Most of us were taught when we were young that we need to respect our parents and elders in general.
The consensus is that, since they've lived much longer than us, they've learned more and contributed more to the community, so they deserve respect.
But that's the funny thing about respect: respect needs to be earned, and respect also should be reciprocated.
That wasn't being put into practice with one family, however, according to a video posted by Instagrammer @djyoyo. In the video, a man is seen helping his young son into the back seat of the car while his girlfriend gets into the front passenger seat.
While the guy is busy arranging his son in the back seat, his mother approaches and looks at the girlfriend in the front seat before telling her that she cannot sit there.
The girlfriend inaudibly says something in return, and the boyfriend's mother continues, stating that she will not sit in the back seat, and the girlfriend has to get out.
The boyfriend stands up from leaning into the back of the car and looks at the two women before telling his girlfriend that she really should move out of the way for his mother.
At this point, the girlfriend has had enough and says,
"I'm leaving."
The adult son and mother look on as the girlfriend walks to her own car and gets in without saying another word. The mother, overly chipper, yells, "Okay, bye!" to her before getting in the front passenger seat.
You can watch the video here:
The video, unfortunately, does not give enough context for what kind of relationship the family has with one another, specifically the mother and the adult son's girlfriend, or what might have led to this particular argument.
For example, it's possible that the mother has a habit of making everything about herself and belittling the son's girlfriend every chance she gets, and demanding the front seat in a degrading tone may have been the final straw for the girlfriend.
This theory is also supported by the boyfriend stepping in and agreeing with his mother, which suggests a possible pattern that the girlfriend has been facing of not only belittling and toxic interactions with her boyfriend's mom, but also her boyfriend enabling his mother and dismissing the girlfriend's concerns.
But, it's also possible that the girlfriend is selfish, wants to be in the front seat, and wasn't raised or doesn't care to respect her elders by giving up the passenger seat for them.
Nonetheless, fellow Instagrammers came to a consensus that the boyfriend's mother was rude in her approach, while the girlfriend should have known better and offered the front seat to her in the first place.
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
Others sensed the red flags in the short interaction, though, and hoped the girlfriend took this as a sign to move on.
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
@djyoyo/Instagram
At the very end of the video, the boyfriend, his son, and his mother leave without looking back at the girlfriend. The girlfriend sits in her car for a few moments before backing out of the driveway and leaving.
It remains unclear if she changed her mind and followed them to their destination, or if she left and went home.
Respect goes a long way, and a lack of it can go a long way to ruining relationships.
