A lady found herself puzzled after a Thanksgiving gathering with her boyfriend’s family turned into a tumultuous affair, leaving her wondering why her boyfriend was so upset with her. She sought clarity by sharing her story on Reddit to gauge if she was indeed the one at fault.

The woman, aged 30, had been dating a man who had ended his long-term relationship with his high school sweetheart about a year prior. While he had moved on, his family seemed to struggle with the change.

Her boyfriend’s mother, in particular, had a difficult time accepting the breakup since the ex-girlfriend was deeply ingrained in the family’s life, having grown up with them. Despite the amicable split due to natural drifting apart, the mother harbored feelings against the new woman dating her son.

How Did the Woman’s Boyfriend’s Mother Treat Her? The woman entered the relationship knowing it might take the family some adjusting to get accustomed to someone new in her boyfriend’s life. She believed that with time and familiarity, his mother would accept her.

However, reality didn’t meet her expectations. The boyfriend’s mother persistently called her by the ex-girlfriend’s name during the first year of the relationship. The woman recalled:

“…until [my boyfriend] got angry once and told her to be nice. She laughed it off and said it was just a habit.”

Even after stopping the incorrect name, the mother continued with errors, calling her various wrong names like Jenny instead of Janet. Initially, she corrected these errors but soon perceived it as intentional, adding to her emotional discomfort, she resigned from correcting her further.

Amid these challenging encounters with her boyfriend’s mother, a major holiday presented another hurdle. Thanksgiving became the setting for a confusion that left her distressed.

What Happened At Thanksgiving? Several weeks leading to Thanksgiving, the woman was present at a barbecue hosted by her boyfriend’s sister. During a conversation in the kitchen, one of her boyfriend’s sisters mentioned her brother had praised his girlfriend’s culinary skills to her husband. This prompted the ever-sarcastic suggestion from their mother that she should be responsible for cooking the turkey, yet, once again, called her Janet instead of Jenny.

The sisters laughed off their mother’s suggestion while she cheekily responded:

“That’s a great idea!”

Planning ahead, she decided this was her chance to make a firm statement to stop the misnaming once and for all, leading to a pivotal day at the family’s Thanksgiving celebration.

The couple arrived with their customary wine and dessert, but to everyone’s surprise, they were sans the turkey supposedly slated for her preparation from the earlier chat. The woman calmly explained her understanding was that Janet was in charge of the turkey, referencing the name used by the mother.

Her revelation left the family in turmoil, resulting in a scene described as:

“There was yelling, crying, and then we got kicked out.”

Post this Thanksgiving debacle, her boyfriend distanced himself, leaving her to contemplate the future of their relationship. Turning to Reddit for opinions, she sought to understand her actions from an external perspective.

The feedback was largely supportive. Many applauded her as a hero for navigating the situation the way she did, asserting the boyfriend’s mother got a taste of her own medicine for the emotional strain caused by persistent name-calling.

Some suggested a direct confrontation would have been better; yet, many agreed her Thanksgiving move was the impactful push needed for the mother to acknowledge her wrongdoing.