Dannielle Merrifield has had a tumultuous journey on Seeking Sister Wife, and her mom has expressed her unease with her daughter's plural marriage. Audiences watched as Dannielle's husband, Garrick Merrifield, placed Dannielle in uncomfortable scenarios while exploring the polygamist lifestyle. From Dannielle's apparent opposition to polyamory to understanding the jealousy her daughter has been forced to overcome, here's why Dannielle's mother dislikes the Seeking Sister Wife star's plural marriage.
Dannielle and Garrick made their reality television debut on Seeking Sister Wife season three. Almost immediately, fans found Garrick to be a hypocrite. The main reason why audiences were swiftly opposed to Garrick's personality is because of his shifty reasons for pursuing a plural marriage. Although Garrick has not identified as a member of any organized religion, he cited the Bible as his inspiration to lead a polygamist life. Garrick explained men had several wives in the Bible and God embraced them. Therefore, Garrick believed God wanted him to open his marriage with Dannielle, which had gone on for over a decade before they starred on the show, to transition from monogamist to polygamist. Dannielle was uncomfortable with this change at first but ultimately gave in to her husband's religious intuition.
Although Garrick's faith was strong enough to inspire him to drastically change his marriage, his dedication to the Bible did not prevent him from having pre-marital sex. Seeking Sister Wife fans cannot trust Garrick because his religious motivation is contradictory. Garrick and Dannielle traveled to Mexico to meet their romantic interest, Roberta. During this visit, Garrick and Roberta had an intimate relationship. Even Dannielle was surprised by how quickly her husband started having a physical relationship with Roberta. Dannielle got emotional because she hoped Garrick would have told her before anything momentous happened between him and Roberta. Although Dannielle agreed to Garrick's plural marriage proposition, audiences saw this as a betrayal of his decade-spanning marriage to Dannielle.
One of these disapproving audience members is Dannielle's mother. In the finale of Seeking Sister Wife season three, Dannielle talks about her polygamous marriage with her parents, who are not one of the families that have embraced plural marriage. Dannielle's mom shared she does not like the idea of her daughter having another wife in her marriage. While Dannielle's father thinks Roberta is a "sweet girl," her mother is concerned about Dannielle's emotional wellbeing. Dannielle's mom explained that if she were in her daughter's shoes, she would be jealous of Garrick's relationship with Roberta. Dannielle's mother commented, "It's hard to see my son-in-law with another woman." Much like Dannielle's initial reluctance to embark on a polygamist lifestyle, the Seeking Sister Wife's mother is not sure that Dannielle can receive the attention she needs in a plural marriage.
If Garrick thought convincing his wife to have a plural marriage was difficult, persuading his mother-in-law is might prove to be a task too mighty for the reality star. Because of the insecurity Dannielle has exhibited on the show, her mother does not believe Dannielle can be happy in a marriage with construction company owner Garrick Merrifield and Roberta. Whether or not the Seeking Sister Wife star's mom is right about the plural couple's fate is yet to be seen.