This mother-in-law takes the cake

Dear Diane: I am so angry at my mother-in-law, my hands are trembling with rage even as I write this.

My only child, Tommy, was to celebrate his fifth birthday. I spent weeks planning the party: handmade invitations, a magician, a pony, renting the helium tank for the hundreds of balloons, etc. I also spent hours making a beautiful cake from scratch.

The day of the party came and everything was going perfect … until I brought out the cake I’d made and placed it in front of Tommy. Before he had a chance to blow out the candles, my mother-in-law came in carrying a huge sheet cake with Harry Potter figures on top along with a mini Hogwarts Castle and SHOVED my cake out of the way. My beloved Tommy wound up blowing out the candles of his fifth birthday from my mother-in-law’s cake.

How dare she!

She knew the trouble I went through to make this a special day. She knew about my cake. I confronted her (in private) later and asked her why she pulled such a stunt.

She said, “Darling, everyone knows you can’t bake worth a darn, so I saved you the embarrassment of all those children saying how bad your cake is.”

I haven’t spoken to the woman since. And if I never speak to her again, that would be fine by me.

Unfortunately, the holidays are soon coming, and I know my husband will want his mother present at family gatherings. What do I do?

— Outraged in Oklahoma

Dear Oklahoma:

You can stay angry and looking for some way to get back at your mother-in-law. But then, all you’ll have to look forward to is a continuing series of ruined family gatherings.

Or you can put this event behind you and work WITH your mother-in-law to ensure she doesn’t pull a fast one like that again. Let her know that you were upset by what she did, and if she’s planning on bringing any dish for any other family event you are hosting, she should definitely let you know beforehand so you can avoid another humiliating experience.

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