To start a MIL appreciation thread...

[LadyRabbit]

Ok, I know sometimes (A LOT ON MN) they can be a PITA but for those of us who lucked out and got a 100% solid gold mother-in-law I'd like to start a thread with reasons to love them. Maybe from this those of us who are future MILs can bear in mind what makes a good one.

I'll go first:

• she fills my glass with wine without me even asking or realising it was empty. And can drink me under the table no problem. (Not in an alcoholic sense, just in a relaxed, convivial way.)
• she remembers little things I like/love and surprises me with daft things like a bunch of flowers for no reason or a bar of chocolate coz she was thinking about me.
• she never ever criticises my sloppy housekeeping!

God, I hope this isn't a tumbleweed thread or a self-killed thread. C'mon, some of you must have lovely MILs!

Love this thread!

My MIL is amazing, she had 3 boys and loves having daughter in laws!

She adores her grandchildren, and treats BILs step son exactly the same as her other grandchildren. My DD is her 5th GC and she was still so excited about her birth! She always tells me that I'm DDs mum and she's happy with any parenting style/routine I think is best. She stayed with us for a week after DD was born and really helped me establish breastfeeding.

My DM passed away last year (at 55, far too young) so I'm really glad I have her for support, advice and to be a brilliant gran to DD.

Both my MIL and gran-in-law are fantastic women. They are generous and supportive. MIL does childcare for us which we are so grateful for. They treat their step grandsons exactly the same as their natural grand kids. They are so kind and supportive towards me and tell me they love me all the time. So glad to have them in my life especially after losing my mum 18 months ago which hit me hard.

I'm not particularly close to my mil, but I really appreciate what she does for us.

Looks after dd for one day a week and doted on her even though she's the fourth granddaughter
Does dh's and sometimes dd's ironing for me (she loved ironing, I hate it!)
Generous with money
Cleaned my house while I was in hospital after having dd
Did all my washing once when we were on holiday
Helped DH recently when I was in hospital after an op

*dotes and loves. My stupid iPhone seems to want to talk about her in the past tense!

I'm another one blessed with a fab MIL. She has been a rock to me for 30 years.

This story shows how fab she is-DH was away, I had a new job and we'd just moved into a new (very old and ramshackle) house. I was stressed up to the eye balls as it was filthy, there were mice and I had two tiny children.

I had to put a pretty revolting load of washing on so plumbed in the washing machine. However I hadn't done it properly and the machine flooded the kitchen with filthy water.

I sat down and cried, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I remember MIL happened to phone and I told her what had happened. Rather than just sympathising she said, hang in there, I'll be with you in a jiffy.

She grabbed overnight things, jumped in the car and drove two hours to us and helped me get sorted.

MIL treats me like a daughter, loves us all to bits and is totally wonderful.

I adore mine! She isn't much for feelings or girly chat but was living in Singapore (ex pat) when my first was born and flew back every 2 months for a month to help. They then moved back when I had my second (they are 2 & 3) and she helped immensely as me second was a refluxy devil baby! She always grabs baskets of wet clothes and takes them, dries and irons them, takes my DD to the park every afternoon (I'm stuck in with a 2 year old who naps) comes out most mornings with us as they are a handful together.
Has paid our gas and electric bills when we were struggling and gave us the deposit for our house.
She listens to my silly moans about DH and doesn't report back to him :)
They have offered to take us on holiday to Portugal with them so they can watch the kids and we can have a bit of holiday time too.

My mil is also awesome. She's such a strong, funny intelligent woman - a real role model.

My MIL is wonderful. I hope I can be as good a MIL as she is.
She cares about us all. I was unwell (with something minor) recently and she really cared. She went to chemist for me and rubbed my back and made me rest.
She loves the DC completely and totally and takes an active interest in everything they do.
She is not needy or demanding. She has a full, independent life and tries to share her privileges with us.
I know she would always be there for us.
She is a bloody amazing cook- restaurant standard, delicious food.

My MIL is fabulous, does so much for all of us and I'm now probably closer to her than my dh! Nothing is too much trouble, absolutely dotes on our girls and has told me she thinks of me as a daughter not just dil. It's their golden wedding anniversary this weekend and they're an inspiration, love 'em!

Closer to her than my dh is I mean!

My MIL is fantastic. She is the least judgemental, opinionated woman in the world i.e the opposite of my own mother.

She is a gentle, generous, calm and kind woman who bestows love and cuddles on all her grandchildren equally. All her 3 children married someone who already had a child and she treats them all equally.

I had known my DH 6 weeks when I and my DS met his parents. Little did I know that she had a requested my then new boyfriend find a photo of my then 6 year old DS and she put if in a photo frame with all the other grandchildren. My sons's face when he saw it! She knew he had never had any contact with his biological father and made him feel like her grandson from the start.

