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Pregnant Woman Walks Out of Her Own Baby Shower - Strangers Come to Her Defense
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Pregnant Woman Walks Out of Her Own Baby Shower - Strangers Come to Her Defense

*Featured image contains photo by Kampus Production and Liza SummerShe is jolted by a hand grabbing her arm, as she turns around. What happens next is so vile and revolting, that nothing will ever be the same. A Bridal ShowerPhoto by Ajeet SinghWe all know the common in-law tropes. They're the involuntary relatives we (sometimes grudgingly) love and accept because of the person we marry. In-law acrimony was popularized in the show Everybody Loves Raymond, in which Raymond's wife, Debra was at odds with Raymond's controlling mother, Marie. While it makes for great TV, reality can be much harsher as one woman finds out.The setting is a baby shower, a time to celebrate new life, as one family. Recounting the events on Reddit is the pregnant bridal shower mommy, using the nickname MonicaRogers099 (I'll refer to her simply as 'Monica Rogers' for this story).Like any celebration, cake is served, a symbol of the sweet moment. Strangely, this is where things go very sour. A Cruel CommentPhoto by Karolina Grabowska As Rogers walks to the table to get cake, she feels a hand grab her arm. It's none other than her mother-in-law. That's when she tells her, in front of the entire family, that she "gained enough weight already" and if she "keeps this up," her son will not be happy living with "a large walrus."Rogers writes that her mother-in-law has a history of fat-shaming her, writing that she "always made comments about my weight, ever since I got pregnant, she started making more comments while low-key shaming me for what I eat."She goes on to share all the cruel details. "Whenever I visit, she'd give me smaller plate, portion, cup even spoons. She also buys me 'small size' clothes even though I'm in my 2nd trimester and those clothes don't fit."The nasty baby shower comments are the last straw, and with little motivation to stay, Rogers storms out. Yet as she makes her way for the door, her sister-in-law stops her, saying that she can't leave mid-party "and embarrass her like that." When the mother-in-law refuses to leave, Rogers does, choosing dignity over decor.Besides, she can always count on her husband to back up, right? Well, this will be hard to digest.Strangers Defend Pregnant Wife From Her Cruel HusbandRogers writes that her husband was "furious" at her leaving, telling her "that his mom meant well, that she should apologize, and that she needs to change her 'easily offended mentality' before giving birth so that she doesn't pass it on to their son."When her angry husband won't stop chiding her for being 'ungrateful and spiteful,' Rogers leaves to stay at her mom's.Her post caused an uproar online, being upvoted over 19,000 times and receiving over 1,400 comments, most supporting her and many waving red flags."You are in a controlling marriage at best, and an abusive one at worst," cautioned one. "Why are you having a baby with this man? He and his family are toxic bullies. You’re allowed to eat, when pregnant especially!" wrote another. Another Redditor gave Rogers some food for thought. "Your husband too, he needs to be on your side of this, for God sake you are carrying his baby! If you can't get him on board then you need to rethink this marriage, because he'll never be on your side, if he continues to behave like mommy's little boy!"How We’re Reminded That Love Is EarnedPhoto by Rod Long Among quotes about family, one by Richard Bach says, "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life."Then when it comes to her husband, Monica Rogers might be a stranger who happens to share her name with him. Family, through blood or marriage, isn't a free pass to act as you like.Like any relationship, it's earned through our daily interactions. And, while family members might have more rope than others, at one point it runs out. One husband might find that out a bit too late.More from Goalcast:Angry Customer Throws a Drink at Pregnant McDonald’s Worker – But One Stranger Witnesses EverythingFirefighter Tragically Kills Pastor’s Pregnant Wife – Instead of Getting Revenge, the Widower Befriends HimPregnant Woman With 2 Jobs Makes Only $300 Each Week – Then a Stranger Gives Her Some News That Makes Her Sob

Woman's Toxic Ex Returns Only To Ghost Her Again - And It's A Lesson For All
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Woman's Toxic Ex Returns Only To Ghost Her Again - And It's A Lesson For All

