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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

ABIU to want to stab vulgar fry up loving in-laws?

258 replies

Daisyduckling · 26/12/2012 01:37

Basically apologies for a huge rant, but it's either this or DH's mother is kicked out of the house in the middle of the night.

MIL and FIL have always made it clear they despise me and my family, but somehow because they want to "protect," DH and my children from me, and they nomally live a ( healthy,) distance away, it has become a tradition that starting xmas eve, they will stay a week to ten days with the family to spend the "christmas season," with us. They never ask if it is a problem,just phone DH, to tell him what time he will need to pick them up from the statio. However it is problem for me, and issues arising today have particuarly wound me up. In no particular order:

  1. DH and i have no problem with smokers, however ask people to smoke in the garden if they are staying in the house. MIL is used to smoking inside, and will always try and light up when i'm not looking, ( e.g. in another room cooking xmas dinner.) Today arguement started when i found out she asked dd (9,) to stand guard outside the living room to stop me coming in and interupting her fag. I feel asking children to keep secrets, totally undermines me as a parent, but she thinks it is funny and DH thinks it is annoying, but not a serious problem. I am furious. I have explained to her that my sister who is having xmas dinner here has asthma, but she assures me that shes sure it's, "made up."

  2. Expects a cooked breakfast everyday of her stay, and was very grumpy with me when i told her i did not want to cook a full english on xmas day as we'd be eating a big meal i a few hours. Cooked scrambled eggs with DD and she refused to eat these out of spite, even though DD had been really excited about cooking nanny a special breakfast on Xmas morning. ( And shes already told me she likes scrambled eggs.) Moaned all morning about being starving despite alternatives of toast/ cereal being offered. Generally weird attitude to food, refuses any fruit or vegetables, also has an addiction to coke and dh has been made to stock up whilst she's here. Ignores any requests of mine not to offer glasses of coke on a daily basis to children. Also expresses astonishment that i'm not feeding DH properly, ( he is normal BMI, her and FIL are unsuprisingly very obese.) Again DD is also given "secret," glasses of coke each day on previous visits without my knowledge, looks set to continue this year.

  3. Mil must watch what she wants to watch on telly at all times, especially on xmas day. My parents like to buy a family DVD and watch it together as a family each year, this year they brought Hairspray. DD was happily watching it with my parents, MIL asked to watch corrie at about half 7, I said she could watch the repeat with me later, ( I'm also an avid soap watcher, practically only thing we have in common,) but response was not good enough and she then had a large loud convo with FIL to ruin the rest of the film, asking every 10 minutes if we could stop watching this crap and put corrie on. This is why she gets the remote to herself for whole stay normally.

  4. is just so rude and vulgar all the time. Pretended to vomit up my xmas dinner back on to her plate as an illustration of how "disgusting dinner was." ( I'd accidently given her a plate with veg on.) Also encouraged kids to do the same. FIL also talks about their sex life non stop in front of my whole extended family. I think this is gross.

I am crying about spending another 10 days like this, DH whilst not impressed with this still seems to feel the kids benifit from the visit.

AIBU to make this the last visit? Just want some support from DH :(

OP posts:
annielouisa · 26/12/2012 19:28

There are no benefits to these people being in your lives. Delete them completely no-one important will lose out and you and your DH will have a much more peaceful Christmas holidays. Why would you want such odious people to feature in the lives of your DC?

YouOldTinsellySlag · 26/12/2012 19:37

Yes, do give us an update OP! Good luck. I'd be giving my DH some very dirty looks if he even suggested I put up with guests like that!

Thisisaeuphemism · 26/12/2012 19:38

You have the patience of a saint, op.

MollyMurphy · 26/12/2012 19:41

they sound like awful horrid ingrates. I would pull my husband up on dealing with it or tell him they can stay at a hotel next time. seriously I wouldn't be able to hold my tongue and I'd tell hubby as much lest he manage them. Smoking in your house (beyond the pale), sneaking your kids sodas, pretending to vomit up dinner, discussing their sex life, rude, loud-mouthed, foul.....are you sure your not referancing a bad sit-com?

