My Dad & Stepmom Used My Ultrasound Picture as His Annual Christmas Card Without My Permission

There are few things more sacred than carrying a life inside your body. It’s a precious time that brings on new thoughts and emotions you may or may not have anticipated. During this time, you have every right to take the time to process privately or scream your good news from the rooftops. There’s no right or wrong answer, but the decision should be entirely your own.

One over-eager grandfather-to-be took that opportunity from his daughter and it has caused a bit of a rift between the two.

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A mom-to-be shared that her father crossed the line.

An expectant mother wrote on Reddit’s AITA forum to ask if she had overreacted in a family disagreement. She wrote, “Every year my father and stepmother, who I am not close to, send out a Christmas card…This year they included a photo of my ultrasound on it (which I had shared privately with my father only) & my due date.”

The OP’s sister saw the card and immediately called her to ask if she knew about this. She did not. 

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Her father told her to ‘keep her mouth shut.’

Neither her father nor her stepmother asked to print images of the inside of her uterus on a Christmas card and mail it to hundreds of people, many of whom are strangers. She decided to share her grievances with her father, calling him to express her displeasure. The original poster shared his reply.

“He responded that it’s his grandchild too, it’s not a big deal, and my stepmom is very excited about the baby so I should keep my mouth shut so as not to rain on their parade.”

She wanted to know if she wrong for scolding her dad.

To add insult to injury, now the OP’s father is not speaking to her. “I understand that it’s a very normal thing in the South to share photos of your ultrasound on social media or wherever, so now I’m worried I overreacted and caused drama over nothing. AITA for scolding my dad?” she asked.

The people of Reddit were very clear that she was not the a–hole. 

‘They’re just jerks,’ one user said about the OP’s father and stepmother.

One Reddit user advised the OP to restrict the information she shares with her father moving forward. They also warned her to take heed to something specific her father said.

“…keep that ‘it’s my grandchild, too, and (your concerns) aren’t a big deal’ attitude in mind when considering leaving your newborn alone with grandparents,” someone commented. “I promise it only gets worse from here.”

Another person wanted to be sure to defend the South: “NTA, and nothing about this has anything to do with being Southern or Texan. They’re just jerks.”

Others told her she should consider limiting access to the child.

Another user shared that not only was this move insensitive, it wasn’t very smart either. “Gotta be the dumbest move on his part,” the person commented. “His wife is really jazzed bout this baby and he just gave you all the reason to never ever let them see it.”

Someone else advised the OP to take her father’s admonishment of shutting up very seriously. “I would do as you were told: Keep your mouth shut,” the person wrote. “They apparently do not need to know anything further from you. Ever. They can hear through the grapevine when your child has been born, along with any other momentous events. When they complain, you tell them you’re doing as you were told. And will continue to do so until they apologize for everything and improve their attitudes.”

Bloop. That’s how you send a message and establish your boundaries. 

These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.