I just stared at it trying to figure out if this was a joke.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • Asked her what it was for and she said now that I was a married woman planning to have kids she assumed I would want my tattoos removed The audacity of this woman I swear My husband and I were both stunned.
    via Capable-Elevator-613

  • What should've been a sweet gesture turned into a blatant disaster. The mother-in-law did not gift this certificate in good faith because she had already confronted her son about the tattoos, and he told her to stop. This feels like a calculated humiliation ritual. Does she genuinely believe that this back-handed gift would've been taken positively? The worst part of all of this is that this occurred three years ago, and the mother-in-law decided to bring it up again. When will she take the hint?

  • I managed some half assed thank you and we moved on but later he called her and told her off.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • a woman sitting at a table looking shocked
    via Brock Wegner For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Demanded she take it back and get a refund. She refused and said I would want it someday Its been 3 years.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • That gift certificate is still sitting in my kitchen junk drawer and Ive added 3 more tattoos to my collection since then Recently she brought it up again asking if I ever used it and I said nope and I never will.
    via Capable-Elevator-613
  • She got upset saying I was being ungrateful and wasteful and that she spent good money trying to help me look more presentable AITJ for not using it and refusing to pretend I appreciated it
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  • Inevitable_Junket555 Imagine spending $500 just to insult someone and then expecting a thank you
    via Inevitable_Junket555
  • syralethveil Your husband stepping in and telling her off is the real win here. It shows he respects you and your autonomy, and honestly, MIL needs to understand that being married doesn't mean she gets to micromanage your body or style.
    via syralethveil
  • bronwynbloomington Most tattoo places also remove tattoos. If the tattoo removal place also does tattoos, just use your gift certificate for new tattoos. Then show MIL new tattoo and thank her.
    via bronwynbloomington
  • InfamousCup7097 Get her a gift certificate for next Christmas for towards a face lift and tell her you're just trying to help her look presentable. Ntj.
    via InfamousCup7097
  • Ok-Listen-8519 NTJ she's just incredibly stupid. Im glad your husband backs you up
    via Ok-Listen-8519
  • Gemfyre1 You should see if you can trade it in at the tattoo place. They might actually want it. Mistakes happen from time to time lol.
    via Gemfyre1
  • not-your-mom-123 From what I've seen removing a tattoo leaves a scar. Show her some pictures of the scars if you think that might get her to stop. Your husband is a keeper, BTW. Ignore her.
    via not-your-mom-123
  • Slight_Buy 3417 NTJ She was trying a old monster in law trick to spook you in to submission. She's mad that you have common sense and you don't see her as any person of authority over your life. I love that you framed it so when she comes over it's constantly in her face not being used. It's the ultimate slow burn. - NTJ 100
    via Slight_Buy_3417

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family drama married life tattoos mother in law entitled people
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