When you tie the knot with the love of your life, you aren’t just marrying one person; you are basically marrying into their entire family and vice versa. If you’re lucky, this means you will have extended family to enjoy the holidays with and bond with.
On the other hand, if you aren’t so lucky in the in-law department, you might find yourself at the mercy of a ruthless monster-in-law rather than a sweet mother-in-law. Well, these people certainly did, and they’re sharing their personal experiences with terrible mother-in-laws. 35 toxic mother-in-law stories coming right up!
#1 Telling you that you’re fat without TELLING you that you’re fat
On the way out the door to go to the rehearsal dinner for my wedding, my MIL patted my stomach and asked if there was “something I wanted to let everyone know” about why we were getting married, implying I looked pregnant. – lilys10
#2 Pics or it didn’t happen
So background: My MIL and I have always had some issues. She’s divorced, single, lives alone, and recently moved across the state to be closer to my husband and our 8-month-old daughter. Now onto the story.
Yesterday we went out to lunch with my MIL, my husband, and my daughter. Lunch was fine, food was great, we talked and got along just fine. I even hugged her goodbye. I thought all was well.
Then I get home and see she posted on social media a picture of her, my husband, and my daughter, with a message about what a nice lunch she had with just the 2 of them. I went to the bathroom during lunch, where she quickly took the picture of the three of them. (I totally understand wanting some pictures without me and would’ve taken the picture had she asked.) I didn’t even know about the picture until I saw it on social media. And it honestly kind of upset me that she went out of her way to make it look like I wasn’t there. I didn’t mind the picture, just the sneakiness of taking it while I was in the bathroom and then not tagging me in the post about lunch like I wasn’t there.
So here’s where I get back at her. When I saw the post I requested to tag myself in her “check in” to the restaurant we were at and commented: “Lunch was great! I’m so glad the 4 of us could get together!”
Admittedly it was pretty passive-aggressively addressing that she intentionally excluded me, but I think to anyone else it just looks like I enjoyed lunch with my family. She got so upset that I “attacked” her on social media that she deleted her whole profile.-acarden99
#3 Double dished
I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner and spent about seven to eight hours cooking. My MIL showed up with duplicate dishes of just about everything I made (we told her to only bring two dishes, tops). When I commented that we had a lot more food than I was expecting, she said “Well, we don’t really need to put yours out, do we? Just put yours in the freezer.” – Facebook, Melissa Linton Ferrell
#4 Earrings are for girls…and boys
Recently my 10-year-old son expressed a desire for an earring. He had been mentioning it since he was 6 but this year he started asking for it more persistently. So I thought he’s not going to let this go, so it’s better if I take him to a piercer and do it sterilely and safely. He only wanted one ear pierced, it looks good, he’s content and to my husband and me, that’s the most important thing. And that tiny piece of jewelry made MIL go ape.
Yesterday he went to visit her alone and when she noticed the earring, she started yelling and scolding him for it. First MIL thought he did it himself because there’s no way a parent would allow their son to do it and she didn’t believe that I took him to the place. She was like ”What will your mom say about this?”
He said, ”Nothing, she took me to the piercer.”
And MIL was like, ”You’re lying! Don’t lie to your grandmother!”
She tried to shame him about having the earring.
She was like, ”But you’re a boy. Everyone in the school will laugh at you because you look like a girl now. You’re not a girl, are you? So you shouldn’t be wearing girls’ accessories!”
Then MIL demanded that he took it out. He refused and she was like, ”Okay then, I’m going after my belt. Looks like you haven’t been spanked for a while!”
MIL chased him through the entire house but he’s too quick for her to catch. He ran out of the house, took his bike and cycled straight home. He told us everything, and said that he doesn’t want to visit grandmother any more because she’s acting like this.
I called MIL. She was still looking for him and asked me where he’s at. I said that he’s home already and won’t be coming back anytime soon, because she’s making a fuss out of nonsense. Also she has no right to hit him.
She responded that letting him have an earring is “turning him into a criminal and a girly boy.” Um, okay? I honestly couldn’t even follow her trail of thoughts. How can an earring make you a criminal? How can it make you look like a girl? –OrangeMintsb
#5 File a restraining order against your MIL now
My MIL keeps in regular contact with several of my husband’s exes through Facebook and will call them with updates, despite him telling her to stop. She even tried to reunite my husband with one particular ex who had cheated on him.-awwshucks
#6 Funny bunny situation
One weekend my daughter stayed at my mother-in-law’s for an overnight. She bought my daughter a rabbit without our permission or even telling us.
