Man Says His Wife Felt Judged for Not Having Kids by His Brother’s Girlfriend. Now She’s Not Invited to Thanksgiving
"My mom thinks I’m being too harsh, but I feel like I’m just standing up for my wife," the husband wrote in a Reddit post
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Stock image of men having an argumentA husband is putting his foot down regarding the Thanksgiving guest list, even if it means making his brother angry (and getting their parents involved).
In a recent post on Reddit's “Am I the A------?,” a 31-year-old man said that he and his wife Lily, 30, are hosting this year — and they really don't want his brother, 29, to bring his new girlfriend Lindsey, 27.
Although she's "been polite at family events," the man said that his wife feels like Lindsey "has made some passive-aggressive comments" about the fact that they don't have kids.
“For example, at a recent BBQ, Lindsey said it was ‘selfish’ that Lily and I weren’t planning to have kids anytime soon," he wrote, adding that the s-word came up again at a family dinner.
"It made her feel like Lindsey was judging our life choices,” the man explained.
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However, the final straw came at a birthday party.
"Lindsey made a comment about Lily’s career, saying, 'It’s cute that you’re working part-time with no kids while Josh and I are really focusing on our careers,' " the man wrote. "Lily was annoyed, but didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to start drama."
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With Thanksgiving coming up, the man said that his brother asked if he could bring his girlfriend to dinner.
"I told him I'd prefer if she didn't come," the man said, sharing that he "explained that some of her comments had made Lily feel disrespected, and I didn’t want that to ruin the holiday."
However, the man said his brother got upset and "argued that I was overreacting and that Lindsey was 'just being honest.' "
He refused to back down, and now his brother is refusing to come and their "parents are caught in the middle."
"My mom thinks I’m being too harsh, but I feel like I’m just standing up for my wife," he wrote, going on to ask what his fellow Redditors thought.
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By and large, they supported his decision — and didn't hold back on calling out his brother and his girlfriend.
“It’s honestly none of her business if you and your wife have children," wrote one commenter, while another noted that "saying she was just being honest makes it worse."
However, others felt like the man waited too long to take action — and that he "should have had a frank discussion" with them about "establishing boundaries" before "banning them from a major family holiday."
Still, pretty much everybody agreed that the Redditor was not in the wrong.
"It is your home, and you and Lily are entitled to not be subject to the harassment of someone with an agenda," read one comment. "She is your wife, and you are standing up for her. Good for you. Hopefully your mom understands that eventually."
