Whilst spending the weekend with my in laws (husband's parents and three of his siblings along with their partners), my brother in law and his wife announced that they are expecting a baby. It will be their first. Of course, everyone promptly doled out the congratulations and cracked open the champagne. So far, so simple.
But it was what happened next that I'm really still quite puzzled by. Later in the day everyone, with the exception of my mother in law, sister in law and myself, went out for a spot of sport whilst the children napped. I was quite happy to be left behind as I (secretly, ha!) don't enjoy the sport in question much and have a good relationship with my MIL and SIL. However, in the absence of the rest of the party both women began making joking but unquestionably catty comments about my BILs wife and their just announced child. The crux of their commentary was her social background and that of her family. Lots of mock concern for the faux pas she will undoubtedly (their words, not mine!) commit, etc. etc. Lighthearted on the whole but still...
There is, of course, more to it here as my husband's family is quite old and fairly smart whilst SILs family is vocally and proudly working class. However, I had always believed that like my own family, and like my husband, my MIL didn't set much store by these things. She has always been welcoming to SIL and hosted her family several times, although there have been the odd jokes/comments here and there (but no where like what was said on this occasion)
AIBU to be really appalled at their 'joking' and to wish that I had said something? When I mentioned it to my husband he agreed it wasn't great, but said to let it lay (and giggled to himself). When I pushed him a bit on it, he asserted that it was probably just her not dealing well with her youngest child becoming a parent coupled with the recent death of a family friend which seems to have marked the 'end of an era'. But it still just doesn't sit right with me.
What do you think? Should I have said something? Should I say something the next time it happens? Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill, perhaps out of a bit of fear that if they speak about one daughter in law this way, what's to stop them from doing it to me?