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What do you do when someone’s last wishes cause problems within a family?
I’m sure it happens all the time, and a widower shared his story on Reddit’s “Am I the *sshole?” page to ask if he’s wrong for honoring his late wife’s wishes.
AITA for respecting my late wife’s wishes about keeping her family out?
“My wife unfortunately passed away last year when our daughter was only 3 months old. It was very difficult to get through but my little girl and I are keeping it together.
My daughter is 16 months now and there’s been pressure from my wife’s sister to let her side of the family see my daughter.
The issue is my wife had absolutely no contact with her family since she was 18, so 16 years of not seeing them. Her home life was something she never wanted to talk about.
It always made her upset so I never pushed her to tell me. All I know is they were manipulative and abusive in some form. She left as soon as she was 18, changed her last name and never spoke to them again.
4 years ago she got into contact with her older sister and she’s the only person my wife allowed into our lives. By that I mean we met through video chat but never actually in person.
We still maintained contact after my wife passed and we met a couple times before and during my wife’s funeral. My sister-in-law called me a few weeks ago. She mentioned her parents would really like to meet their granddaughter and want to start over.
They didn’t attend my wife’s funeral because they knew she wouldn’t want them to be there.
One thing my wife always made clear is that she did not want them near our daughter. Ever.
Telling my SIL this…well she got very upset. She said it’s been years and yes her parents were awful people (again won’t say exactly what they did) but losing their daughter has made them reflect on things. And they want to meet my daughter since my wife never gave them that chance.
She’s still trying to convince me and so far I’ve said no. Each time I just feel more and more bad for denying them but it’s what my wife wanted.
Her parents found my Facebook (pretty sure SIL might’ve told them) and I’ve gotten dozens of messages begging me to let my daughter know her moms side of the family. And I shouldn’t keep her from knowing her grandparents for past mistakes.
None of them will leave me alone and SIL has said a few times that I may be grieving losing a wife but to have some empathy for them losing a child. Because right now I’m being “too heartless” for denying them the chance to meet the only piece of my wife they have left.
I’m at my wits end with this because I’m not sure if I am being an *sshole or not. I don’t know the whole reason why my wife never wanted to see them again. Even if I did though, I’d still like to honor her wish.
The way they are being however, makes it hard not to wonder if I am?”
Here’s how folks responded on Reddit.
This person made it clear: the man should never let his wife’s family near their child.
Photo Credit: Reddit
This reader said that the man must respect his late wife’s wishes and that she cut her family out of her life for a reason.
Photo Credit: Reddit
Another Reddit user said that the late woman’s family is being manipulative and that he needs to keep these people far away.
Photo Credit: Reddit
This individual agreed that the man should not let his deceased wife’s family be in their daughter’s life at all.
You need to keep the toxic people away, folks!
Photo Credit: Reddit
Now we want to hear from you.
Is this man doing the right thing by honoring his late wife’s wishes?
Or should he let her family in?
Tell us what you think in the comments.
