A woman wanted to throw her best friend’s baby shower, just as they had planned—until the mom stepped in.

Insisting on making it a surprise (despite her daughter hating surprises), the mom pushed for control.

When the friend let the mom’s plan slip, everything spiraled into chaos, resurfacing wedding trauma and leaving the mom threatening not to attend at all.

AITA for telling my best friend that her mother wants to throw her a surprise baby shower?

So my best friend “E” just found out she’s pregnant.

They were trying for a while and she is over the moon.

We’re already talking about her shower.

So anyway her mom calls me and is demanding to throw the shower.

Now, I would have no issue with this, but E has specifically said she wants it at my house because there’s space and she wants me to plan it.

Her mom kept pushing to do it so I said I it’s E’s party not mine and to ask her.

Then her mom kept saying she wants it to be a surprise.

When I tell you E would be freaking livid about a surprise baby shower, I’m not joking.

She needs to be prepared for social things and would pretend to enjoy it.

Friend knows best!

Her mom kept pushing and saying she knows her daughter and this is what she would want.

I pushed back but she got annoyed and wouldn’t stop.

So I just sort of said…okay?

I’m not gonna lie we’re all scared of her mother lol.

So I called E and said why don’t we have the shower at your mom’s house?

She really wants to throw it.

So E said there isn’t space at her house.

I told her that I genuinely want to throw it but it means a lot to her mom.

So she called her mom and said, “I appreciate that you want to throw me a shower, but there’s more space at (me)’s house.”

Her mom threw a fit.

Told E that she doesn’t appreciate anything she does for her and other unkind things.

I texted her mom and apologized.

I wasn’t trying to start anything.

The DRAMA.

Her mother was a colossal b**** to me.

Said I was two-faced, controlling, that I wanted everything to go my way.

I still responded nicely because she’s older than me and told her it’s just a party and I have no stake in it, but I’m sorry that I upset her.

She got even ruder and said she didn’t care about my opinion.

So I shut her down and said verbatim, “I understand that you are upset, but this is a nonissue for me.”

Context on why her baby shower is a big deal:

Her wedding was a disaster.

Her (SIX) sister-in-laws showed up to the wedding in basically wedding dresses just in blue.

Everything she had picked out for the wedding was changed behind her back because his family was paying for the wedding.

Wow.

They literally made her cry 3-4 times at this wedding.

So I had promised her that I would throw her a mega baby shower to make up for it.

I don’t think she’s moved on from the trauma that was the wedding.

Her mom is going around telling people how I’m sneaky and went behind her back to get what I want.

I apologized like 4-5 times (even though I really don’t feel like I owe her that much of an apology but whatever).

E said she doesn’t even want a shower anymore and cried.

Her mother told her that if I throw the party, she’s not coming.

I don’t even understand why her mom made this a thing so early.

Sure Mom, that’s going to solve it.

So now I feel like garbage.

I really didn’t intend to start drama at all, and me and her mom had a good relationship before this.

E says I’m not in the wrong and my husband told me he doesn’t even want E’s mother in our house after this, but I feel really bad.

AITA?

What should’ve been a joyful event turned into a dramatic showdown before the invites even went out.

This person says to go ahead with said plans, she is NOT the AH.

This person agrees…stop saying sorry, and definitely stop trying to reason with Mom.

It’s settled: she is the least of the jerks in this story.

From baby shower to power struggle—because nothing says “celebrating new life” like old family drama.

This mom is going to end up with restricted grandma duties at this rate.

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.