My Family Disrespected My Wife at Our Home During a Dinner Party & Now I Won’t See Them

gregory_lee/iStock

When a couple starts a relationship and things get serious, they usually introduce each other to their families. It can be awkward at first, but if dating is going to turn into marriage, everyone should get to know one another. Families have their traditions and quirks, but that's what makes them special.

Some families love to have big dinners together so the extended family can catch up. When there are multiple siblings, they can take turns hosting, which helps ease some of the burden of always having to cook, clean, and entertain. Plus, everyone has a chance to show off their culinary skills and try new things. But what if people don't like what you're serving? What do you do?

Big families sometimes have big drama.

via GIPHY

A man posted about his family's dinner tradition on Reddit's AITA forum. It's been happening for generations, and it's something he and his siblings loved growing up and have continued into adulthood. He and his wife have started hosting dinners at their house, but things recently got a little weird.

"I did the cooking to start and then she took over after a while because she wanted to. My family had seemingly got along with my wife before this point but they were overly harsh of her cooking (with the exception of my two younger siblings)," he wrote.

She apparently tried to make them happy but it didn't work. "I told them they could be kinder. They said she should cook better or cook different things," he wrote. "My wife didn't make anything they don't eat. But nothing was right. She grew frustrated and I grew suspicious."

They decided to play a little trick on the family.

The original poster and his wife decided that the next time they hosted dinner, they'd tell everyone he did the cooking, even though his wife was the actual home chef, to see their reactions. Much to his chagrin, they praised him for how delicious the food was. His wife was hurt, and so was he.

Once they revealed his wife had cooked the food, things changed. "They tried so hard to backtrack on all the nice stuff," he explained. "The rest of the dinner went in tense silence and my wife's eyes were opened. I told her I was done with these dinners and she was my priority."

Now OP and his wife refuse to attend the traditional dinners and his family is upset. Is he wrong for defending his wife, or are they a bunch of jerks?

Sadly, it sounds like OP's family doesn't like his wife.

via GIPHY

Redditors let OP know this likely wasn't about food.

"NTA it's pretty clear the issue isnt her food. It's her," a commenter wrote. "For whatever reason they don't seem to like her. Good for you for standing up to them."

"NTA. Your kids won't be missing much other than the company of toxic relatives who treat their mother poorly yet she is too kind to hold a grudge. Why do some of your family treat her like that? Do they treat all in-laws this poorly?" another person asked.

Redditors praised OP for standing up for his wife.

All too often, people in the Am I the A–hole forum are jerks, but OP definitely isn't one of them.

This person was impressed and wrote, "You're a good husband. We see too few of them on this sub."

"They were looking for reasons to make her feel bad and to insult her. I would never intentionally put my partner in that type or situation, and good on you for doing the same," another person commented.

It's time for a new tradition.

via GIPHY

OP loves his wife and his family, but if they don't respect her, he won't subject her to mistreatment. Redditors respected that and thought he and his wife could start a new tradition. If his family can be kind, maybe they'll be invited over again – but probably not for quite some time.