What’s a weird thing your In-Laws do?

[FirstFallopians]

I was thinking there about how my BIL maintains that all families are a little bit weird to someone else.

Thought he was being flippant but then I remembered that my in-laws keep their family toothbrushes and toothpaste in a drawer in their bathroom. If you need a bit of floss after Sunday lunch you need to stick your hand into a sticky, damp mass of plastic and bristles.

What slightly weird things do your in-laws do?

This is hilarious. Not mean, which is nice with an in law thread.

Mine is that they always buy ridiculous quantities of food, that often does not naturally go together. I chalk this up to a combination of them being originally Mediterranean - so super hospitable, big family meals etc - but also all being terrible cooks and quite stressed by any entertaining. So they do this sort of weird over compensating thing. But it does mean she'll have a roast that would feed 17 people, served with normal roast accompaniments - but bought pre-made, in bulk - as well as half a dozen salads, 4 tubs of different olives and a couple of curries (ready meal).... for lunch for 6 people!

The other side of this is it means they genuinely marvel every single time I entertain or provide food. MIL was completely floored last year that I could spontaneously stop by M&S on my way back from an activity with DD and successfully buy enough ready meals and platters for 8 of us to have a sort of buffet feast.

Not Dh as he doesn't see my parents enough as they live far away, but I know friends and partners in the past (of me and my siblings) found my dad's habit of setting an actual place for himself - even if he's just making a sandwich at lunch - mind-blowing.

Crickey I'm surprised that there was any veg left after 4 hours is a pressure cooker!

"Hello darling how are you? You do look tired. Did you have a busy week?’

Now this is a classic one. If anyone but a MIL said this it would be concerned and loving . MIL? Passive aggressive and rude.

Aww, what a lovely mil post ❤️

Surely the point is that these are habits that you find odd because they're different to your own family? But things your family do, you don't find odd?

I mean, I have a lot of siblings and over the years there have been a lot of partners and friends (our house was often the centre of things) so there are a lot of odd things my family do that I've come to realise are a bit odd, but many of them were not.

I remember being bemused why, when a friend asked her mum to buy some chocolate when she went shopping and her mum said "no", she didn't just add it to the shopping list. In our house, if you put it on the shopping list, Dad (who was in charge of shopping) will just buy it. It was only after that I realise that was NOT normal. Now we laugh about it and even my DC, when they're visiting, will say, "grandpa, can you please put ice cream on the list" or whatever. (they think it's brilliant. But as he's the kind of grandpa who would buy them 10 ice creams at the park if he could get away with it, I don't think they fully appreciate that this isn't as brilliant as they think it is!)

When I was a student nurse trying to arrange a follow up visit said no when I said dressing needs changing on Friday as they had to put the bins out. No amount of persuasion could get then to change their minds!

Have a perfectly nice sitting room, that nobody ever uses. Dp's Mum 'isn't allowed' in there. Once visiting, me and DP went to watch TV in there and after about 30 mins DP said 'Come on, let's go sit with my parents'. That's the one and only time I've been 'allowed' in there in years!

Mum and Dad just sit at the tiny, grotty kitchen table all day/night unless they're at work (they're taxi drivers so just sit at it waiting for jobs).
Odd enough in 1960 but...

All my in laws apart from my SIL insisted my children call them by their first names rather than Grandma, Auntie etc.
Made a big song and dance about labels and titles etc.
It made me a little sad to start with, I thought these relationships were very special and it was nice to be recognised. I respected it though and actually the kids soon learnt they were close family regardless of what they called them.

What did hack me off was FIL making a point of trying to get my boys not to say Mum. I would pull him up every time. A child calling their mother Mum isn't exactly a wild concept.

Oh @DuploTrain I really want to see that fabric looks like a doll hoover cover.

Bit of a flip, but spending a week holiday with my FIL made me realise my DH's annoying little habits he has (that I never mention because they're so minor they would make me look like a petty cow) are all entirely inherited from his DF!

My parents set the kitchen ready for breakfast every day before they go to bed. Kettle full of water ready to go, teapot ready with teabags in it, mugs and spoons ready on the worktop, etc. I sort of saw the logic in it when I was little and it was a chaotic work/school run morning, but now they're retired and they still do it. I can see them twitching at my house when they go to bed and it's not ready. My DF gets up early in my house to go and get the tea on! 😂

Only thing my IL's do that strikes me as a little odd is the sheer amount of greetings cards they send. Birthdays and Christmas I get, obviously, but everyone gets a card on their wedding anniversary, even the children of friends, plus there's thank you cards, Easter cards, etc, etc.