We show up to pick up our kid, and there is a giant rabbit cage with a fluffy white bunny, munching on some hay. She even bought the rabbit bedding and food, to make it so we couldn’t turn it away because “we didn’t have supplies.”
We already have two dogs and very little room for a rabbit cage. But, my kid was ecstatic.
My husband is allergic. My mother-in-law knows this. She’s a jerk. –Sparkle__m0tion
#7 We can keep our own birth certificates, MIL. Thank you very much.
On Saturday my husband and I went to visit mother-in-law’s house for sister-in-law’s 50th birthday. While there, we get on the topic of birth times. I ask MIL what time my husband was born. She said she would check the birth certificate. She leaves and comes back with a small lock safe. She pulls out her birth certificate, BIL’s, and SIL’s. Mind you, SIL is BIL’s wife, not their sister. MIL asks my husband where his birth certificate is. He says I have it.
She asks me why I have it and I answer, “Because it’s with all of our important family documents.” MIL: “But it should be here, with the other family documents.”
Me: “Well, having it at our house means [husband] doesn’t have to drive three hours here and back to get it, in case he needs it.”
MIL: “Why would he need it?”
Me: “Because it’s his birth certificate?”
MIL: “No, it needs to be here with the important family documents. So does yours, Christine.”
Me: “Oh, that’s okay. I’d rather have it with me in case I need it… To get a passport or my social security card.”
MIL: “Well, I guess you can bring it after you get those things.”
So SIL changed the topic and things went on without incident for the rest of our visit. But today, my husband got a text from his mom asking when we were going on our trip. When he said we weren’t going on a trip, she asked him why I needed a passport then. My husband said I had used that just as an example.
So then she texted me and said, “Christine [husband] said you didn’t need your birth certificate right now. Please bring it with you when you come next. And bring [husband’s]. Thank you.”
So I responded: “I thought a lot about what you said Saturday and I think you’re right. So I’m actually taking my birth certificate and DH’s to my mom’s to be kept in her important family files.”
No response from MIL and our birth certificates are going to be staying right here at our house.-WTF_Christine
#8 Congrats on your fake heart attack, you attention-seeking MIL
Oh, where to start? She sent a card saying she couldn’t come to our wedding, then showed up two hours early.
She accepted our invitation for dinner at our new house. I stayed up all night prepping and cooking. Got home from work, and find her leaving — just pulled out of the driveway as I pulled in.
After the birth of my first child, I had complications and was very weak. My husband was concerned for me, naturally so. Angry at the lack of attention directed at her, she pipes in with, “Well I had a heart attack yesterday.”- tollmansweet
#9 MIL-induced domestic stress
It’s more of an ongoing living nightmare than a story. She moved in with us to downsize and because it made good financial sense, but then blew her nest egg on HSN and cruises.
She rearranges all the dishes in the cupboard, dishwasher and all the food in the cabinets and pantry. She answers the house phone and refuses to pass it off. She downloads viruses on the computer.
She burns food all the time, stinking up the house and constantly setting off the smoke alarm.
She clips her toenails in the living room.
She parks her car in the driveway blocking the garage, so I have to ask her to move every morning. It goes on and on. | totallymadeupstory
#10 Hell called; they want your demonic mother-in-law back
I am a 40-year-old mum 3 boys. An 8-year-old and 4-year-old twins. A couple of weeks ago I found out that my husband had been having an affair. I only found out because he gave me a disease. This is relevant information.
So in the last 2 weeks I have seen my husband precisely once when he asked me how he could be sure that I hadn’t given the infection to him. I told him to get out and he did. He has left me and our sons with absolutely nothing. This week has been hard!
I went to a food bank and think I have enough for my sons until my benefits are paid next Tuesday. I hope to goodness I have enough gas to heat the house until then too. The only people I have to turn to are my sister (that was a train wreck) and my MIL. She has been on the phone everyday since I told him to leave. I am assuming he’s staying with her but I haven’t asked. At first I thought she was trying to be supportive, but I was wrong. She has been making noises about me taking him back, which I have been deflecting, but she outdid herself last night. She told me that I was being selfish because men have different needs than women and that I should just forget about it and let him come home. After all, it wasn’t like he was going out drinking every night!
