My oldest son, Alex, has been with his girlfriend, Emma, for two years. I really liked her; she’s smart, ambitious, and she makes him so happy. It was all perfect until they decided to get married.

We were having this nice dinner after they got engaged, and Emma suddenly wanted to talk to me privately. I’m thinking, “Oh no, is everything alright?” because she looked really off. But the second we were alone, you won’t believe it, her whole tone changed, and she rudely started demanding that I give her my grandmother’s engagement ring.

The ring has been in our family for generations. It was my grandmother’s, then my mother’s, and I had always planned to pass it down to Alex. But I wanted it to be a special, heartfelt moment, not something demanded from me.
Emma didn’t just ask nicely; she insisted that she deserved the ring because it would show that she was accepted into the family. She even had the audacity to suggest that it was “expected” and that I was being selfish if I didn’t hand it over immediately.
I was stunned. This was not the Emma I thought I knew. I tried to explain that the ring was a cherished family heirloom and that I had planned to give it to Alex in a meaningful way, not just hand it over on demand. But she wasn’t having any of it. She started yelling, saying I was being unfair and that if I really loved my son, I would do this for him and her.

At that moment, I saw a side of Emma I had never seen before, and I didn’t like it. She was acting entitled and disrespectful, not just to me but to our family’s traditions. I couldn’t believe my son was planning to marry someone who could be so demanding and rude.

Finally, I had enough. I calmly told her that her behavior was unacceptable and that she needed to leave my house. She stormed out, fuming, and I was left feeling shaken and deeply disappointed.

Later that night, Alex came to talk to me. He was upset and confused, saying Emma told him I had kicked her out for no reason. I explained everything that had happened, and to my relief, he understood. He was shocked by Emma’s behavior and admitted that he had seen glimpses of this side of her before but had hoped it was just stress from the wedding planning.

In the days that followed, Alex and Emma had many long conversations. Eventually, Alex made the difficult decision to call off the engagement. He realized that Emma’s true colors had come out, and he didn’t want to start a marriage based on demands and entitlement.

It was a tough and painful experience for all of us, but in the end, I believe it was the right thing to do. Family heirlooms and traditions are important, but respect and love within the family are even more crucial. I hope Alex finds someone who appreciates our values and traditions and treats him and our family with the respect we all deserve.