Man gets upset after family invites his ex for Christmas, asks if he's wrong

Getting into a new relationship after ending a long-term one can be very challenging. Moreover, in the aftermath of a devastating breakup, one expects their loved ones to be supportive. But a man was left shocked when his family invited his ex-girlfriend to their Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. The former boyfriend—who goes by u/AwkwardSweetTA on Reddit—shared that he could not get his family to respect his feelings in the aftermath of the five-year-long relationship.

“My family loves my ex-partner and keeps inviting her to our get-togethers,” the man wrote in a post. “My ex and I dated for five years. My family adored her and it was assumed that we would be getting married soon." However, the couple had a heartbreaking split about a year ago after the ex-girlfriend told him he was not “man enough” for her. This brutal reason deeply affected him, leading him to therapy, which lasted for months before he began dating his current partner. He added that during his therapy, his family continued to invite his ex to events.

His family had originally sought his permission to continue inviting his ex to their get-togethers. At the time, he had agreed in the hopes of getting back together with her one day. “As soon as I started to date someone new and my ex had attended her last invited event, I thought that was the end of it,” his post read. However, his family had other ideas and decided to invite his ex again to their festive celebrations. “I thought it was a joke, but no, they love having her around. I put a stern warning that if she was invited, I would not be attending,” he revealed. The man, who is still recovering from the breakup, reiterated his therapist’s take on the situation to his family. He said, “I restated what my therapist told me, saying this was unhealthy for me and was violating my boundaries.”

However, his family ignored his concerns and showed little care for his feelings. He stated, “They love her. She doesn’t have much family, and they want her included. My current girlfriend is obviously furious too.” Despite his objections, family members, including his mom and grandmother, insisted he should act more maturely. “They are saying I need to treat it as if she were a friend and grow up,” he concluded in the post. The situation sparked wide-ranging reactions from the online community.

u/merouch recalled, “I've dated people in the past with absolutely beautiful family members that I loved but if they had ever invited me to something after the breakup, I would have respectfully declined.” “My mother-in-law regularly invites husband's ex and her now husband to family events. She even invites her ex-sister-in-law sometimes. What makes this even stranger is she doesn't have anything to do with husband's first ex; only the second gets invited everywhere,” u/Mindless-Client3366 shared. “Have a Thanksgiving and Christmas with only your current partner. If they can't respect your boundaries, then you have to enforce them,” u/leonprimrose added. "You cannot control what your family does, and you are letting them know that their actions (inviting your ex) have consequences (if she's there, you won't be)," said u/Traditional-Panda-84.