I lost my mind. I asked her on what planet having a drink was worse than cheating and giving your wife a disease? I also asked her what sort of man ran away when confronted and didn’t even bother checking in on his kids or making sure they had enough food or heat.
She told me I had to be a better wife. I told her to die in a fire.
I hope to God that I am raising my sons better than she raised hers and that I never become the sort of woman who makes excuses and blames others for her son’s failings. –lifeofdrudgery
#11 The witch got *burned*
One of my good friends is getting married on Saturday. Her rehearsal was last night, as the venue is booked for a separate ceremony tonight. So we’re all at the venue, getting ready to rehearse, and the best man calls the groom; he’s having car trouble. They still have like 30 minutes until the rehearsal starts, so groom goes to go pick him up. While he’s gone, his parents arrived.
Now, I had heard some stuff about what a witch this woman was. But I generally kept my nose out. I am trying to live my best life, and avoid negativity.
Bride, trying to be nice, walks over to her MIL, and says, all smiles, “Hi [first name]! Thanks so much for coming.”
The Groom’s mother says, “I would prefer you call me ‘Mrs. [last name].’” The bride calmly says, “And I’d prefer you weren’t about to be my mother-in-law, but it looks like neither of us are getting what we want today.”
The MIL wailed about it to anyone who would listen until groom returned. When he got back, she latched onto him, whining about how rude the bride had been.
Groom carefully pried her fingers off, and said, “Mom, I’ve told you before: she won’t start fights but she has my blessing to finish them.” –-_-quiet-_-
#12 Even a toddler could tell the difference, MIL
I gave birth to twins a month ago. They are not identical, but look very similar. As of right now I’m the only one that can really tell them apart, because I spend 24/7 with them. MIL is visiting for the first time since their birth. She’s been here for almost a week. I’m tolerating her. Today I was putting the twins in their swings when MIL leans over and starts to examine them like they’re Area 51 aliens.
She points to Twin B and says “this is Twin A.”
I say “no, that’s Twin B.” “Impossible, that’s Twin A. She’s got (insert random trait Twin B has that Twin A doesn’t).”
“You’re thinking of Twin B, which is who you’re looking at.”
“You’re wrong, Twin B has (insert trait neither of the twins have because this woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about).”
“I think I know my children, MIL.”
“I’m telling you, this is Twin A.”
Ok, MIL. If you say so. Then my toddler comes over and points to Twin A and says their name. I tell her she’s right. MIL rolls her eyes.
This is going to be a fun debate for the next few decades. –HollowNightCrown
#13 Oh, snap!
I am a photography junkie, so over the course of six months, I took professional quality pictures of her sons and grandsons. I also took one of me, holding my son. I had them printed, then framed and matted. This was part of her Christmas gift two years ago.
She pulled them out of the box, and was just like, “Oh. OK” Later on, when we were cleaning up the boxes and paper, I found the one picture with me in it stuffed into a trash bag with other refuse from the evening.
Needless to say, those are the last pictures she is ever getting from me. –HollowNightCrown
#14 Liars lose
My MIL is a master manipulator and liar. She would say horrible things to me whenever we’d be alone, and when I’d later call her out for those things she’d manage to twist my words or straight up lie to the point that nobody would ever believe me. For years it was maddening to the point that I only really spend time around her because its the only way to spend time with my wife’s siblings whom I adore.
Well this weekend my wife, MIL, FIL, and some of her siblings and other relatives were over there and BIL brought over the game Secret Hitler. For those who don’t know, its a social deception type game where players are on two separate teams Liberals and Fascists. One of the fascists is Hitler. This information is hidden except that the fascists know each other. So its basically a game of liberals trying to figure out who the fascists are while the fascists secretly try and cause chaos and get Hitler into power. Well, in this particular game we were taking our turns and arguing about who was who and MIL immediately started to turn the table against me. I was a liberal this game so it was obvious from the way she was playing that she was a fascist trying to take me down.
Eventually, a few rounds later, MIL made an uncharacteristic mistake during one of her lies to the table and flubbed a minor detail. I jumped on it and was able to then prove to the entire table that she was a fascist. The table agreed and I was able to use the “assassinate” mechanic in the game to eliminate a player. So in my moment of triumph I stood up, made a finger gun motion at MIL and said, “You are literally Hitler” and “eliminated” her. In the game, if Hitler dies, the liberals win. Well MIL was Hitler, so we won.
MIL stood up, threw her cards on the table, and stormed off up to her room where she spent the rest of the night sulking because she got proven a liar in front of her family.