Lueji · 26/12/2012 20:04

Worst case scenario, next year tell them you won't be able to have them over.
And visit them later in the week.

MadamFolly · 26/12/2012 20:22

I can't believe you haven't murdered them yet OP.

SchnappsDamnYou · 26/12/2012 20:33

Good God. I quite hope the talk goes badly because then you can legitimately get them out ASAP.

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 26/12/2012 20:35

Hope the meeting went well!

If not, tell them I will put them up for the next ten days. My address is

666 Fuck the Fuck off avenue
Whingey-in-the-laws
Twatsville

propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS · 26/12/2012 20:38

Good Lord at why on earth you are tolerating this. You need to man up and tell MIL how things are. She sounds utterly vulgar and uncouth. I would not allow her to stay ever again and would severely limit any further contact with her. Life is too short to suffer fools.

GlitterySparklyBaublesOfDoom · 26/12/2012 20:40

Blimey OP! As others have said you really must have the patience of a saint.

I also have 10 days off over Christmas and New Year, DP has to work the odd day but there is no way we would spend all of our precious holidays pandering to such arsewipes. A few days spent with family, yes. But no way would I ever, ever spend my whole holiday with mine or DP's family even though we like them and they would never behave so badly as what is described here. Our Christmas holiday is largely spent resting,relaxing and recharging our batteries, as should yours.

A ten day stay? That is just bonkers unless they are visiting from the other side of the world. Even then with their behaviour I'd be seeking to cut it much shorter.

You need to make your DH understand that it's not acceptable - or normal. These people cannot just land on you during your time off and expect that you will fund their eating habits, wait on them hand and foot and pander to their every need.

If I were you I'd have gone to stay with my parents by now and have left him to it.

clippityclop · 26/12/2012 20:44

Good lord. Really find this hard to believe How the hell does your husband expect you to deal with this for so long and every year? Make plans to go on holiday or stay with your mum next year, and go alone with your kids if he won't back you up.

chipmonkey · 26/12/2012 20:55

I think your dh is very much to blame here. He knows what they're like but expects you to put up with them?
If HE doesn't man up and tell them they're not going, then tell him, fine, but you and the dc's will be going elsewhere for Christmas and he can have the pleasure of looking after them.

Tortington · 26/12/2012 22:06

any update?>

gimmecakeandcandy · 26/12/2012 22:16

Sorry but why do you put up with this? Why? Really why? I don't get it. Just say no to ten day visits and have a frank talk about what is acceptable and if she doesn't like it she can go. Say no to next Christmas and just arrange a one day visit on another day.

Grow some balls woman!

gotthemoononastick · 26/12/2012 22:23

See.,this I don't understand.Surely you met them before your wedding?Why do people not realise that they have to share values at least before getting involved?You would not have seen me for dust if I had met these people,even if Brad P was their son!!

UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 26/12/2012 22:24

Oh if there was ever a thread I wanted to find out the results from this is it.

My sympathies OP and please tell us how it went Xmas Smile

storytopper · 26/12/2012 22:28

They sound well worth stabbing, to be honest. I would probably volunteer to do time for them myself.

juniperdewdrop · 26/12/2012 22:30

Any news?

pictish · 26/12/2012 22:31

Blimey at this thread! I too am wondering how the house rules chat went down!

pictish · 26/12/2012 22:32

OP yanbu btw. Wink

runforthesun · 26/12/2012 22:40

My ghast is flabbered, I didn't think people like this really existed.

I wouldn't have even drawn up a list of house rules, my dh would have been dragged off into a quiet room and told that he must reign his parents in and if he won't I will and I say this as a hater of confrontation.

As for staying for 10 days, that would have to go, if you and your dh work full time, surely this is your own time to spend as a family unit not with The Beverly Hillbillies interloping.

I have marked my place as I am raging on your behalf and could have written pages on what is wrong with this situation.

LadyBeagleBaublesandBells · 26/12/2012 22:47

I can't believe people like this exist either.

ProphetOfDoom · 26/12/2012 22:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ProphetOfDoom · 26/12/2012 22:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

inadreamworld · 26/12/2012 23:04

I would never have them over to stay again. You are far too tolerant. Your kids (and your own sanity come first).