Being intentionally left out of a family portrait delivers a clear message. And that is: you’re not part of my family. That is why a 37-year-old daughter-in-law felt so pointed after her mother-in-law organized a photo session and didn’t include her.
In today’s story, a 50-year-old mother used her youngest daughter’s senior photo session to update the family pictures hanging in her home. Her husband, her daughter, and her 29-year-old son participated. However, the son’s wife, with whom he recently renewed his vows, was not included. Anyone noticing such a thing would feel rejected. Their mother-daughter-in-law relationship seems to have been strained long before the photo session, which may explain the decision, but that doesn’t make the rejection invisible, and it clearly doesn’t mean that she couldn’t feel hurt.
The daughter-in-law did what she thought was the best thing to do: confront her MIL and have a direct conversation about it. Do you think the mother admitted anything? No, she played innocent and responded that those were her daughter’s senior pictures and therefore had nothing to do with her daughter-in-law. Apparently, the mother was surprised by the remark. But that was hardly surprising. She was free to take and display any pictures she wanted, just as her daughter-in-law was free to recognize the meaning behind them and say that it hurt. Meanwhile, the husband acts as if he lives in a different world. He stayed silent while he knew about the photo session and waited until the last moment to inform his wife. Still, his silence doesn’t erase the mother’s choice, of course, but he could have said something to her. We don’t know why the MIL and DIL don’t get along well, but the son could at least intervene and try to prevent his wife from feeling worse than she already feels.
Author: Kayitsi.com
