Jenny, who is dating Mark, decides to play along with Mark’s mother’s hurtful behavior by pretending to be someone else at Thanksgiving dinner, causing a scene and leading to a fallout in the relationship as she learns an important lesson about communication and standing up for herself.
The Mom Hadn’t Moved On
Meet Jenny, a 30-year-old woman who met her boyfriend, Mark, three years ago. Before Jenny, Mark was together with his high school sweetheart, but they fell out of love and broke up. A year later, Jenny and Mark started dating, but Mark’s mom was still heartbroken about the breakup with his ex.
She Laughed Things Off
Jenny was very understanding and thought that Mark’s mom needed time to get to know her. The ex basically grew up with Mark’s family, and they saw her as a part of the family. For the first year of their relationship, Mark’s mom would call Jenny by the ex’s name until Mark got angry once and told her to be nice. She laughed it off and said it was just a habit. After that, she started calling Jenny the wrong name. Jenny corrected her a couple of times, but she seemed to like hurting her, so she ignored it later.
They Giggled at Her
Mark has two sisters, and a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, they were invited to a BBQ at the older sister’s house. Jenny was in the kitchen with Mark’s mom, the sisters, and one of their husbands. The older sister then talked about how Mark praised Jenny’s cooking to her husband, and Mark’s mom was listening. She then said out loud, “SURE! Why don’t we let Janet make the turkey this year?” The sisters giggled and looked at each other, and Jenny said, “That’s a great idea!” She didn’t tell Mark what happened.
She was Shocked
On Thanksgiving, they went to Mark’s mom’s house with the usual wine and dessert. She was shocked, everybody was shocked. Jenny said, “What? I thought Janet is bringing the turkey!” There was yelling, crying, and then they got kicked out. Mark was so angry with Jenny that he hasn’t talked to her since. She thinks it’s over, but she still doesn’t think she did anything wrong.
She Was Hurt
Jenny was hurt by Mark’s mom’s behavior, and she felt like she had to stand up for herself. She didn’t want to be the victim anymore, so she decided to play along with the joke and make a statement. Jenny knew that what she did was risky, but she felt like it was the right thing to do. She wanted to show Mark’s mom that she wasn’t going to take her hurtful behavior anymore.
She Didn’t Realize Her Actions
However, Jenny didn’t anticipate the fallout from her actions. She didn’t realize how much it would hurt Mark and his family. She thought that they would understand where she was coming from, but instead, they were hurt and angry. Jenny realized that she should have talked to Mark about his mom’s behavior and found a way to address it together. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and caused a scene at Thanksgiving.
He Felt Hurt
After a few days of not talking, Mark finally reached out to Jenny. He told her how hurt he was by what she did and how embarrassed he felt in front of his family. He also said that he didn’t think he could trust her anymore. Jenny apologized and explained that she was just trying to stand up for herself. She didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and she didn’t realize how much her actions would backfire. Mark eventually forgave Jenny, but their relationship was never the same. They tried to move past what happened, but there was always a sense of tension between them.
Straight to the Internet
In the end, Jenny and Mark broke up. While she was sad to see the end of their relationship, she knew that it was for the best. She hoped that Mark would learn to stand up for himself and address issues in his relationships in the future. Jenny, however, still felt really torn overall in the situation she had been faced with and decided to seek the opinion of others to see what they had to offer.
The Internet Responds
One person writes, “Yeah, it’s very weird that they actually thought she would bring a turkey. I’ve never been to a Thanksgiving gathering where the host didn’t make the turkey, because you usually need to cook the turkey for a long time and start before the guests arrive. The guests usually bring side dishes. I’m sure there are situations where a guest brings a turkey, but I would think they would require a lot more than a one-off comment, as you said.”
A Further Comment
Another person puts, “I’ve got you beat on 3 years, my grandpa still calls my mom the name of my dads ex fiancee on occasion…30 years later. You are a hero for everyone who has a monster in law!”
A Final Word
A third person comments, “I’m so sad I have no award for you, this is absolutely outstanding. And if it is over you’re 100% better off- don’t be with someone who lets his family steamroll you for three years just because they’re hung up on an ex.”
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