Going to a formal dance at school during your senior year is a big deal.

A dance like the prom is a rite of passage and can be just as emotional for the parents as it is for the kids.

In today’s story, one young lady lives with her brother and sister-in-law.

The sister-in-law decides to take the teen shopping for a dress for an upcoming dance.

She had no idea it would backfire so badly.

Let’s read all the details.

AITA for taking my husband’s sister dress shopping without her mother?

My husband’s (34m) sister, Kendall (17f), has been living with us for almost 6 years now.

This came to be because of major issues within my husband’s family and living conditions that were unsuitable for her to be in.

AKA, my husband’s mom is a major hoarder w/ OCD.

Beside that, my husband and I are both extremely proud of Kendall and how far she has come.

Kendall will be graduating from high school soon.

She will be 18 soon (the sending-her-off-to-college blues are hitting hard!) and is halfway done with her senior year.

To celebrate, her school throws a formal every year in January.

The school also has an actual prom at the end of the last semester, but most kids treat the formal like they traditionally would for prom.

Why? I have no idea.

That’s just how it is, lol.

Kendall’s mom isn’t very involved.

Kendall has gone to this dance for the last two years.

Both times I was the one who took her shopping for it.

Both times I also asked her mother if she wanted to be present and she made up some fake excuse or didn’t answer.

I texted my MIL and asked if she wanted to come this time around but I told Kendall to not count on anything because of what happened the last two times.

Kendall hoped this time would be different.

Kendall also texted.

As expected, she never responded.

Kendall was disappointed but she accepted it and moved on.

She found a gorgeous dress.

I sat there for 3 hours while she tried on dresses.

I think she looked beautiful in all of them, but the one she picked out was really a show stopper.

We bought the dress, showed my husband, and some tears were shed.

She took pictures before the event.

A mom of one of the girls in Kendall’s friend group hired a photographer and so they took pictures there before going to the actual event.

I took a few of my own before I sent her on her way.

I posted the pictures of her I took on my Facebook (don’t judge, I’m old and will never switch to Instagram 🤣) the morning after.

She was getting tons of love from family members/moms of her friends.

Her MIL is furious!

After—at most an hour—of the post being up, my MIL called me and started berating me for apparently “causing her to miss one of the last important events of her childhood”.

I told her that I texted AND so did her daughter!

She gave some excuse along the lines of being busy and how how I should’ve told her in person.

She didn’t care the other two times we went dress shopping but now she does?

The MIL’s family is backing her up.

My husband is behind me and thinks his mom is being entitled, but his extended family thinks the opposite.

The same people who were commenting on my post have completely switched up and have been sending me nasty messages about how I’m essentially trying to exclude my MIL from Kendall’s life.

That is not true.

Even her own mother is defending her MIL.

I don’t know how badly she twisted the story, but some of those people have been riding my MIL’s butt for years.

My mom thinks I should’ve made more of an effort and is guilting me with the “coming from a mother” standpoint.

Am I wrong for not trying harder?

My husband’s family is starting to make me feel bad about myself but I also know that my MIL not being there was probably better for Kendall’s confidence in the long run.

I don’t think there’s anything else she could’ve done.

The MIL didn’t respond and didn’t show up.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

She’s an amazing sister-in-law.

She’s a great person.

Kendall is lucky to have her in her life.

The relatives don’t know what they’re talking about.

Maybe it’s time to stop posting on Facebook.

Some moms just aren’t worth the trouble.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.