Everyone hopes they will love their mother-in-law and enjoy a nice, warm relationship full of long conversations, happy holidays, and non-judgment. But, sometimes, a mom is a little too close with her adult son, as can be seen in this TikTok.
@itsgoneviral shared a video of a couple finding out they were having a baby girl… but as pink confetti fell around them his mom jumped in and destroyed the sweet surprise! She (aggressively) hugged her son and yelled, “Gonna be like her nanna! She’s gonna be like her nanna!” The woman told her husband “I’m gonna say something” and confronted her mother-in-law about what happened. “You just completely stole our moment,” she said to the MIL, who now sat out of breath on the couch. When the MIL responded that she was simply “excited” about the little one, the wife told the woman she didn’t even let her son hug her before getting involved.
As everyone can guess, this confrontation is tough to watch. The MIL insisted she did nothing wrong and because her daughter-in-law hugs her son on a daily basis, it was no big deal. Yes, she really said that! The husband tried to de-escalate the situation and said “everyone’s happy.” Then, the worst moment of the video: The MIL asked her pregnant daughter-in-law if she was “hormonal.”
If you’re thinking “husband is a huge red flag,” that’s exactly what one person commented. Others said “Good for her standing up for herself” and “Son wasn’t respectful of his wife either!” It’s hard not to wonder why this guy thought his mom’s behavior was okay and why he didn’t rush over and hug his wife ASAP. Is this what the dynamic is like all the time? Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and all kinds of celebrations must be awkward. This video sets a bad precedent, too. Is the mother-in-law going to be in the delivery room at the hospital? Is she going to insist on coming over 24/7 when the wife is recovering from labor and getting used to life with a newborn?
There are countless gender reveal videos on the web, many of which are unforgettable. The phenomenon can be traced back to 2008 when Jenna Karvunidis penned a blog post about learning she was having a daughter when she sliced a cake that had pink icing inside. Karvunidis then said she isn’t a fan of gender reveals and explained the events “overemphasize one aspect of a person.” As time has gone on, more people have become anti-gender reveal. As YouGov Omnibus noted, 28% of Americans called them “a fad” and 35% referred to them as “unnecessary.”
It’s also hard not to focus on the very real injuries and even deaths that have resulted from couples finding out if they’re going to have a boy or girl. Pamela Kreimeyer passed away when metal flew toward her from an explosive that featured blue or pink powder. There’s also the issue that, as Marie Claire pointed out, you’re learning your baby’s sex, not their gender.
The TikTok video in question became so popular that people filmed their own spoof videos, like this one by @madison_humphreyy. It involves Madison and her partner jumping around and screaming hysterically like the mom in the OG video.
Although there are people who want a magical surprise at birth, according to a 2001 study by Harvard Medical School, 58% of men and 58% of the women surveyed answered they hoped to learn their baby’s sex before their birth. So, the moral of the story? If you want to find out the sex of your baby in a way that is more exciting than having an ultrasound technician share the news, stick to a pink or blue-filled cake. That’s the safest choice. And maybe stand far away from your mother-in-law.