A pregnancy announcement is meant to be a joyful moment, shared on your own terms.
But when this mom-to-be’s request for privacy was ignored—twice—by her mother-in-law, the situation quickly turned from excitement to frustration.
Now, she’s left questioning if it’s unreasonable to want her husband to address the breach of trust.
Read on for the story.
I’m currently pregnant and wanted to keep it on the down-low for now.
My first pregnancy ended in loss, and this one is a multiples pregnancy, so I’ve been really anxious and hesitant to share.
My husband and I told his mom and other close family early on with the clear request to keep it private until we were ready to tell others.
We’re only just finishing the first trimester, and recently I received a text from a family acquaintance congratulating us.
Turns out they’d run into my MIL that morning, and she’d shared the news.
She really played the “secrets secrets are no fun” game a little too literally.
This isn’t the first time she’s gone against our wishes.
Around six weeks, we learned she’d told an extended family member, even though we had specifically said we weren’t ready to make it public and wanted to tell people ourselves when we felt comfortable.
I feel hurt and frustrated that she’s not respecting our wishes.
I made it clear that I wasn’t ready for this to be public knowledge, especially given my anxiety surrounding this pregnancy.
I think I have a right to decide who I tell and when, especially with something so sensitive.
My husband is also frustrated by his mom’s actions and understands why this is so upsetting for me.
However, he’s hesitant to actually confront her about it.
It’s tricky.
He feels that saying something would make her uncomfortable and potentially strain their relationship.
He told me that if I feel strongly about it, I should be the one to address it with her directly.
I feel like this puts me in an awkward position because I want him to handle it, but he’s not willing to, despite knowing how much this is affecting me.
AITA for wanting him to step up and say something rather than having me handle it?
With a history of disregarding boundaries, the MIL’s actions sparked a debate over who should take the lead in addressing her behavior.
While Redditors weighed in on family dynamics, most agreed: protecting someone’s comfort shouldn’t come at the expense of another’s peace of mind.
This person says Hubby is too blame here.
This person says boundaries are most important here.
And this person says it’s only fair for Mom to be the last to know when the baby is born.
When boundaries are crossed, excuses don’t cut it—stepping up is the bare minimum.
Especially when your mother is the one at fault.
If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.
