NEED TO KNOW
- A mom allowed her daughter to skip all wedding photos after the child grew distressed about attending
- Her family was upset, but she held firm on a compromise meant to prevent a meltdown
- She turned to Reddit for a second opinion on the events that occurred on her big day
A mom turned to the Reddit community for advice following a tense family dispute that unfolded at her sibling’s wedding.
She explained in her post that in the weeks leading up to the event, her 11-year-old daughter Mia was struggling so much that “she was having meltdowns about having to get a new outfit, dress up, etc.”
The mom shared that one of Mia’s biggest pain points was seeing her younger sister chosen as a flower girl while she wasn’t included.
She wrote that her daughter insisted she was “ugly and no one likes her,” something the mom acknowledged was likely connected to preteen emotions.
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As the wedding approached, Mia’s refusal to attend became a major issue, forcing the mom to find a middle ground. She told her daughter she could bring her Nintendo Switch and “play it in a quiet area” and didn’t have to appear in photos if that made things easier.
On the wedding day, Mia followed through on her plan and avoided all photos, which quickly sparked frustration among relatives. The mom recalled telling her family that she couldn’t force her daughter to participate “unless you want a meltdown,” standing firm on the compromise she had promised.
But after the ceremony, the pressure intensified as her parents and siblings voiced their disappointment over Mia opting out of the reception activities. They insisted that the 11-year-old should have “sucked it up for one day,” a response that left the mom feeling pulled between supporting her daughter and keeping the peace with her family.
Reddit commenters, however, largely backed the mom’s decision and emphasized that honoring Mia’s boundaries was the right call.
Several users pointed out that weddings can be difficult for kids even under the best circumstances, and this situation was already emotionally charged.
“NTA for keeping your word. However YTA for not taking her body issues seriously,” another user countered. “Something is very, very deeply wrong there. Which will have been reinforced by being left out of the wedding party,”
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“They excluded her from being IN the wedding but then were surprised she wasn’t excited to go or be in pictures. They can’t have it both ways,” another wrote.