So very, very satisfying. –EnvironmentalRange4
#15 You snooze, you lose
One Thanksgiving, husband, son, mother-in-law and I started playing Monopoly. In the middle of it, mother-in-law says she needs to do something. She doesn’t say what, but she just gets up and leaves the dining room. We figure she’s gone to the bathroom, so my son continues playing for her.
Little did we know, she went and took a nap! So we are playing for a few more hours, and then mother-in-law returns. She’s all, “What are you all doing?!”
Well, the fact that we continued to play for her while she disappeared for a couple hours peeved her off so much that she violently shook the board — sending all the cards, money and pieces flying all over the dining room.
I think we were all speechless. -Anonymous
#16 Credit card bandit
My sister-in-law got married in September. Everything probably cost around $15,000-$20,000. We knew that my SIL and new husband probably got a substantial amount of help paying for the wedding. This was after my MIL told us they wouldn’t be paying a thing for our wedding (3 years ago). My SIL husband did tell my husband a couple of days later that my MIL paid for almost all of the wedding.
When my husband told me that I was kind of floored but thought oh well, that’s life. But then, yesterday, my husband gets a letter in the mail from a collection company. It seems like it can’t be right because they say he owed about $8,000 on a credit card he’s never seen before. He called their number and the company said they would cut him a deal and he’d only have to pay $5,000. He thought it was a scam so he hung up.
He then called the actual credit card company and found out the card was real and it was in his name but it hadn’t been paid for several months. The address listed on the account was his parents’ house 400 miles away and he hadn’t lived there for at least 6 years.
He called his mother yesterday and she denied knowing anything about it. When he said he would just have to report it as theft to the police, his mother’s demeanor changed completely, telling him he shouldn’t go to the police and should just take deal to pay off $5,000. She said something about “there’s a good chance I was the one who opened the account and probably had a secret shopping habit.” He told her insisted he was calling the police. At that point, she finally confessed to taking the credit card out in his name back in January “but only to pay for the wedding.” You see, she wanted her daughter to have her dream wedding but knew they couldn’t afford it.
My MIL couldn’t afford it all either, so they took a credit card out in my husband’s name so that they could make the dream wedding happen. She then told my husband to just pay the bill so that my BIL wouldn’t be mad about it and to not call the police.
My husband hung up without saying a word and told all of this to me. Then he called the cops. –justnowhyme
#17 Baby MIL
My mother-in-law baby-talks constantly. Using “sowwies” and pouting is not how you’re going to make your son and I believe that you feel remorse. You’re 50, not five! She’s great 99% of the time, but good heavens that woman infantilizes herself to the extreme.
I love the woman, and her behavior has a good explanation behind it, but it’s so, so annoying. -Anonymous
#18 Laundry is a personal thing
It’s a petty thing, but it drives me crazy still. Any time she visits, she insists on doing the laundry. Laundry is personal to me, even if it’s dirty socks, jeans or sweats. Let alone my underwear or husband’s boxers. But when I had to do laundry when she was here I would give her a basket of black/blue/white socks for her to match up. Wow. it was like giving a kid a tub of Legos. She loved it. But she got no more of our clothes. I just could not handle her touching my personal items. –fastandfuriousmom
#19 White glove syndrome
My mother in law has a classic case of white glove syndrome. She is constantly saying how dirty her house is, even though she’d spend hours scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush if she could. How do you even reply after the fifth time? It’s like, just stop complaining already! Sometimes she will talk incessantly about this thing that she needs to do (dishes, yard work, whatever) which really means, “I desperately want you and your husband to do this for me RIGHT NOW.”
My husband has stopped obeying her whims and now he uses it as an excuse to leave. “Well, I better leave so you can get going on that thing.” Hah. –magicalunbeefs
#20 Whose house is this?
My husband and I went on holiday. We left his parents our key so they could feed the fish and water plants We got back after a long flight and drive home at two in the morning. When we opened the front door, my jaw dropped. Our living room had been totally rearranged, Then I walked through to the kitchen/dinning room. There was a new, hideous dining room table. Then I went to our bedroom. It too had been rearranged! I was livid. So here we were, at 2 a.m., rearranging our whole house back to normal.That was not the worst part. I cannot stress enough when I say that we went on to find that EVERY SINGLE shelf, cupboard and drawer in the house had been gone through and reorganized. It took days for me to put everything back. –mrsmarik
#21 Imaginary racism
My hilarious daughter (5 years old) has an imaginary boyfriend. She talks to him on her pretend phone. She asked me to make the two of them popcorn. Young love, I guess. At the in-laws yesterday, she is gushing about her boyfriend saying he is “berry nice”.
