My MIL Gave My Daughter a Hot Dog Costume—Her Granddaughters Got Princess Dresses

My MIL Bought a Hot Dog Costume for My Eldest Daughter, While Her Bio Granddaughters Got Princess Dresses

I trusted my mother-in-law to help my daughters get ready for the school ball while I was away town attending a funeral. However, when the pictures were taken, my oldest was dressed as a hot dog, which was embarrassing, while her half-sisters were all decked out in princess gowns! My husband and I were so angry that we hurried home to face his mother.

I never once had to ask my second husband to treat my oldest daughter, Mabel, like she’s his own. But Brenda, his mother? But that’s another matter.

The first time I became aware of Brenda’s partiality, I dismissed it. It was just minor stuff, nothing obvious.

“Tessa and Juno are such spitting images of Aaron, aren’t they?” she would add. As her gaze swept straight across Mabel. Alternatively, she would give gifts to the younger girls and somehow “forget” to get Mabel something.

However, those minor details soon mounted up. Like a slow-burning fire, the resentment inside me swelled. I persisted in trying to suppress it until the day I was unable to do so.

I got broken by the school ball. It was a straightforward event, but for my girls, it was the high point of the year. The way they continued, you’d think they were attending a cotillion.

For weeks, Mabel had been discussing it. She was looking forward to the day when she and her pals could spin around in a princess outfit.

Then my mother passed away. Aaron and I had to leave town for the burial in the midst of all the ball preparations.

The logical decision was to leave the girls with Brenda while Aaron and I were away. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought if it weren’t for the ball.

It would be an understatement to say that I was hesitant to entrust Brenda with their ball gowns, but there was nothing I could do. Brenda sounded so sincere when she assured me that she would take care of everything, and I had complete faith that she would treat all three of my girls well.

I was a fool.

My phone buzzed with a message from Brenda when we were at the funeral reception. Hearing about my children’ preparations for the school ball was supposed to lift my spirits as I had been wallowing in sorrow all day.

How foolish I was.

As soon as I opened the letter, I saw images of Tessa and Juno wearing gorgeous, glittery princess dresses, just like we had imagined. However, my lovely, lovely Mabel was dressed up as a foam hot dog in an absurd, inexpensive costume!

The caption, “Every princess needs a sidekick, right?,” was the worst part. Here’s ours, then.

My heart fell to my stomach as I gazed at the television. A sidekick! Instead, my Mabel—the kid who had been looking forward to feeling like a princess—was forced into a costume that made fun of her.

My sadness changed into a more intense and piercing anger that I was unaware I was capable of. I rushed outside the front desk and called Brenda.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I tried not to make too much noise as I hissed. “Why is Mable dressed as a hot dog?”

Brenda sounded perplexed, as if I were exaggerating the situation. “Judith, just relax. It was merely a joke. Mabel didn’t mind.

“An irony? Brenda, she’s ten! After all, she wanted to be a princess, so why did you put her in that terrible costume?”

“She didn’t seem upset about it—”

“She didn’t seem upset?” I was having trouble breathing. “Did you even ask her?”

Now Aaron was at my side, listening to my side of the exchange with a grimace on his face. He motioned for me to hand him my phone after a few minutes, and I was happy to comply.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Grasping the phone with white knuckles, he demanded. “You said you would handle this. You claimed to have it under control.

I could hear Brenda’s hesitant but guarded voice on the other end. “Why this is such a huge issue is beyond me, Aaron! It didn’t bother Mabel. For crying out loud, it was only a joke. She wasn’t angry—”

With a stronger tone now, Aaron interrupted her. “You dressed her up to make fun of her. This was no joke. It was embarrassing.

“Well, I thought it was funny—”

Aaron lost his patience.

“Mom, she’s a kid! Not your line of humor. We’ll discuss this face-to-face.

He then turned to face me and hung up the phone. After I gave a nod, we immediately made our way to the parking lot. He stormed to the car, his face rigid with resolve, and I could hardly keep up.

Aaron clinched his jaw and kept his eyes on the road, hardly speaking during the drive. Brenda didn’t wait for me when we arrived at his house; instead, he slammed the car door and went right inside.

With my stomach in knots and my heart racing, I followed.

Brenda was pouring herself a cup of tea in the kitchen with her back to us, as if nothing were amiss. Aaron wasted no time at all.

“How could you do this to her, Mom?” The teacup trembled in her hands as his voice boomed, scaring her. “How could you humiliate her like that?”

Brenda’s face flushed as she turned around. “Calm down, Aaron. You’re going overboard. It was only a lighthearted joke—”

“Harmless?” His voice broke. “Mabel was probably the only child at that ball wearing a joking outfit! “Are you even aware of what you did?”

I didn’t wait for further information. The girls were seated in the living room, so I slipped past them and went down the hall.

Mabel’s large, inquisitive eyes were fixed on me.

I muttered, “We’re going home, sweetheart,” as I ran my fingers through her hair. “It’s all going to be okay.”

My heart broke when we arrived home and talked to Mabel. She first made an effort to be courageous, but all it took for her to break was a gentle remark from Aaron. As she told us about the ball, tears ran down her cheeks.

“All the other girls were in dresses, and they kept asking me why I wasn’t.” She stared down in her lap and twisted her fists together when her voice faltered. “I just chuckled along since I was at a loss for words. However, I felt very foolish.

I knelt down in front of her and carefully raised her chin to meet her eyes. “You’re not a moron, baby. I’m very sorry you had to go through that, because you are the most beautiful, powerful, and fantastic girl.”

With a guilty expression on his face, Aaron squeezed her hand. “Mabel, we’ll make this right. I swear.

We were unable to solve it, though. Indeed, it worsened.

One of the pictures from the ball that the school posted went viral in our city. It featured Mabel as a hot dog surrounded by glittering princesses. It began among the children as a joke, and it quickly gained popularity.

When parents started to question me about why Mabel had been singled out, I explained Brenda’s actions. Everything detonated at that point.

You see, one father was employed by a local television station. The tale quickly appeared in the local press as part of an exposé about the harm that careless pranks can do to kids.

Brenda felt ashamed. She began receiving emails, texts, and phone calls from strangers and neighbors denouncing her behavior. No one seemed to care when she attempted to explain herself by claiming that everything was a misunderstanding.

The damage was already done. The whole city knew that she had degraded her granddaughter.

The bright side of this whole situation? Mabel wasn’t by herself. The same community that had criticized and gossiped about her now came together in support of her.

In a turn of events I never expected, a local boutique chose to finance a second princess-themed ball specifically for Mabel, and local parents stepped forward to provide support and understanding.

On the evening of the occasion, Mabel entered the room wearing the most exquisite princess gown I had ever laid eyes on. When she moved, layers of silk and tulle swirled around her, and a tiara gleamed on her head.

She was no longer a sidekick. The star was her.

The weight of Brenda’s apologies lingered in the air as she spun around the dance floor, beaming. She had apologized, really. To Aaron, to me, and then to Mabel.

However sincere it was, the harm was already done. Rebuilding trust is difficult, particularly when it involves your kids.

But as Mabel spun around in her dress that evening, her laughter echoing, I hoped Brenda had learned her lesson about treating her granddaughters fairly. As I watched Aaron take Mabel’s hands and dance with her around the living room, I felt it wasn’t so difficult after all.