One broken-hearted Redditor posted a sad tale in the relationship advice subreddit. Her story started two years after her ex had left her for another woman, completely blocking her.He reemerged when they matched on dating app Hinge and put on the charm offensive. “He was saying things to me like ‘I love you and I’ll never leave you again’, ‘we’re gonna move in together’, and even jokingly proposed to me.”While the words were nice to hear, she had her doubts. "It made me feel weird because I don’t know how he could feel/say those things to me after years of not talking (especially after leaving me for another girl). I don’t know why he said those things and I’m thinking that it was just to bait me to get me into bed."- Reddit author Regardless, she then revealed that, shortly after, she went to his house and they hooked up. She added that "overall it was a good time and I was excited for him to be back in my life." The two exchanged sweet and promising texts.Gone ghostUnfortunately, the sparks were short-lived. The woman said that after their second meeting, he went ghost and stopped replying to her texts.It left her hurt and wanting answers. "I ended up asking him if I did something to upset him. He responded to that saying that he didn’t want anything serious with me and said he 'thought' he made it clear??, but wanted to still hook up with up me. "She didn't want that but yet still she suggested they stay friends. He never replied. As if that wasn't bad enough, he also gaslit her."He ended up calling me last night and I missed it and called him back. He hung up the call and texted me that he accidentally called me. This obviously upset me because I thought he actually wanted to talk to me."With that, two years of rebuilding her life came crashing down. "I had to put work into my mental health to get myself better, and now I feel as if it’s all in the trash, all the work I’ve done. I feel just as I did 2 years ago hurt, upset, and confused."- Reddit author Redditors respond with tough loveComments flooded in from Redditors, both supporting the woman, but also delivering a strong dose of tough love. As the brutal honesty continued, the woman realized it was just what she needed to hear. Never sell yourself shortFirst things first: The man's sleazy and manipulative actions deserve to be rightfully called out for what they are. However, the biggest disrespect in this story wasn't from the man but from the woman...to herself.She lost control the moment she made her happiness dependant on someone else's words and whims.While it's a painful way to learn, there's no more valuable lesson than loving yourself with all your heart before giving it to someone else.More uplifting stories:Boyfriend Calls Girlfriend ‘Naïve Karen’ For Out-Earning Him, Internet Has Best ResponseWoman Unceremoniously Dumps Toxic Boyfriend After Constant Body ShamingWoman Too Heavy For Her Scale Has Major Wake-Up Call And Loses Over 200 Lbs In 1 YearMen Get Caught Harassing McDonald’s Worker, Sparking Outrage About A Harsh Reality

Woman Gets Invited To Wedding, Finds Out They Want To Use Her For Free Makeup
Uplifting News

Woman Gets Invited To Wedding, Finds Out They Want To Use Her For Free Makeup

Whittling down the guest list is easily one of the most difficult parts of any wedding — no wonder people elope! But in an attempt to cut down the number of people at the wedding while saving a dime, a maid of honor invited a woman just to do makeup for the bridal party without even offering her a dinner plate. Unexpected invitationIn a since-deleted Reddit post, u/heatherborne recounted a cringe-worthy situation about an invite to her husband's cousin's wedding. In the post, she explained that her husband got an invite, but she didn't, which wasn't really a big deal."Honestly, don't care. There's a pandemic, they might have a severely restricted guest list, I don't know them," she said, according to Bored Panda.Besides, the cousins weren't invited to the Redditor's wedding as there were just six people including the bride and groom."But then I got an email from the maid of honor asking me if I'm working that day, it's a Saturday so I'm not and then she asked me to come," she wrote. "Of course, I'd be happy to!"Unpaid staffIt turns out she wasn't technically invited. They wanted her to arrive at 7 AM to do the bride and bridal party's makeup (a total of 8 people) — and then stay for touch-ups throughout the day.And get this — she isn't even a working makeup artist. "I haven't worked as a makeup artist in a long time. I'm a corporate executive for a makeup brand, I started my career at a counter when I was in college but I'm not a working makeup artist anymore," she said. "When I explained this she asked 'but you still know how and have the stuff?' -Well, yes but... 'then I don't see what your point is, I'll send you an email with all the info."The Redditor doesn't have a makeup kit, but the maid of honor didn't believe her because she works for a brand and should get plenty of samples for free. Oh, and she needed to bring individual lipsticks for each member of the bridal party in the same color.But this has to be the worst part: "I am to stay the whole day but not as a guest since they didn't pay for a plate for me. I can set up in the back and be ready when the bridal party needs touchups," she wroteFor some weddings, guests contribute as their gift — but not this one. The Redditor was expected to also give a gift with her husband because "we are family and everyone is pitching in."She didn't let them take advantage of herAs to be expected, the woman declined the invitation."No I'm not doing it. I was never going to, I thought that was very obvious but I clearly did a very bad job communicating that, sorry," she wrote.In the comments, users said they did the right thing by not accepting and should enjoy her Saturday at home."I wouldn't go out of pride. They only wanted you there when they needed you? They can screw right off then," said one comment, according to Bored Panda."That's a summons, not an invite. Glad to see you'll treat it accordingly." Respect yourself, and your timeSome people actually have no shame — and unfortunately, many respond by doing what those kinds of people want. But not this woman. She respected herself and her time and wouldn't be taken advantage of. Keep that in mind the next time someone — even family — treats you and your time unfairly.More uplifting stories:They Were Torn Apart By Distance – 70 Years Later, They Reconnect And Get MarriedWidowed Dad Raises 8 Kids Following 15 Rules Late Wife Left For HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeHer Husband Cheated on Her – So She Lost a 100 Lbs and Turned Her Life Around

