It’s been said that manners maketh the man. After all, it’s a fact that society would be a lot less than civil if it lacked politeness and etiquette. What’s more, proper manners are essential to making a good first impression, especially when you’re meeting your romantic partner’s family.
One woman is understandably miffed because her son’s girlfriend refuses to help tidy up after dinner. What’s more, the entitled twenty-something even dictates what she wants to eat when she comes over. The annoyed mom went online to vent.
More info: Reddit
We’d be nowhere without manners, but this woman’s son’s girlfriend thinks they’re reserved for wife life
Image credits: Vera Arsic / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Ever since the son brought her over, she’s refused to help tidy up after dinner
Image credits: August de Richelieu / Pexels (not the actual photo)
What’s more, she has no shame when it comes to dictating which meals should be cooked when she comes over
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Frustrated, the woman says she’s thinking of banning the girlfriend from family dinners
Image credits: TopSherbet9466
At her wits’ end, the mom turned to the web to ask if she would be a jerk to follow through on her ungrateful girlfriend ban plan
OP begins her post by telling the community that her 22-year-old son has been bringing his girlfriend over for a little over a month. For the first meeting, she whipped up a feast, expecting things to be quite formal, but the girlfriend arrived late without a word of apology.
To make matters worse, she didn’t pitch in to tidy up, something OP let slide because it was her first time over. OP goes on to say that, for dessert, she likes to bake cupcakes then invite the family to get together to frost them, but that the girlfriend let her know that she really wasn’t interested in joining in.
OP complains that the girlfriend has basically been at the house daily and has no qualms asking her to prepare specific meals, all without a word of thanks. The mom’s younger son has gently called out the girlfriend’s behavior, but her response was an abrupt, “no ring, no wife duties”.
The frustrated mom finally had enough when the aloof girlfriend requested a specific meat pie for dinner. Now she’s considering banning the girlfriend from family dinners but worries that that might have a negative impact on her relationship with her son. She turned to Reddit to vent.
If you’ve ever had to deal with an entitled person, you’ll know how exasperating they can be. On top of that, the girlfriend doesn’t appear to have the slightest grasp of basic manners and etiquette. But where did these cultural codes of conduct originate?
Image credits: SHVETS production / Pexels (not the actual photo)
According to The English Manner, every society and culture possesses its own form of etiquette, which has changed over time.
The history of the etiquette we use these days typically derives from the 1643 court of Louis XIV of France.
A fan of parties but not his guests’ raucous behavior, Louis got so annoyed with people trampling over his richly manicured lawns and flower beds that he installed signs advising guests to ‘Abstain from walking on the grass’.
When this failed to have the desired effect, he announced an official decree that nobody could go beyond the signs. In time, the name etiquette was given to a ticket for court functions which detailed rules concerning where to stand and what to occupy yourself with, which was the origin of what we know as ‘etiquette’ today.
HistoryFacts details 6 surprising etiquette rules from the past. A few of these include women always having to defer to their husbands, the fact that there should be at least one servant for every two dinner guests, and the rule that a man couldn’t speak to a woman unless she spoke to him first.
According to the Grunge website, two of history’s weirdest etiquette rules include Victorian women only being allowed to gift hand-made items and, in the days when switchboards were still a thing, always smiling when you used the telephone.
Perhaps it’s time OP challenges the girlfriend on her own “wife life” rule. What would you do if you found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think she needs to lay down the law, or stick to her ban plan? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers slammed the ungrateful girlfriend for her audacity and lack of manners and assured the mom that she definitely wasn’t being the jerk in the situation
