Family relations can be complex at times, especially when in-laws get into the picture.
A woman took to Reddit to ask fellow users if she’s in the wrong for canceling Thanksgiving dinner, which she hosted for the last 20 years, because of her brother’s wife’s demands.
Namely, the woman explained that during the last five years, for as long as she had known her sister-in-law Julie, the sister-in-law always had some special wishes regarding the dinner.
“Julie is very big into fad diets (Atkins, keto, South Beach) and every year she sends me a list of foods that she cannot eat and a list of things that she can,” the OP explained.
Being the host and wanting everyone to have a great time and be satisfied with the food, the woman always followed Julie’s wishes, but she somehow always found a way to make things uncomfortable for the rest of the guests, which consisted of family members only.
During the last year’s festivity, Julie got into an argument with her husband, the woman’s brother, because he refused to eat her ketogenic diet food. This made everyone feel bad and the atmosphere felt awkward after that.
This year Julie again sent a list of things she could and she couldn’t eat because she was following a diet that would help her with her fertility as she was trying for a baby through in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
However, OP wasn’t willing to prepare any special meals any longer so she replied to Julie explaining she was making a single meal only.
“I texted her back and told her that this year I was making one meal and one meal only and she could either eat what was being served or bring her own food.”
Somehow, Julie was deeply offended and angry at OP for not considering her request. She even told her husband about it. He called OP and told her she was acting selfishly and that she should agree to prepare a special meal for his wife. As things got heated, the OP’s mother got involved into it as well, as her brother called her and complained about his sister not fulfilling his wife’s wish.
He even reminded OP that his wife prepared special food for her once because of her allergies. In her defense, OP said that her food allergies were life-threatening, and Julie’s diet was her own choice that changed every year. OP’s mother agreed that Julie’s wishes were hard to fulfill because she changed her diet all the time and that in the future, if she wants to be part of any family gathering, she should bring her own food.
Because of all the mess that was created, OP decided to cancel the Thanksgiving dinner. “I am serving (Thanksgiving menu). If they want to come over and eat with us, they are welcome to do so,” she wrote to everyone who was invited.
Some of the family members said the woman shouldn’t have canceled the tradition of hosting Thanksgiving dinner, while others supported her decision.
Most of the Reddit users criticized Julie’s behavior and were in favor of OP.
What are your thoughts on this?
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