How To Tell If Someone Has A Truly Toxic Personality, According To Science
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How To Tell If Someone Has A Truly Toxic Personality, According To Science

Your friend or someone you know has gotten fired from every job they've ever had. Their dates always flake on them and their friends always betray them. The common theme: it's never their fault and if you press them on it you're the one to blame.According to a team of psychologists in Israel, these types of people may have a toxic personality disorder called "tendency for interpersonal victimhood" (TIV), which they describe as “an ongoing feeling that the self is a victim, which is generalized across many kinds of relationships."People with TIV wholly and truly believe they are never wrong and that their victimhood is a core part of their identity. How to tell if someone 'plays the victim?'Not everyone who feels victimized is toxic. Bad things do happen and it's okay to be upset about it.Rather, TIV occurs when someone constantly feels like a victim and they bring others down with them.Rahav Gabay and her colleagues determined that people with TIV tend to have four dimensions:Constantly seeking recognitionOf all the allegedly horrible things that happen to someone with TIV, people never apologize to them. Worse, they don't even acknowledge their wrongdoing.While apologies can be hard to come by, this only becomes an issue when the person who plays the victim is in desperate search of recognition for the supposed bad things that are done to them.A sense of moral elitismPeople with TIV are never wrong. In fact, their moral compass is better than everyone else's and they use this assumption to manipulate others into their own perspective.This behavior may be a defense mechanism as a way to maintain a positive self-image.Lack of empathy for othersEverything that happens to TIV people is the absolute worst and no one else's pain or suffering matters, or so they think. This can especially be toxic in a relationship as TIV people only care about their own problems, never others'. The route of this behavior can be that since the person believes they have suffered so much, they don't think anyone else deserves empathy for their suffering. This lack of empathy can also show up in a group or national level in the form of "competitive victimhood" or an “egoism of victimhood" where members of a group cannot see things from another group's perspective.Rumination about past victimizationSince romantic relationships never worked out in the past for TIV people, there's no chance they'll work in the future. This is a fallacy as the past doesn't dictate the future, but it's a core belief of people who always play the victim.Always ruminating about past grievances and thinking it reflects the future is something perpetual victims tend to do.Why TIV is toxicPeople who always play the victim are extremely difficult to deal with because they're selfish and never wrong. They're also obsessed with seeking revenge for those who've wronged them and may punish others who had nothing to do with it just because they've been wronged before. Forgiving is part of growthWe all play the victim from time to time. Sometimes bad things really do happen to us and it makes us sour.The problem is when the victimhood because constant and when the person never learns from their mistakes. It's also problematic when they never forgive others – you don't know what everyone is going through and nobody's perfect.Ultimately, the problem with playing the victim is it doesn't allow you to learn or grow from the past. If you don't acknowledge your faults, how can you make adjustments for the future?If you know someone who's always playing a victim, it might be time to reduce your relationship with them or have a frank discussion about it. Life is too short to be surrounded by toxic people. More uplifting stories:4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First HousePoor Man Who Missed Job Interview To Save A Life Had Employers Lining Up To Hire HimDomestic Abuse Survivor Marries The First Responder Who Saved Her LifeBrooklyn Landlord Cancels Rent For Hundreds Of Tenants, Setting An Unprecedented Example For Others