Her Husband Wants Her to Call His Mother ‘Mom,’ but She Says ‘It Feels Forced and Uncomfortable’

A woman says her husband is pressuring her to start calling his mother “mom” — but she’s not on board.

Sharing her story anonymously on Reddit, the 29-year-old explained that although she recently married her husband and his mother has “always been kind,” they’re not particularly close.

“She’s a very ‘traditional’ woman and was cold to me during our engagement because we didn’t do things her way,” she wrote.

Now, her husband is encouraging her to adopt the same term his sister-in-law uses. “My husband is pushing for me to call her ‘Mom’ like his sister-in-law does,” she said. “I’ve told him it feels forced and uncomfortable. I already have a mom who I’m super close with. He said it’s about ‘respect’ and ‘being part of the family.’”

The issue came to a head during a recent dinner. “At dinner last week, he literally said, ‘Ask Mom to pass the salt,’ and looked at me expectantly,” she recalled. “I ignored it. On the way home, he got mad and said I embarrassed him. I said I’m not going to fake intimacy just to impress his mother. He thinks I’m being stubborn and unwelcoming. I think I’m being honest.”

Many Reddit users shared their support for the woman, questioning the husband’s behavior and motives.

“It’s really weird that he’s trying to force you to say it,” one commenter wrote. “Also, he pulled the same stunt my mom does — puts you on the spot in front of people, intentionally putting you in a position where you either need to comply or embarrass both of you.”

Another added, “I have the most amazing MIL in the world. I would commit crimes for her. I still don’t call her mom, and no one has ever tried to make me.”