Holding Hands and Patting Hips... Daughter-in-Law Embarrassed by Father-in-Law's Excessive Skinship

Daughter-in-law's Complaints Spark Various Reactions from Netizens
Skinship Continued Even When Trying to Go Home

Netizens are reacting to a daughter-in-law's complaint about feeling uncomfortable due to her father-in-law's overstepping physical contact.

On the 17th, a post titled "I feel uncomfortable with my father-in-law's physical contact" was uploaded on an online community. The author, A, who got married in June and experienced her first holiday with her in-laws, began by saying, "Before the formal meeting, I visited the in-laws once and met them, and during the meeting, they praised me endlessly, saying 'You are so pretty' and 'You are so modest,' which made my parents happy and I was very grateful." She continued, "The in-laws are open-minded. They don't demand anything and never contacted me first. After returning from our honeymoon, they told me to rest because I must be tired, but I thought it would be impolite, so I served food and gave gifts, but they instead gave me pocket money," adding, "During this holiday, they told me to come the day before, eat, and just leave."

A daughter-in-law expressed discomfort over her father-in-law's inappropriate physical contact, sparking reactions from netizens. On the 17th, a post titled "Uncomfortable with my father-in-law's physical contact" was uploaded to an online community. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

After having lunch out with her parents-in-law, A and her husband stopped by the in-laws' house for tea. She claimed, "My husband, father-in-law, and I were sitting side by side on the sofa. When my husband went to the dining table to help my mother with her phone, my father-in-law held my hand." She said that after that, her father-in-law did not let go of her hand and even showed physical affection by putting his arm around her shoulder and tucking her hair behind her ear.

A expressed, "Honestly, I was really uncomfortable. It's one thing to say 'I'm happy to have a daughter-in-law like you' once or twice, but I wanted to get out of that situation." She added, "Whenever I tried to go to the kitchen, he would pull my shoulder and tell me to rest quietly. Then he would repeat compliments about how pretty I am endlessly." She also lamented, "My husband was busy running errands for my mother, going back and forth to the kitchen, so he seemed not to care because my father-in-law was just saying nice things."

The father-in-law's physical contact continued even when A and her husband were about to leave. A said, "When my husband went to my mother-in-law after being called, my father-in-law patted my buttocks and stroked my cheek, saying, 'The more I see you, the prettier you are,' which was very embarrassing. Is it normal for a father-in-law to pat his daughter-in-law's buttocks?" She concluded, "He also held my hands with both of his hands when others were around. This kind of physical contact was the first time, so I wonder if my father-in-law is just affectionately doting on me without thinking, or if I am being too sensitive. I want advice on whether I should talk to my husband."

Netizens responded to the story with comments such as, "Patting the buttocks is a bit much," "The father-in-law definitely crossed the line," "Isn't this outright sexual harassment?" "They should never be alone together. He definitely crossed the line, and this is sexual harassment," "This is not affection but disgraceful behavior. It seems like it will get worse," and "It's a world where even daughters shouldn't have their buttocks patted."