I asked her what her boyfriend looks like, and she replied, “Well…he’s black. And he has short green hair.”
My MIL looked like someone slapped her across the face. She said, “What do you mean he’s black?!”
And my daughter added, “Wif short green hair!” MIL flipped her lid over the race of my daughter’s imaginary boyfriend. For real. I have been laughing about it since. I hope her imaginary boyfriend is also an atheist and/or liberal, because MIL’s head would explode. Update: his name is Moa, and he likes his pound cake fried in a pan with butter, and topped with whipped cream. Interestingly enough, how she likes it. Soulmates. –jnmiltaway
#22 Obnoxious MIL nearly kills granddaughter due to disbelief in food allergies
My three-year-old daughter has several severe food allergies. Peanuts and eggs are the worst. She also can’t have dairy or bananas. MIL is super obsessed with my daughter. This is our only child and MIL’s only grandchild so I try to be understanding. I’ve encouraged a relationship between them. I’ve never actually left them alone though. I can’t explain exactly but it just didn’t feel right.
She’s offered to babysit but let it go when we declined. MIL has always doubted my daughters allergies. She’s insisted that her princess of a granddaughter could never have something wrong with her. However, she’s never “tested” to see if it’s true… until today. MIL was over playing dress-up with my daughter. I had a horrible headache so I asked her to watch my daughter so I could lie down for an hour. She agreed.
20 minutes later I’m woken up to MIL shrieking that there’s something wrong with the baby. I go running to daughter’s room and she’s gasping for breath and her lips are turning blue. I scream at MIL to call 911 and use an Epipen on my daughter.
My daughter was able to take a deep breath and I noticed she smelled like banana. The paramedics show up (we live about a mile from a fire station), start an IV, and give daughter meds so she can breathe. I tell one of the paramedics that MIL fed my daughter something. He found part of a cookie on the floor. He confronts MIL who confesses she gave my daughter a peanut butter banana cookie but she didn’t know it would hurt her.
I text my husband and ride to the hospital with daughter. They admitted her for observation and he met us there. MIL called him wailing about how she was just trying to show us nothing is wrong with our daughter. We’re just too paranoid and have such odd ideas about her health.
She admitted to my husband that she’s been making allergen-laced cookies for more than a year. She bakes a huge batch and freezes them. She puts one in her purse every time she sees daughter just in case she gets a chance to slip it to her. I can’t even wrap my head around.
Daughter is asking when MIL is going to come see her. She wants to show gramma her pretty bracelet (hospital band with stickers on it).
I’m so devastated right now. I never suspected MIL would do something like this. But don’t worry: we’re filing a police report. –BrokenCupcakes
#23 Give this wonderful man an award
MIL is here this week to look at retirement communities near us. She came in yesterday afternoon, and we met her at the airport. First question out of her mouth, when greeted by her son, daughter-in-law and only grandchild? “Why didn’t you get a sitter?”
We tell her there was no need, we thought she’d like to see Daughter (and Daughter has never not been with one of her parents or close family friends, so why would we get a sitter?). MIL responds that we’re “spoiling that girl”, and something about “this is how she’ll turn out like (Me).”
I blink. “I hope so. I am her mother.” MIL makes a noise, and finally looks at me. She knew I was pregnant. We told her. But I don’t think she really absorbed this until she saw me. I am a small woman. I just am. And Husband is a big guy who makes big babies. So, it is obvious. MIL has to have another jab.
“Well, she won’t be spoiled when you have that one. Don’t you people believe in birth control?”
I have no words. I look over at Husband. This is the sort of situation we’ve discussed. In detail. But he is already handling it. He has paper out, and is writing down an address. It’s her hotel.
He hands it to her, and puts down her bag. She looks at him like she is crazy. Asks what he’s doing. “That’s the hotel address. For the cab.”
She says she thought we were taking her (we were going to get a cab with her, do the dinner obligation, and then I was going to avoid her as much as possible for the week- which with how she is and the plans, would be easy).
Husband answers “You made it clear you wouldn’t want to be with (Me) or your granddaughter. You will not be rude to or about my wife. You will not be rude to or about my children.”
