Woman Faces Off With Her MIL For Taking A Dig At Her Deaf Child

Some family dinners turn awkward fast, and this one took a sharp turn when a grandmother decided a deaf child signing at the table was the real problem. What should have been a simple Easter meal quickly became a clash over respect, patience, and basic decency.

In this Reddit story, Thin_Crab_664, who is the mother of a deaf daughter, described how the family gathered at her husband's parents' house with siblings, nieces, and nephews in attendance. The little girl communicated with her parents in sign language during dinner, but her mother-in-law took issue with it and asked for it to stop.

That request did not go over well, and the rest of the evening spiraled from there. Read on.

Thin_Crab_664 shared her experience under the subreddit "r/AmItheAsshole"

Thin_Crab_664

In her post, OP explained that her daughter was from a previous relationship. However, her current husband has been a wonderful father and the only real one her daughter has ever known.

Thin_Crab_664

OP's daughter was born deaf, and they both communicate with her using sign language.

Thin_Crab_664

Motherhood can get especially fierce when a child is being singled out for something completely harmless.

In this case, the tension came from a family dinner, a deaf child, and a grandmother who clearly did not like what she saw.

Thin_Crab_664's post quickly drew attention because the conflict was so simple, and so unnecessary.

The family decided to gather for dinner at her husband's parents' house. Other attendees included her husband's siblings, nieces, nephews, and the hosts. Everything was going smoothly until her MIL took a dig at the little girl.

Thin_Crab_664

OP took it personally and was fierce in defending her deaf daughter.

Thin_Crab_664

OP and her husband ended up leaving early. She also decided not to speak to her MIL until she receives an apology.

Thin_Crab_664

The dinner table was already tense, and the grandmother's comment made it worse in a hurry.

Do you think OP is too defensive because it's her child?

Thin_Crab_664

Well, here's what other users had to say about the incident:

"Is that where she wants to be when Jesus comes back?"

Steel_boss

Maybe we need to sign more at the dining table to prevent us from eating too fast.

QCr8onQ

That comment section did not hold back.

This is also like the argument over my vegan sister pushing her dish at our family dinner, and the fallout it caused.

"Your MIL is a massive AH"

guinness-and-cheddar

This user feels that OP's husband needs to step in and explain to his mum why she has to apologize.

EMWerkin

"To say signing is distracting and a bad example to the other kids is completely wrong and blatant discrimination."

bendytoepilot

More commenters piled on as the story spread.

"She shouldn't be allowed to sign unless no one else is talking."

cookie64248

Seems someone needs to explain better to OP's MIL.

photosbeersandteach

"In the spirit of trying to make this relationship more positive for her child, it could be in OP's best interests to raise the topic with MIL, voice her objections to her actions, and respectfully explain why it is such a big issue."

pop_science

Some readers tried to steer the situation toward a calmer conversation.

"Your husband needs to find his spine so he can stand up to his mother."

tnannie

"There is really no amount of reflection or analysis needed to understand why this request was harmful and discriminatory."

morningmint

When a grown-up unintentionally hurts someone, they apologize.

I_was_saying_b00urns

The backlash kept growing, and plenty of people felt the grandmother had crossed a line.

No one believes it was about the food getting cold.

Relevant-Orchid-4437

"NTA unless she was willing to ask everyone at the table to not talk."

ack_the_cat

"How can your daughter set a bad example? I would love to know the mental gymnastics on this one."

nerothic

By the end of the thread, most people seemed to agree that the issue was not the signing, but the attitude behind the complaint.

OP's reaction to her MIL shows the power of a mother's love and protection. She is the first line of defense and will always stand up for her child, even if that means facing off with other members of her family. 

Comments poured in supporting the mother for defending her daughter's right to use sign language, especially because every other person was allowed to talk. 

However, it's never exciting to see family members butt heads. We hope that they can resolve the issue soon and continue to enjoy each other's company.

What do you think about this mother's reaction? Tell us in the comments!

That dinner table drama is still hard to defend.

Want another brutal family showdown? See why I fought for traditional dinner at a vegan daughter-in-law’s birthday.