Chip Chick
This 25-year-old woman and her husband, 26, have been married for nearly two years. Not long ago, she learned that she was pregnant. Both of them are thrilled to venture into parenthood. Last night, they went to dinner with her husband’s family and gave them the big news.
Aside from her husband’s mother and sister, everyone in his family congratulated them and seemed happy. Her sister-in-law got pregnant two months ago, so she’d already shared this news with the family.
“I thought it wouldn’t be an issue. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law, however, thought I was being rude because I ‘took away her joy,'” she said.
Luckily, they didn’t tell her this until the morning after the family dinner, when they both texted her to express their frustration. Her husband’s sister has always been the type of person who wants the focus to only be on her and no one else.
When she and her husband announced their pregnancy, she wanted the focus to be on her for a change, and at first, it seemed like her sister-in-law was okay with her having a moment to shine. But once she received angry text messages from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she realized that they didn’t accept that she, too, had the right to be supported and celebrated.
“They said I had stolen the pregnancy announcement from my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law even accused me of getting pregnant to spite her,” she explained.
This statement from her husband’s sister couldn’t be further from the truth. She and her husband had been trying for a baby for nearly a year because they were ready to grow their family long before her sister-in-law and her boyfriend had their unplanned pregnancy.
Her sister-in-law’s relationship isn’t stable, and she and her boyfriend are constantly breaking up and getting back together. Because of the chaotic relationship dynamic, it’s unclear whether her sister-in-law’s boyfriend will continue dating her through the entire pregnancy and after the birth of their child.
So far, she hasn’t texted her husband’s mother or sister back because she doesn’t want to respond in anger and later regret not taking more time to craft careful messages. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law hadn’t expressed their thoughts to anyone else in the family, including her husband, and she didn’t know what to do at first.
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