My FIL kept telling my DS that he could call him 'grandpa' or he could call him 'my name' but he would always be his grandson.

I was so overwhelmed and still am 10 years later at their patience, love and compassion. Lovely, lovely people.

After having DH's child she came to visit a few days after the birth and told me that she wanted me to tell her EXACTLY how I wanted my DD looked after, she would do everything exactly how I wished. I told her I trusted her completely. 2 more children later and I would leave my children with her for a week without batting an eyelid. I'd be reluctant to leave a box of fish fingers with my own mother.

If something happens to me, DH knows I want my MIL involved in my DCs upbringing.

Yeah for MILs!!!

My MIL is lovely - there is a mutual adoration society going on between her and the DCs. She is brilliant with them, and her rule has always been that dh and I make the decisions so she has always supported our parenting.

She is gentle and generous.

Mine is wonderful. DS ADORES her. She'll always look after him in an emergency. She's also brilliant fun, especially on holiday - ordering champagne on the flight for us all!

I also had a wonderful HV. And have never had a gift request for money in the form of a poem. So I will never win in AIBU bingo.

I have a wonderful MIL too. She's been amazing to me and our dcs. She lives 10 minutes walk away and I have never felt crowded by her.

She also has a very realistic view of dh and doesn't take it personally if I moan about him as she understands how much I love him.

I love this thread. My MIL is awesome. Not overly warm or touchy feely but she cares in the right places. She lives on another continent but I wish she lived closer. Always helps when she is over, very proactive and loving with our DS. I know she cares about all of us and would drop everything in a crisis to help her children and grand children. I probably appreciate her even more since my own DM is rather absent. I do hope I can show her my gratitude and respect if and when she needs us. I think she knows I love having her around :-)

I have had 2 MIL's. One is evil and still very much alive though luckily I don't ever get to see her ever again.

My second MIL was a lovely, lovely woman and made me feel one of the family straight away. Always phoning for a chat, and sending presents for my DD, had some really good times when she was alive.

It felt like my heart was ripped out when she died and miss her so much!

Love this thread.
DPs mum is brilliant.
She treats my DD like her own grandchild, she loves to babysit and help out. She thinks of us when she goes shopping and we always end up with a little treat box. Shes at the end of the phone when ever we need her. Its like having a second mum and I truly appreciate everything she does

Mine's amazing. My Mum died two weeks ago today and I can't even post properly on this thread because I can feel the tears coming.

Suffice to say I'd never have got through everything without her.

Another one who has lucked out

Mine is lovely, we're not especially close but I know that if we ever needed anything she'd be there in a heartbeat.

She looks after our DS during the week whilst DH and I work even though she works hard herself and she is so appreciative of spending time with us. I've never felt as though she was overbearing and she's never turned up to our house unannounced or without an invitation. She also doesn't bat an eyelid if the house is messy because she appreciates that DH and I work full time.

She's also one of the people I admire the most, having lost her husband when they were very young she raised her 3 children alone. She took them travelling and did so many things alone with them that I would be scared to do. My DH is one of the most caring and thoughtful people I have ever met and I attribute that to her. I'm hoping her calmness rubs off on our DS as I'm a bit irrational and hot headed!

This is a nice thread, I'm usually the first to complain about everything so it makes a change to have something to say that's nice :).

I don't have a mil (and my ex hasn't actually told his mum she has a grandson) but I do have a DS so could well be a MIL one day and I find all the negative mil threads a bit depressing. This is lovely and heartwarming so YANBU.

My MIL is lovely, she has welcomed me into the family and been nothing but kind and generous towards me.

We're very different and we don't have common interests but she is a really lovely person and Im so glad she is my MIL. She is also a fantastic and thoughtful grandmother to DD. She never interferes or passes judgement on my parenting but is always willing to help and showers DD with love.

I know I'm very lucky.

I love my MIL she is kindhearted and also very young for her years the DC say they have a traditional nan (my DM) and a cool nan .
She has been very willing to learn how parenting has changed since her day and has never tried to butt in(unlike my own DM)

I've known my MIL since I was 19 and despite having four of her own, she treats me like a dd.

I come from an abusive family who I have no contact with and she has been a saviour.

She dotes on my kids. Praises and encourages me as a mother and a person. Helps me and we'll my dh is wonderful so I praise her for raising such a lovely ds

I have a very generous and helpful MIL and FIL. Both help in loads of really practical ways (that's the best way to win my heart!) not so close emotionally but that is entirely my fault due to issues with my own parents. We have our disagreements and they'll drive me bananas on the odd occasion but we do get over it.

She takes the 3 kids ever Saturday and always has so i can work
She does more than my DM
She bought me a new sofa
She buys the kids clothes all the time
If i need help i ask her before anyone else
She takes them abroad on their family holidays, i can only afford to stay in this country so they have had some fab holidays and been more places than me.

And me and her son are seperated and have been for years