Ah, parents. It’s their job to love us unconditionally but also raise us so that we don’t embarrass them in public – which can be tricky, right?
Then again, once we’re adults, shouldn’t all bets be off?
OP works at a hospital with his fiance, mostly with maternity cases.
I am a nurse practitioner and I am the primary care provider for a lot of the low risk maternity cases at the practice where I work.
I also work hand in hand with the doctors and midwives to create a healthy maternity, birth, and postpartum situation.
My fiancee is completing her residency. We live together and have for a few years now.
We aren’t in any hurry to get married. We originally had plans to do so a couple of years ago but then we got really busy for two years.
Their living situation is an issue for his parents – one they decided to bring up at Christmas.
It is driving my very religious parents crazy that their youngest son is living in sin.
I don’t really care. I’m an adult and I do what I want. We are getting married in June.
So we are visiting my parents for Christmas. The way it came together this year everyone is at my parents house. So that’s my folks, my three siblings, myself and fiancee, and seven grandchildren. So seventeen people.
At dinner my mom starts going on about how she is so glad that we are finally getting married and she won’t be embarrassed at church any more.
And my dad says how proud he is of his three older kids who all either waited to get married before moving in together or got married right away after moving in together.
My fiance was getting embarrassed and I was getting mad over this stupid argument we have had too many times. And a family dinner was the last straw.
So OP decided to bring up the “miracle” of his oldest brother’s birth.
I have asked them repeatedly to just accept that they cannot control how I live my life. I refuse to stay with them when I visit even if I come alone. Hotels are just easier.
So I started talking about a premature baby I had been reading about. It was almost three months premature and weighed about 1.6 pounds. It was super strong and healthy for being born so little and the NICU had high hopes for the baby doing well.
My mom and dad both got deer in the headlights looks on their faces. Too bad. Should not have messed around with my fiance’s feelings.
So I asked about my oldest brother. He was born almost four months premature. Is there a chance that we could check out the family album where we keep all the records of family births and stuff.
I already know my brother was over 9 pounds and almost 23″ long when he was born.
My grandmother told me all about it the first time my parents tried to shame me.
They did not like that.
The subject gets changed very fast.
After supper my parents told me that I should not try to embarrass them with private things that are not my concern.
I told them that if I heard anything about my living arrangements ever again for the rest of my life I would make sure to keep bringing up the FACT that my mom was in her second trimester when they got married.
My parents are mad at me for telling them how to behave in their own home. But my fiance is happy that they seem to be off the subject for good.
AITA?
Reddit has to be ready to applaud this man.
The top comment says OP handled it beautifully.
Everyone was loving on Grandma.
Seriously, they could not get enough.
Also, always call out hypocrisy.
Just to be clear, no one was fooled.
This story is priceless.
Parents, take this as a lesson. Or a warning.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.