A woman has shared footage of her in-laws' reaction to seeing her after she gave birth to their first grandson and it's catching many viewers off guard.
It's not uncommon for couples to clash with their in-laws. In an interview with Fatherly, couples therapist Dr. Suzanne Burger estimated that, in her experience, around "one third of couples" have had moderate or severe conflict with their in-laws. Burger suggested that this conflict tends to get "compounded when people become parents."
The idea is that the arrival of a grandchildren brings with it additional criticism or unsolicited advice on how to parent. Not every relationship with in-laws is like this though, as the video Abby Kulma posted to TikTok shows.
It captures the moment Kulma's in-laws come face-to-face with their first grandchild after a difficult birth. "I was in labor for three days at the hospital, ended up with an infection and had to have a C-section," she told Newsweek. "Our family was very worried about me and the baby."
The mix of joy and relief is palpable on the clip, but it's clear her in-laws' focus is not solely on their grandchild. While their delight at welcoming him into the world is obvious, both make a point of focusing their attention on Kulma.
It culminates in a sweet moment that sees her father-in-law come close to give Kulma a kiss on the head. "This was the first grandbaby of the family so when my in-laws got to the hospital for the first time they were so excited and relieved that we were all okay," Bartels said. "In the video you can see my father-in-law overwhelmed with love and he definitely showed it."
It was an interaction she also felt compelled to share to TikTok, posting under the handle abby_koolma and alongside a caption explaining how she "can't join the girlies complaining about their in-laws because these were mine right after I gave birth to their grandson."
"I've seen a lot of people post and share their horror stories about their own in-laws and when I saw the video my husband took, I decided I wanted to share because I knew how lucky I was to have them there," Kulma said.
The footage of their sweet interaction seemed to take many viewers by surprise. "That made me cry...very, very sweet," one viewer on TikTok said. "So excited and instantly in love ànd yet showed YOU love and attention and most importantly respect."
"How it's supposed to be. Pray every woman experiences this," another said. "The kiss on the hand, how freaking sweet. He just had to get his love out."
Others, meanwhile, shared stories of similarly close relationships with their in-laws. One said: "I relate this to so much. My in-laws drove out of their way everyday to come see my son in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit]. My [father-in-law] would get there every morning to do the 6 am feeding so I could sleep. The best."
Kulma said her in-laws have always been warm and welcoming and treat her "as their own daughter" and she's always been keen to maintain a good, close relationship with them. "Family is important to us, and we try to be civil with everyone. It definitely makes life and our relationship easier when everyone is getting along."
Update 03/25/25, 11:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include Abby Kulma's last name.