She stares at him, mouth open. He goes on “I am going home with my family. There is a nice restaurant at (across streets) near the hotel. Get some dinner. We will see you tomorrow to look at the places. Have a good night.”
She has no time to reply. He puts his arm around me, and sort of guides me and the stroller out. I love this man. –SchtarkT
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#24 Good intentions
My mother-in-law is nice and well meaning but kind of crazy and unstable. She has 15 feral cats that live in her house, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
When we were planning the wedding, she was obsessed with having her pantyhose match the table cloths at the rehearsal. It got so bad, I just handed it off to my wedding planner.
She keeps giving me and my husband matching underwear. Like Superman boxers and then Superman bikinis for me. I have told her to please not give me underwear anymore but she just keeps doing it. I just think it’s really weird she insists on giving me underpants multiple times a year against my wishes.-companionquandaries
#25 Thanksgiving at MIL’s house
My husband and I agreed to go over to his parents’ house early to help cook for tonight. By that I mean, me and MIL are washing and drying produce, cutting everything up, and basically doing all the prep so that when we actually do the cooking later it is streamlined.
Apparently, I cut the potatoes wrong and she told me to get out of her [bleeping] house if I don’t know how to help. My husband is leaving with me.
I had already bought a bunch of stuff on sale because she never lets us take leftovers so we are going home and I’ll just make a full Thanksgiving on my own and have leftovers for weeeeeeks.
Screw her. –JustNoThrowaway23
#26 Financial “insecurity”
My mother-in-law asked my wife how much my mother makes. This not being a usual topic of conversation, my wife made up an arbitrary number of $100,000 and told this to my mother-in-law.
Well, about a month later, my mother-in-law came back to my wife and said, “There is no way that your mother-in-law can make that much money.” Apparently she called my mother’s place of employment, asked if anyone made more than $100,000. She claims that she was told by my mom’s work that no one makes that much money. She finished by saying that she was glad that my mother didn’t make that much, because she claimed she “wanted to be the rich grandma” and it was her job to spoil the kids. That gets kind of hard when she has no money, and doesn’t even work! This woman be crazy. –skimice11
#27 It’s a healthy baby girl!
Ever since I became pregnant, my mother-in-law has gone off the rails even further. Over the holiday, after behaving horribly to everyone and blaming my “female pregnancy hormones” when I gently stood up to her, MIL’s newest obsession is making sure we do NOT find out the sex of our unborn baby. Because if we do, we’ll “ruin everything” as “the first child especially absolutely HAS to be a surprise”. Even so, it’s “definitely a boy” because “this family’s genes make boys” (except for, you know, my husband’s sister, and my two nieces…).
But basically, she’s been berating us every time we speak to her to make sure we don’t find out the sex of our baby before it is born. She also told all the extended family and all of her friends that I was pregnant between 8-10 weeks despite me quite literally begging her to keep it only between immediate family.
Yesterday, she randomly sent me a list of the top 10 baby names from the local newspaper to make sure we don’t consider any of them.
Spoiler alert: science says we CAN find out the baby’s sex and despite DH’s supposed “boy genes”, we’re having a healthy little girl! Guess who doesn’t get to know this information?! –Theemeraldcloset
#28 There is nothing wrong with vegetarians
Am I overreacting by not wanting to allow my MIL to feed my children anymore after this? My 9-year-old daughter became a vegetarian about 8 months ago and takes it surprisingly seriously, given her age.
For some bizarre reason, my MIL has a serious bug up her butt about it and hates that my husband and I allow it. On Friday night, we had dinner with my husband’s parents and she served spaghetti. It was a meat sauce for the rest of us, but when she gave my daughter her bowl, she said “and a special veggie sauce just for you” all sweetly. Halfway through her bowl, daughter started to panic and asked MIL if she was sure there was no meat in the sauce. MIL insisted there was none. I took her plate to inspect and sure enough, there was beef in her sauce. My daughter immediately began to cry. I took her into the living room to calm her down while my husband confronted his mom.
She at first insisted it was an accident, but after he established he didn’t buy that for a second, she admitted it was intentional. She said she thought by reminding her how delicious meat was, she would “give up that vegetarian nonsense. People are going to think there’s something WRONG with her.” At that point I insisted we leave. I was starting to seriously consider throwing the spaghetti in the witch’s face, but knew it would traumatize the kids. In the car, we obviously explained to daughter that there was nothing wrong with her and grandma was 100% incorrect. She seemed to have already come to that conclusion on her own, though. –Reddit
#29 Mother-in-law strikes again, and again, and again…
- Said she gave birth to my son.
