When Jordan was only 13 years old, his mom passed away. Several years later, his dad remarried, but Jordan never got close to his new stepmom and even moved in with his aunt. Jordan is now 27 and has recently gotten married. And at his wedding, he refused to have the traditional mother-son dance with his stepmom. His dad reached out to the public via Reddit to explain what happened.
**This article is based on material obtained from sources pertaining to social media, dance, and wedding websites, which is referenced within the narrative**
Many wedding traditions, such as the father-daughter dance, have their roots in our patriarchal history. When marriage was a contractual agreement based on social and financial gain rather than love, this ritual served as a final goodbye from the bride's father before her husband took his place at the head of her household.
Nowadays, the mother-son dance has become an increasingly popular component of wedding celebrations since the ceremony transformed from a father-daughter performance to one that expresses love and admiration between both parents. To further honor each parent, couples began including dances with the groom's mom, symbolizing appreciation for her presence on their special day.
With that noted, the author of the post recently attended the wedding of his 27-year-old son, "Jordan." The father explained that when Jordan was 13, his mother passed away. A few years later, when Jordan was 16, the father married "Natalie," who became Jordan's stepmom.
Regarding Jordan and Natalie's relationship, the father noted:
Jordan never really considered Natalie as his mom. He refused to let her get close and shut down every attempt to have a close relationship. He even moved in with his aunt months after Natalie and I got married.
As time passed, Jordan and Natalie began to mend their relationship and started seeing each other more frequently. And, as mentioned earlier, both Natalie and his father were honored to be invited to his wedding ceremony, which happened recently.
The father recounted that when he and Natalie arrived at the event, the atmosphere was "great." Unfortunately, the father's mood darkened when he learned that Jordan had refused Natalie the special mother-son dance. Rather than grace the dancefloor with his stepmother, he opted to share the special moment with his aunt.
In the father's own words:
Natalie told me this minutes later and I couldn't help feel irritated and quite upset. I decided to get up and leave and we both left.
After his family spotted him leaving, the father received several calls from them. Eventually, Jordan also called, and the father explained to him why he had taken off.
The father explained:
He got mad and said it was his wedding and that his aunt is basically a mother to him and said that Natalie shouldn't expect 'special treatment.'
The father responded by clarifying that it wasn't about giving "special treatment" but rather following a wedding tradition. Moreover, the father accused his son of intentionally hurting Natalie's feelings out of spite and ill will.
Ultimately, Jordan felt hurt and accused his father of ruining his wedding day by making a spectacle. And now the family has unequivocally taken Jordan's side and declared that the father should not have left the wedding ceremony regardless of the circumstances.
What do you think?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to share this article with your friends and family.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
Sources
Susong, Liz. "The Father-Daughter Dance Tradition: Everything You Need to Know." Brides
u/Raoyee3. "AITA for leaving my son's wedding after he denied his stepmom a mother-son dance." Reddit
"WHAT DOES THE MOTHER-SON DANCE SYMBOLIZE AT WEDDINGS?" World Champion Productions
Comments / 169