Mom of 4 Bans Family Members from Thanksgiving After They Contract Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease Ahead of Holiday

A woman sought support from the Reddit community following a tense family standoff over Thanksgiving plans.

In her post, she shared that her nephew had been diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease — a disease that causes “sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet,” as per the Mayo Clinic. The child came down with it about two weeks earlier, and soon after, both her sister and brother-in-law contracted it as well.

“I told my mom that I did not want them in my house because they’re still contagious at this point,” she wrote, explaining that one of her four children “gets sick easily” and that the last time the sickness entered their home, “my 3 older kids were out of school for weeks.”

Despite the risks, she said her mother called to inform her that the infected family would still be joining Thanksgiving at her home. “My mom then said that they will be gloved up and sitting at a table separate from everyone else,” she recalled.

But she noted that her young nephew would still have “free roam” of her home and that “he’s under two and therefore gets into stuff and still puts things in his mouth.”

The poster pushed back, asking why the holiday couldn’t simply be held elsewhere. “I told them if they were so set on coming to my house for Thanksgiving why couldn’t they have it at their house,” she wrote.

According to her, her mother replied that hosting at their own home would require sanitizing afterward, something they didn’t want to do.

That explanation left her feeling dismissed and frustrated. “I said it was unfair that they weren’t willing to sanitize their house… but they wanted to come to my house and infect my household,” she shared.

The conversation ended abruptly when her mother became emotional. “She started to cry, said she wouldn’t have this conversation with me and hung up.”

The situation was complicated, as she revealed that her parents were providing the entire Thanksgiving meal and also helping her and her husband during a legal situation.

“If I tell my mom no to anything… she will renege on her promises and take the gift back,” she admitted, noting this pressure made the decision even harder. Still, she felt she had to protect her children.

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Commenters agreed, with one noting, “They will not attempt a single good practice at preventing the spread of disease… Tell them to have their own diseased holiday this year.”

Ultimately, the situation shifted after a conversation with her father. “THEY ARE NOT COMING OVER,” she updated. She said her sister grew defensive, but her father “put his foot down on my behalf” and promised to speak with her mother to calm things down. With that, the family planned to postpone Thanksgiving “to some other day when people aren’t contagious.”