- Has called me fat multiple times. I weigh 110 pounds and I am 5’5″.
- Interrupts me when I’m talking about politics because she seems to think that’s “not appropriate talk for women.”
- Said it’s too bad my husband didn’t marry my best friend instead.
- Said no one thought my husband and I would make it.
- Threw holy water in my son’s face after she found out we weren’t having him baptized.-silly87
#30 MIL just got slapped out of their lives
So about a year ago, my wife and I found out that she was pregnant with twins. We were very excited and so were all our parents. The pregnancy wasn’t easy; my wife went through such severe morning sickness that we weren’t sure she’d be able to continue the pregnancy. She’s a trooper though and got through it. After 20 hours of labor and an emergency C section, she gave birth to a healthy boy and girl.
Until this point, my mom had been entirely supportive of the pregnancy and excited for the birth of her second and third grandchildren. However, her demeanor changed entirely when she saw our babies. For context, I am a light skinned black man and my wife is a very fair white woman. When our babies were born, they didn’t look black (they were just… pink? like most newborns?).
My mom decided that these couldn’t be my children and my wife must have cheated. She walked up to my wife, who was feeding our daughter, and slapped her right across the face in front of me, my in-laws, my dad, and a nurse. Everything descended into chaos.
Security came and cleared the room until CPS and the police could do an investigation. That meant my wife, who had gone through a terrible pregnancy and birth, had to be left alone just hours later without me or her parents until an investigation could be conducted. It was horrendously traumatic for her and still affects her to this day. Since then, my mother hasn’t been allowed around to see my kids, but she calls routinely and leaves messages that switch between apologizing and screaming obscenities.
My in-laws have been over a lot to help with the babies and have told my mom to screw off a fair number of times. My wife never wants to see her again and I don’t really want to either. –AppropriateRadish9
#31 The wedding crasher
She made our wedding a completely stressful, sad and disappointing day. She told the wedding coordinator that we had scrapped several key elements to the ceremony, so they didn’t happen. She stuck her tongue out, put bunny ears on my wife and generally didn’t cooperate for any of the wedding photos.
She talked throughout all the speeches. She was rude to guests who tried to introduce themselves to her.
This all culminated in us having a screaming match the morning after my wedding. My wife didn’t speak to her family for about a year after and barely has a relationship with them now, especially her mom.
Too bad for her, because we’re pretty awesome to hang out with.-infinitemedal
#32 The only thing worse than a terrible MIL is a terrible step-MIL
My husband and I have this board hanging on our wall. It’s a list of all the things we want and need, how much it will cost, how much we saved for it, and when we should be able to have it. It has things like new fridge, dishwasher, nice knife set. My father and his wife come to visit on a semi-regular basis. Stepmom always makes sure to look at my board, comment on it, and express her sadness that we are unable to afford the stuff. Within a week or so she will buy one of the exact things on my board — for herself. Her buying these things isn’t really what bugs me, what bugs me is her rubbing it in my face. It’s super annoying and childish.
Anyway. I was walking through a local store’s Christmas section right after Thanksgiving. I was looking for board ideas and happened upon a giant, ugly, super pricey outdoor Christmas decorations set. Which gave me an idea. It was definitely not stepmom’s style. But hey, why not try?
When I got home I put the set on the high priority section of my board. I was hoping this trap would be tempting enough for stepmom. A couple days after that my father and stepmom visit. She looks at my board and asks about the set. I gush over it, describing it as the way to make my Christmas dreams come true. I really lay it on thick.
On Monday, we go to visit my dad at stepmom’s request. Sure enough, she bought and put up the entire set. It’s ugly and over-the-top. I hate it. It’s hilarious. Immediately she dives into to describing why she just “fell in love with it” and how she “had to have it”. She concludes her gloat fest with telling me that I really do have great taste.
“Oh, I don’t actually like the set. I just put it on the board and said I liked it to mess with [husband]. He hates the over-the-top stuff like this crap. Glad you love it though.”
If her smile had fallen any harder it would have slid right off her face. The rest of the visit she was quiet. Conveniently, she got a headache and went to bed early.
She now refuses to talk to me, none of her usual texts or calls. Best Christmas ever. –uglybelladonna
#33 MIL’s mad imagination
I’m bi, but I’m in love with my male fiance. My MIL, having known about the bi thing since before we got together, is convinced I’ll cheat on him with a woman, despite us being together for 3 years and me not so much as looking at another person in this time.