Only have bread defrosted if they are going to eat it. Every meal planned and no deviation allowed. Nothing is eaten fresh. Everything is defrosted to order. Be it scones, cake , bread. No ad hoc toast or sandwiches possible
They have no waste which I applaud but it feels claustrophobic
My own parents drink tea approx every 10 mins and if left to get even slightly cold, said drink is removed
I dare say we have our own habits in house too.

@CombatLingerie hoover cover was a little bit like this, but creepier.

@CombatLingerie

This one isnt in stock but the reviews made me laugh
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grandma-Upright-Vacuum-Cleaner-Collections/dp/B004FJTMO2

My mother in law is unhinged in a great many ways but one of the things that I fail to understand is that she only washes in cold water... And mostly cold baths at that.

She's very well off, has several extremely nice bathrooms in her home but for some reason thinks an ice cold bath is pleasant.

My ILs are just really quite excessive with leftovers. If we're in a nice/fancy restaurant, and my MIL still has even just a trace of food left on her plate that she can't finish, she'll ask for a doggy bag. I cringe every time - it's never more than a few mouthfuls and come to think of it, I've never seen her actually eat what she's saved.

And if she makes dinner in her house and there's some left, she'll drive it round to her eldest daughter's house (who, for the record, is 41, a great cook, and a high earner with a husband and three kids so definitely not struggling to eat/feed the family!) Like she'll just turn up on the doorstep impromptu and either leave a box of food there, or knock and say "here are some prawns and pasta from earlier!"

My MIL thinks that sitting on a cold surface makes you infertile.

They don't use knives. Everything is eaten with a fork or spoon.

They eat their dinner off small plates - like the size you'd put a teacup on.

They don't believe in showering when you're ill.

They eat a full hot meal for breakfast. Think stew, potatoes, soup, dumplings. Sometimes even wine. In fact every meal of the day is a hot meal. No sandwiches or cereal.

They don't drink water, only tea.

All that said, they're from an Eastern European country where these things are probably normal.

The biggest difference was that there was absolutely no boy/girlfriends staying over when I lived at home or even as we visited as adults. We didn't even consider asking. Totally NO GO.

I was quite thrown by how open and normal my ex's parents were - to the point of coming in with a cup of tea in the morning while we were still in bed.

I am fine with it, but will give them privacy.

They have a really weird concept of ownership, like if they give something to a member of their family they consider it to still sort of belong to the giver, which really pisses me off.

Obsessing over the next few meals, whilst eating a meal. Drives me bonkers fretting about potatoes for tomorrows dinner whilst I'm trying to enjoy my granola.

Not an in law one, but my sister. She makes scrambled eggs by putting everything into the pan cold and then scrambling. So large knobs of half melted butter and everything sticks to the pan. She also makes her fried eggs go like plastic. I've no idea how and she's banned from egg cooking in my house. Equally she is obsessed with sofas. She has two in the living room, one in the dining room, but no table and one in a spare bedroom. It's utterly bizarre.

My OHs family don’t start a telephone convo with « hi how are you » or any chit chat.

In fact, they don’t even say « hello » they just start mid sentence.

Just heard him answer the phone in the other room on speaker. Straight in with «couch won’t fit in Xs car but it will fit in yours can you come over this weekend. »

LOL 😂

She makes scrambled eggs by putting everything into the pan cold and then scrambling. So large knobs of half melted butter and everything sticks to the pan.

If you use a non-stick pan this is fine. I do the same. I'm sure chefs faint at the thought, but it tastes fine to me.

Oh maybe I am your sister!

Oh my lord! Thanks @DuploTrain and @Trenda .There was a poster recently on Property/DIY who was worried about where to put her hoover when she moves to a new house. I hope she reads this thread 😂.

Oh they're terrifying!
I used to care for someone that had one, and she would have all the lights off when I went in
Every single time, walk around the corner, shriek and you could hear her giggling "did my vacuum lady get you again?"
Yes it bloody well DID

@GatherlyGal where do they go?!