AITAH for telling my MIL to shut the f*** up during Christmas dinner?

A woman hosted Christmas dinner for her husband’s family, but her mother-in-law made passive-aggressive comments about her and her son from a previous relationship. When the MIL crossed the line by suggesting her son “wasn’t family,” the woman snapped and responded harshly. Now, she’s receiving backlash from other family members who think she went too far. Read the full story below…

‘ AITAH for telling my MIL to shut the f*** up during Christmas dinner?’

I (31F) have been with my husband (34M) for 6 years, and we got married in 2023. I have a 9 year old son from a previous relationship who my husband treats as if he were his own. My son’s father and i are civil, and therefore, he spends an equal amount of time living with either one of us.

Now about my MIL, she is super religious, and has never really warmed up to the fact that her son is with someone who had a kid out of wedlock, and therefore, isn’t the nicest person to me and my child. I bit my tongue about it for so long because usually, their interactions would be very brief, plus, i’m an adult, i can handle someone not liking me.

But this Christmas, i just kind of snapped. So this year, my son was with me & my husband on Christmas Day, and we hosted Christmas dinner for my husband’s family.
The entire night, my MIL was making subtle digs at me over things such as my cooking and the Christmas decor.

I let it roll off of my back as much as possible, knowing that she wouldn’t be in my house for much longer. However, when she started taking shots at my son, like how he “shouldn’t be here because he wasn’t family,” is when i had enough. Looking her in the eye, i said “you had three baby daddies by the time you were 30, so how about you shut the f**k up?”

This effectively shut her up, but since then, i have been getting messages saying that i took it too far, and that i should apologize for what i said. Looking back, i do think i was a bit harsh, but i don’t think that i’m entirely in the wrong for sticking up for me and my kid, so AITAH?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

SoSayWeAllx −  NTA but where is your husband who should be defending you and your child??

BasicRabbit4 −  Nta. The minute that left her mouth, she’d have been booted out of my home. What a vile witch. Also your husband allowed this s**t? He’d be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future.

[Reddit User] −  Nta but your husband is for not standing up to his mom

Stranger-Tastes −  NTA – What do people mean by “Took it too far”? She started that line of conversation, she got put in her place. Good for you for taking it exactly where it needed to be taken

cirrus42 −  Nope. NTA. Saying a kid isn’t in the family & shouldn’t be there was vile and crossed the line. You were absolutely in the right to shut up her in no uncertain terms.

No-Past2605 −  NTA. I’d say you handled it rather nicely.

MyPath2Follow −  NTA. Speaking as a Christian here – what she’s doing is DISGUSTING. I’d let her know, point blank, that Jesus would be horrified by her behavior. Remind her that Jesus, while not condoning sin itself,

still treated the sinner with dignity and respect. If she perceives you as a sinner, as a Christian she should be treating you with love and grace. I’m so sorry that you have to deal with that. Your son is a precious gift and your mil is awful.

Crystalsnoow −  NTA. She was throwing shade the entire night and then had the nerve to say ur son didnt belong? Thats crossing a huge line. Its one thing to be petty to u, but bringing a kid into it is just wrong. I get that u snapped, and honestly, good for u. She needed to be put in her place.

GroovyYaYa −  Never apologize for the fact that you said something, but do not apologize for HOW you reacted until she apologizes for telling a NINE YEAR OLD BOY that he wasn’t welcome, AT CHRISTMAS.

Fickle_Toe1724 −  So, your son, in your house, is not family? How so? He IS your child. SHE is not your family.  Good for you for putting her in her place. But your husband, her son, should have been shutting that s**t down long ago. Do not let her back in your home.  You did the right thing. Tell hubby you expect HIM to deal with his mother.

Standing up for yourself and your loved ones is important, but was this response justified or overly harsh? Should the woman apologize, or was she right to put her MIL in her place? Share your thoughts below!