About a month ago I met his cousin, a straight woman with a boyfriend, and you know when you meet someone and you immediately know you’ll be friends? It was like that. We’ve seen each other twice since the initial meeting, one with fiance there and then the other day when we went shopping and got coffee without him. She took a picture of the two of us siting on opposite sides of a table at Starbucks, posted it on the book of faces, and tagged me.
Tonight my fiance then shows me a message from his mother. “Honey, I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you this but you have a right to know. [My name] has been unfaithful, and has betrayed you in the worst of ways. If you need me I’m here.” Then she sent the photo of me and the cousin. She tried to tell my fiance that I am cheating on him with his straight, committed, female cousin.
He replied with 3 cry laughing emojis and a reminder that the woman was his cousin. Instead of bowing out graciously with what little was left of her dignity, she then doubled down, saying, “I didn’t want to have to do this but here” and then sent him a photo of me with an older blonde woman who she has never met. This woman was… drum roll please… my half-sister.
My fiance thinks this is the funniest thing in the world and I have to agree. Not the first time she’s done something like this but definitely the funniest.
Fiance says jury’s out on whether he’s inviting her to the wedding or not because like I said this isn’t the first time she’s done something like this.-infinitemedal
#34 Common knowledge: Don’t touch other people without permission
I’m pregnant and at Starbucks (I get a small coffee twice a week) and this woman behind me taps me on the shoulder. Now, understand I’m originally from the South so I can be a little too friendly.
So I turn and am immediately greeted with “OH MY GOD HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU?” very loudly. This woman is probably in her 50s.
Me: Um… Right about 30 weeks…
Weird Lady (WL) : You’re SO BIG hahahaha are you sure it’s not twins? My daughter-in-law is pregnant too hahahaha so funny! She’s a lot bigger than you are hahahaha but she eats badly so I think she’s fat too hahahaha! I bet if I lived closer to them I could make her eat better. I JUST LOVED BEING PREGNANT ISN’T IT THE BEST?
Me, now strained smiling: Ha ha. Yeah, pregnancy is fun. Ha.
WL reaches out and touches my belly, so I instinctively smack her hand. This is my second pregnancy. I learned the first time that people touch you and I can’t stand it.
WL: THAT WAS RUDE.
Me: Don’t touch me please. I don’t know you. WL calls supervisor over and complains that I hit her. Supervisor: I saw. You touched her without permission. She smacked your hand.
WL: MAKE HER LEAVE.
I’m just standing there starting to feel sick because anxiety is kicking in high. I know my eyes are starting to water, I’m getting hot so I know I’m blushing. Long story short, the supervisor makes her leave and I get coffee and a free cake pop because I think they could tell I was close to crying. But Jesus. Don’t. Touch. People. That poor woman’s daughter-in-law. –infinitemedal
#35 Not your baby, not your call
So last night my husband was talking to his mom and mentioned our soon-to-be-born baby because he was so excited about an ultrasound pic I showed him. In the pic the baby is clearly flipping the bird. He tells her about this and her comment is around the lines of “she’s gonna be a trouble maker like you already.”
Now we don’t know the gender yet. But she’s insisting I’m having a girl. It’s a squish with limbs but she’s dead set on girl. Whatever. So he gets into talking about how when baby’s older he wants it to learn cars, because that’s what he does.
Guys. My MIL lost her mind.
“I’M not having MY granddaughter be a little butch! She will wear pink and bows and dresses! None of that greasy mechanic work. She’s gonna be GIRLY!” Uh no. NO.
That’s where I stepped in and said, “Okay, point one: it’s my kid, and my mom didn’t raise me ‘girly’, so I’m not forcing that on my kid if it’s a girl. And two: my grandfather raised my mom to know how to take care of her car so she didn’t need anyone else to do it. That’s what we’re gonna do for our kid, girl or boy. Also, if it’s a girl I’m not raising some little pink prissy girly-girl.”
She apparently wasn’t hearing any of this because she goes: “Listen here miss preggo, MY grandbaby…”
My husband cut her off. Here’s where you are gonna love him. He says to her, “Ma. Shut up for a minute. Is it your kid?” MIL says, “No but..” “No. That’s right. It’s not. It’s our kid. We’re gonna raise our kid how we want to. Not how you want it.”
I love him. –CheshireSu