MIL Slammed for What She Did After Daughter's Spouse Gave Her a 'Gag Gift'

A mother-in-law has come under fire online for her dramatic outburst over a gag gift.

In a viral Reddit post, the original poster, her daughter's spouse, detailed how they purchased a politically themed mug for their conservative mother-in-law as a joke. The gift, which read "Fell For It Again Award," was not received well. Since the post was published, it has received over 15,000 upvotes. Newsweek spoke to a mindfulness and relationships expert about how people can navigate political disagreements in families.

In the post, the poster wrote that they and their family were at dinner when their mother-in-law unwrapped the gift. She "had this sour look on her face while the mug earned a couple of chuckles," the poster said. While her sister-in-law teased her, the mother-in-law suddenly grabbed the mug, slammed it to the ground and shattered it. In the process, a shard of glass cut her ankle, and the wound required stitches.

The poster's wife said that they should cover the insurance deductible, adding that they caused the incident by bringing the mug in the first place.

"We got in a fight about it and I said that it's ridiculous that I'm being blamed for her own actions," the poster wrote. Despite their objections, they ended up paying for the deductible.

Reddit users were quick to defend the poster, overwhelmingly agreeing that they were not responsible for their mother-in-law's self-inflicted injury.

"Your mother-in-law has a tantrum and injured herself and somehow you had to pay?" one person asked. "There is absolutely no reason you should be paying because this grown woman had a childish outburst."

Another echoed the sentiment: "Exactly … your mother-in-law threw a full-blown tantrum, injured herself and somehow you're the one paying for it? That's insane."

Political Disagreements in Families

Newsweek spoke to Julie Potiker, a certified mindful self-compassion teacher and founder of the Balanced Mind Meditation Center. She said about how families can handle political differences without them escalating into full-blown confrontations.

"I know we have more values in common than that which divides us," Potiker said as a potential response to tense political moments. "Then discuss our shared desire for safety, health, happiness and ease."

She added that approaching political differences from a human-to-human perspective can de-escalate tensions.

"This human-to-human, heart-to-heart conversation usually takes the temperature down from the head to the heart. It untangles politics from who we are as a person," she said.

Potiker also said you should maintain calm body language and an open mindset when engaging with differing viewpoints.

"I maintain soft eye contact and keep my breathing nice and calm, my mind curious and ears open," she said. "We can compliment them on their intelligence—that really helps everyone stay in connection and illustrates that you don't think you are better than them."

Despite the poster paying the medical bill, tensions remain high in the family. Their mother-in-law is still furious and refuses to speak to them, calling them a "communist."

Newsweek reached out to u/GrapeCreamJuice for comment via Reddit.