We can't always account for the strange things our in-laws asks of us, but one mom on Reddit is feeling all sorts of creeped out after her mother-in-law asked for a lock of her daughter's hair. The grandmother says she wants the hair to put in a locket as a sort of keepsake, but the mom can't help but feel like some serious boundaries are being crossed here.
No matter how many times the mom has said no, her mother-in-law has been determined to get her hands on the hairy keepsake.
According to the poster, her MIL has asked for a lock of hair on "several occasions," and "I keep avoiding answering because she’s never had a haircut and therefore I don’t have any to give."
But the mom can't help but feel like her MIL is being a wee bit inappropriate by even asking.
"Saving your child’s hair is something a mother does (I have saved some of my daughter’s hair for her baby book)," she explained. "That’s mine. That’s my ritual."
"I am more upset that she is crossing a boundary and inserting herself into something that was supposed to be between me and my child," the mother continued.
But that isn't the only reason the poster is feeling weird about the request.
"She has not asked for a lock of my son’s hair," the woman noted. "Nor does she have hair from her other two grandchildren. This shows favoritism that I cannot abide."
"Each time she has asked (for hair) she’s been kind of sheepish about it as if she knew she was asking something that wouldn’t willingly be offered up," the woman continued. "There have been a few boundary issues before but on the whole I have a great relationship with my MIL. I don’t like to disappoint people but I feel very strongly on this issue."
So is the mom wrong?
In the comments, some people basically thought this was a non-issue.
"You're being a bit weird, saying she is straying into mother territory and it might make the lock you have less special is really over the top," one person said. "So what if she has a lock of her grandchild's hair?"
"Seriously this mom has some bizarrely strong feelings about this," another commenter added. "IT'S HAIR. It’s gonna get thrown in the trash many times over. What does it harm her to share it?"
"This is exactly what I was thinking," a third person chimed in. "Sometimes you just get along to go along, and making a big deal out of a lock of hair will (rightfully) cause resentment. Seems like a super weird place to draw a line in the sand."
Still, other people sided with the poster, arguing that her MIL was the real weirdo.
"Imma be real, the whole keeping hair thing weirds me out already," one person said. "MIL can get over it."
"The favoritism is emerging strangely," someone else said. "I wouldn’t indulge that."
The commenter also agreed that it's usually the mom who saves a lock of hair for the baby book, not grandma.
"However I do think you should stop avoiding the question and just say no," the person concluded.
"It's strange she only wants one grandkids hair," a third commenter agreed. "Has she stated why? Like was that the color of her hair when she was a baby? is she getting something made and needs the hair for color purpose. Super strange."
Honestly, this is a tricky one. Grandma's request is a bit off, but mom's reaction is … well, also odd. Ultimately, it's up to the mom to decide if grandma is overstepping a boundary or not. But if she really doesn't want to give her MIL a locket of hair, she may want to consider another gesture that will make grandma feel special. (Otherwise, get ready for some more drama … )
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