PHOTO WALL FEUD

The fight started over five photos.

In a home packed with "hundreds" of family pictures, a mother says her middle son demanded that every image containing his ex, Helena, come down because his new wife, Cheri, felt uncomfortable. The mother refused. Now Thanksgiving is on the line.

She says she has always been "a picture person," and that the wall-to-wall display began years ago while she was caring for her aunt with Alzheimer's. The photos stayed up and multiplied. She has three children and four grandchildren, and she likes seeing them all around her house.

Her middle son, Gavin, 27, has a 4-year-old son, Tommy, with Helena. The mother says Gavin and Helena are no longer together, but they are friendly and co-parent well. She still sees Helena often because Helena helps with Tommy. Last year, Gavin married Cheri, also 27, after only a few months together.

This summer, Gavin asked his mother to take down any photos that included Helena so Cheri would feel more comfortable. The mother says she had no pictures of Helena alone, only a few family shots and a few old pictures of Tommy that also included Gavin. She said no. The home was hers, she liked the photos, and she had already put up plenty that included Cheri. Removing a handful, she said, would be "stilly." Helena, she added, is "still a part of our family history."

A few weeks later, Gavin asked again. He got the same answer. The mother offered to explain things to Cheri herself, but Gavin let it go.

Then came yesterday's call. Gavin said it was "the last time he was going to ask": the pictures needed to come down or Cheri wouldn't come to their home anymore. The mother called that ridiculous. Gavin replied that the photos mattered because they made Cheri jealous and were affecting how she treated Tommy. According to the mother, Tommy mentioned a picture in her house and Cheri "threw a fit."

The issue has now spread through the family. Gavin raised it around the oldest daughter, who told the younger sister, and both daughters agreed Cheri was being ridiculous. The mother told Gavin that if his wife was treating Tommy badly because of "some pictures in my home," he needed to think hard about whether this was the right person. Gavin disagreed and has kept pressing the issue leading up to Thanksgiving.

Her husband has taken a mixed stance. On one hand, he said, "we do not negotiate with terrorists." On the other, he said the family should "pick our battles."

In edits to her post, the mother said that if there had been abuse, she would have already called CPS. She also said Cheri has decided she will stay sparse and not be involved with Tommy when he visits, a move the mother said is not acceptable.

By the end, the mother was done budging. She said she will not remove anything, and if Cheri keeps up her "toddler like temper tantrum," Cheri can stay home alone for Thanksgiving. She added that if Cheri wants to "grow up and realize that she married a man with a child," she can still come, but Gavin should expect a serious talk.

She later counted the photos herself: "max five pictures" with Helena in them. And with "hundreds" on the walls, she ended with a parting shot: "Maybe I'll put up more 🤭"