Facing the holidays after a major family change can bring up all kinds of emotions, especially when new people get introduced into the mix.

So, what would you do if your parent wanted to bring someone new to Christmas post-divorce, but you weren’t ready to handle it?

Would you suck it up for their sake?

Or would you ask for some more time to adjust?

In the following story, a young lady finds herself in this very situation and is having a hard time coping.

Here’s what’s going on.

AITA for not being ready, for my mum’s new boyfriend to join us for Christmas?

My (28F) parents (50s) divorced at the beginning of this year after 30+ years together.

We (my sister and I) knew they had been unhappy for a long time, so we weren’t surprised and were supportive of the divorce.

Things started amicably but turned ugly in the spring when my mum found a boyfriend.

The divorce hadn’t gone through yet, and my dad reacted quite badly.

Things have been tense since.

My sister and I decided that we should split up for Christmas this year and “take” one parent each.

Their parents had different ideas of how Christmas celebrations should go.

I got my dad, but he asked me if it was okay if he did something entirely different this year and went on a holiday.

I was supportive of this.

This meant that I was now free to join my sister and mum.

But my mum is saying that she would like her boyfriend to join us for Christmas.

And I just don’t feel ready for that.

This is the first Christmas after the divorce, and I would only like to have to cope with that.

With this new normal and not having my whole family together for Christmas, it feels like way too much for me to cope with if her boyfriend is there, too.

She’s not ready to share the holidays with someone new, but her mother is upset.

Now, I have met her boyfriend multiple times and am fine with him.

I’m just not ready for him to join us for Christmas yet.

This year has been a lot for me, and I’m still trying to find my new normal after the divorce.

My mum keeps saying that I’m being unreasonable and that my reaction is way too strong.

She says that maybe I’m not handling the divorce well because I live further away (an hour and a half).

She says that I’m putting her in a difficult position and that it’s been a long time since the divorce (less than a year).

I have the backup plan of joining my boyfriend’s family for Christmas instead.

But, again, my mum thinks that is a very strong reaction.

I would also feel the same way if it was the other way around and it was my dad wanting to bring his girlfriend to Christmas.

AITA?

It’s easy to see both sides of this issue.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit had to say about it.

Here’s a great solution.

This person suggests she should go along with her mom’s wishes.

If the dad can do what he wants, the mom should be able to as well.

Harsh words, but something to think about.

Divorce is never easy.

However, the mother deserves to be happy as well, so she’ll need to rethink her stance or make her own plans.

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.