When you enter a serious relationship, you also gain a whole new family. It can be difficult to navigate your partner's family, especially when there is a difference in opinions on major beliefs such as religion. One Reddit user understands this firsthand.
He decided to use humor to cope with this, creating a game called “Peekaboo, Jesus!” When his partner’s mom found out, she was not laughing. He decided to ask the forum if he was in the wrong to get a better perspective on the situation. Most agreed he was not a jerk but that he could offer an apology to smooth things over.
Jesus is literally everywhere in this home.
"My partner and I visit his parents often," the original poster (OP) begins, "Despite a rocky start given our relationship, they’ve become very accepting and welcoming. They are also very, very religious, and have many crosses and imagery of Jesus around the house. Sometimes these show up in odd places. Behind a towel rack. In a kitchen cupboard. Inside the garage door panel. Literally everywhere."
Humor is a great coping method.
In order to inject some humor into the situation, he made up a game. “For a few months now, whenever we visit, my partner and I have a secret game we call 'Peekaboo Jesus'. Basically, whenever we find a new Jesus statue poking out of a random place, we say, 'Peekaboo, Jesus!'. Between us it’s harmless fun and we both get a kick out of it,” he continues.
Until someone gets offended.
It was all fun and games until it wasn’t. “This past weekend we visited for lunch. While we were helping set the table, a new Jesus appeared, his long-haired halo-crested head peeping out from within the china cabinet. Without thinking, I blurted 'Peekaboo, Jesus!' and pointed to our hide-and-seek saviour,” he explains.
Now what?
“It turns out my partners mom was in the doorway behind me. She was NOT impressed and pretty upset. My partner tried to talk to her, and tell her we didn’t mean any offence by the game, but she was still pretty insulted. The dinner was awkward and I’ve been thinking about what happened ever since,” OP concludes, adding, “Am I the [expletive] for creating and playing Peekaboo Jesus?”
He's not wrong.
Most on the forum agree he is not an [expletive]. “I am very religious also, and I’m trying to imagine being upset by this… and I just can’t. It isn’t disrespectful in any way that I can see,” wrote one user.
The consensus is ...
“As a woman of faith, I actually think your game is funny, and I think lots of Christians would,” agreed another user.
“I'm gonna say NTA because I would probably do the same thing,” wrote another.
An apology is in order.
Even though he is not wrong, most believe he should apologize. “You don’t have to agree with her being hurt. But you should accept that she is,” wrote one user.
Another offered some advice: “I’d just apologize genuinely and let it go.”
Dissenting opinions.
Some took it a step further and think he is a little in the wrong. “YTA – but only a little bit,” wrote one user.
“Don't get me wrong, I think it's hilarious, and I don't think you're a bad person in any way, but the fact is you were in her home and it sounds like it was definitely insulting to her,” agreed another.
The bottom line.
The bottom line? Most people agree he was not in the wrong. The few who think he was consider it to be only a mild case. All believe he should apologize to save the relationship with his partner’s family. That’s what matters at the end of the day.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
