Woman’s mother-in-law cuts her out of all her baby’s first birthday photos
A mum has taken to Reddit to tell a tale of her mother-in-law’s passive-aggressive photography, wondering if she’s right to be upset and seeking support.
Not all mother-in-laws
Her story was posted in a special part of Reddit that features negative stories about mothers-in-law, and we’d just like to say … #NotAllMothersInLaw.
That said, some MILs really do battle with their daughters-in-law, and this story is upsetting proof that they exist.
It’s pretty sad when family members are at odds and this poor mum truly seems to be on the receiving end of some pretty thoughtless behaviour. Let us tell you more …
So, the excited mum was planning her daughter’s first birthday party and realised someone needed to be on photography duties.
“I asked my mom and my MIL to make sure they got plenty of pictures to share with me later for my daughter’s memory book,” the mum writes on Reddit.
“My mother got some special shots – and to be fair my MIL got some good ones too of my daughter … however, I am cut out of EVERY SINGLE PICTURE that my MIL took.”
Read more about mothers-in-law:
- Mum upset her husband and mother-in-law secretly changed baby’s name
- 5 ways to patch up your relationship with your MIL now you have a baby
- In defence of mothers-in-law: 5 ways I’m embracing my husband’s mum
Elbows and knees only
This was no coincidence, this upset mum says, but rather an intentional effort to exclude her.
“If I was on the right side of the photo there’s even more room on the left side specifically to avoid having me in the shot,” she explains.
Apparently, there are bits of this mum in some photos, but that doesn’t count for much does it?
“There’s some of my husband with our daughter opening presents, at least 6 of them,” she writes, “and in every one you can just see my arm or my knee.”
“Not one of me!”
There were plenty of photos of her one-year-old with other family members, but this woman’s mother-in-law managed to avoid capturing her in the shots altogether.
“She took pictures of her mother with the baby, her with the baby, and of course her precious son (my husband) with the baby – but NOT ONE of me!!”
When she broached the subject with her mother-in-law later, MIL played innocent and found a photo taken by someone else.
“I said, ‘Oh wow, those are cute! I wish I was in some … I noticed I am cut out of all your pictures’.”
“She didn’t reply except to say, ‘Found one!’ And sent one that was obviously taken from her husband’s phone.”
“IM FUMING!!!!!!” she admits and to be honest, we would be too.
“Why bother?”
The mum went on to reveal that the issue is now causing tension between her and her husband, because she’s continued to seek some clarification from her MIL.
“He says I already spoke my mind last night and she got the point and that this wasn’t needed,” she writes.
“I’m saying that she never acknowledged what I said and maybe she doesn’t get it and maybe I’m hoping for an apology. He’s saying why bother because I’m probably not going to get one.”
Sigh. So hard, right? Really nobody can win here because everyone is being forced to divide loyalties …
A happy ending?
This situation had a kind of happy ending, when the mother-in-law agreed to be more inclusive in future.
“She finally responded after I asked her, ‘I’m just wondering if you realise that you tend to exclude me from photos?'”
“She said, ‘No, I did not realise that you tend to get excluded from photos. I am sooo sorry and will watch that in the future’. So that’s a happy ending!” the relieved mum wrote.
Good on this mum for calmly trying to clarify the situation. Whether the mother-in-law is being truthful or not, at least there’s some sort of resolution for now, and everyone can move on. And hopefully, be included in family photos!
