Bride's Stepmom Found Out The Soon-To-Be Married Couple Will Be Giving Gifts To Each Other's Parents And Demands That She Receive One As Well
The stepmom is just a year older than the bride
Wedding planning is a stressful ordeal for everyone involved, but especially for the bride. There is a lot of pressure to create a perfect event that the guests will remember for years to come.
Aside from that pressure, tempers can also flare during the preparation, and long-held tensions between family members can rise to the surface. These conflicts can sometimes result in people boycotting the event or being barred from the ceremony entirely.
One bride-to-be posted on Reddit about a dilemma that arose during her wedding preparations. The original poster (OP) shared that her father has been married to a woman named Sarah for two years.
Sarah is much younger than her dad; in fact, she is only a year older than OP. That sole reason is enough for OP to feel uncomfortable about treating Sarah as one of the parents during their wedding.
The problem is that OP and her fiancé are planning to give a gift to OP's dad as well as her soon-to-be in-laws to thank them for being amazing parents. She is also planning to leave flowers for her dearly departed mother as a symbol of gratitude.
The couple was not planning to include Sarah in any of these plans or gift-giving until Sarah made a comment. Her dad's new wife said she felt disrespected because OP did not invite her to go dress shopping, and nobody was asking for her opinions like they do with OP's father.
Sarah dropped by unexpectedly to tell OP about all of these issues when she saw the gifts the bride and groom were preparing for the parents. Sarah asked who they were for, and the bride shared that they were for the parents.
When Sarah found out, she shocked OP with a demand. Sarah said that if the bride and groom were doing the "parents' gifts thing," they better not leave her out.
The thing is, OP does not think of Sarah as her parent because she's hardly a year older than her. Is OP a j*rk for leaving Sarah out?
AlwaysLiving0000Below is OP's entire post from Reddit:
AlwaysLiving0000
AlwaysLiving0000
AlwaysLiving0000
Being a parent is more than just being married to someone's father...
catzrob89
... the title is earned, not given.
catzrob89
To be fair, Sarah is not looking to be anyone's mom; she just wants the perks that come along with it.
AlwaysLiving0000
The bride and the father of the bride need to have a serious talk before the father-daughter dance.
Youcannotbeforreal2
Sarah's intentions definitely make sense... yep.
MangoBanana2012
Sarah wants the title but not the responsibilities.
AlwaysLiving0000
Sarah is at fault for demanding something she did nothing to earn, but OP's father is not without fault.
EvocativeEnigma
According to OP, her dad is chill about their relationship, but Sarah wants more.
AlwaysLiving0000
Someone asked OP if she would feel any differently if her dad dated someone his age.
AlwaysLiving0000
Parent-child relationships do transcend years and blood relations in some cases, but this particular one doesn't fit into that category.
CrystalQueen3000
Maybe Sarah is testing how much she can get away with.
Youcannotbeforreal2
Way to make someone else's special day about you!
Merciless-Mandy
There are other times to power-play, don't you think? Someone else's wedding doesn't seem to be the appropriate time.
Youcannotbeforreal2
The role does not come with the wedding ring, people!
type1error
OP was nice enough to invite her; Sarah clearly overstepped.
ncb_phantom
Eww.
User avatar level 2 Personal_Regular_569
We do wonder how Sarah's relationship is with OP's brothers.
ncb_phantom
Reddit went for the throat.
SoHumerus
Sarah was definitely insecure about her role in their family.
Mitchell_StephensESQ
OP has no choice; this is the best course of action.
Kathrynlena
There is no other way.
ncb_phantom
Treat her like a mom and grandma. See how she likes it.
satanik-freak
Sure, Sarah is the wife of OP's dad, but that doesn't make her OP's mom. She is not expected nor required to perform any motherly duties for OP and her adult siblings; therefore, she is not entitled to the reverence a mother receives.
Sarah was wrong for demanding a gift from the bride and groom that she has no claim on. OP only treated her according to her role in their family — their father's wife who is not their mother.
