We’ve all had those family dinners where you spend more time dodging passive-aggressive questions than actually eating the food. Someone always asks why you’re single, unemployed, or still living at home. Add a few glasses of wine and a distant relative with no filter, and the entire evening transforms into a live-action therapy session no one asked for.
When a longtime family friend threw shade at today’s Original Poster (OP) for living at home, they responded with a single, devastating sentence, dragging out the skeletons in the other woman’s closet so thoroughly, they may as well have hosted the dinner themselves.
More info: Reddit
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The author’s family hosted a Mother’s Day dinner with extended relatives and their mother’s best friend in attendance
The best friend began to criticize them for still living at home and compared them unfavorably to her own daughter
They clapped back by pointing out that said daughter, despite past achievements, is now in jail for a serious crime
Their mom’s best friend left in tears, and while some older family members were upset by the comment, younger relatives supported the comeback
It’s first important to note that the OP still lives with their parents. However, the story began with a well-intentioned Mother’s Day dinner hosted by a close-knit family, including extended relatives and the OP’s mom’s best friend. Things were going smoothly until the best friend decided to ask when the OP would be moving out of the house.
After explaining their situation and expected timeline, the best friend began to criticize them for still living at home at age 30. She compared them to her own daughter, who bought a house at 18 and built a prestigious career. Of course, this ignored crucial factors like the vastly different housing market back then, and the fact that Sophie is now, well, in prison.
The OP didn’t take their mom’s best friend’s criticism lying down. After listening to her condescending comparison, they calmly pointed out the glaring issue, while looking her straight in the eye, which had to do with the fact that at least they didn’t commit a crime. It was a statement so direct, it sent shockwaves across the dinner table, and the best friend left in tears.
However, not long after, their grandparents expressed their annoyance at the OP’s remark, calling it audacious, and an uncle chimed in with strongly worded messages. Meanwhile, their mom and younger cousins are fully behind them as they understand their situation and why they’re still living at home with their parents.
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Psychotherapist Richard B. Joelson states on his website that many people, especially parents, struggle to tell the difference between healthy pride and boastfulness. In his view, there’s a lot of confusion about when it’s appropriate to express pride and when it crosses the line into bragging.
He explains that pride is a positive, respectful feeling about one’s own or someone else’s accomplishments, while boasting involves self-glorifying or overly admiring talk, which tends to rub people the wrong way.
The holiday season is typically meant to be joyful and filled with family bonding. However, Circle DNA acknowledges that it could also be an avenue for difficult friends or relatives to rile others up. They suggest affirming your self-worth, setting both physical and emotional boundaries, and showing kindness to yourself.
Furthermore, Psychology Today explains that shaming is often used as a power move, an attempt to make someone feel small to elevate the person doing the shaming. Instead of reacting immediately or retaliating, they recommend slowing down, removing yourself from the situation if needed, and choosing your response thoughtfully.
Netizens applauded the OP’s clapback, emphasizing that their mom’s best friend’s remarks were hypocritical and condescending, given her own daughter’s criminal situation. They also criticized the rest of the family for not stepping in sooner, expressing disappointment that no one defended the OP during the exchange.
What would you have said if you were in the OP’s shoes? Would you have clapped back or stayed quiet? We would love to know your thoughts!
Netizens applauded the author for standing up for themself and insisted that the unreasonable ones are their uncle and grandparents
