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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Mother In Law problems, please help me.

142 replies

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 16:02

Hello.
I am due to get married in about a week, me and my partner both have a 3 year old daughter.
His mum has always been a bit snidey and off with me since day 1 - my partner tells me it's because I'm not successful and all of the other numerous reasons (excuses) he's told me over the years.

I will try to cut this short.

I've been with her son now for nearly 8 years. In the beginning me and his mum weren't close, she would often make remarks, and buy me presents that basically took the piss Eg a top that was XL when I was only a size 10 at the time. I always laughed it off and never tried to take much notice at the little comments and digs.

Since my daughter was born, she instantly tried to take control. she would take her off me and stand in the corner of the room rocking her to sleep in front of her whole family and leave me there wanting my baby back but not having the balls to say it at the time. Then came picture taking, she would leave me out of the shot whilst taking a pic of my DP and our daughter - that day we drove home and I cried all the way. I couldn't believe how horrible she was being.
Since then its ''oh she gets that off my son'' ''oh she gets that from my daughter'' blah blah blah, its like I never gave birth to her.

She has an issue with telling us how we should parent our daughter, and told us we needed to put her into childcare so that she could play with other children her own age (at the time I wasn't comfortable with it, as we'd just taken her out of a different nursery she had been in for a year) my partner said we didn't want to her answer was ''well I think she needs to go''

So one day I decided to write a message on Facebook, sending it to her, detailing how upset I was with her little digs and basically excluding me all of the time. WELL... she went barmy! she rang her husband, rang my partner, got her daughter... her daughter was sending my partner (her brother) messages saying ''have you seen what such and such is saying about mum'' and was copy and pasting all of the messages I had sent over to him. She tried to bully me into apologising and started twisting it around victimising herself and bringing up incidents (that I apparently caused) that never happened saying its all my fault and I'm the trouble maker.

I've come to realise she's is a covert narcissist. She chose to ignore me for a further two months, even when on several occasions I tried to ring and talk to her, to even apologise for how I may have approached talking to her about it. she excluded from inviting me around for xmas and invited my daughter and her son only. I was very lucky that my partner said no and we had xmas at home instead. She didn't like that and refused to bring our daughters presents around stating that she wanted to watch her open them at hers so they went around on boxing day instead - without me.

I eventually caved, through all of the emotional torment and full on apologised, she then rang up my partner and said ''I read her message I saw it as her apologising, so I accept her apology but I will still give advice and suggestions where I see fit''

I don't know If I can tolerate her anymore, I cant tell if I'm being pathetic or if she's gas lighting me..... I feel so beaten and trodden on emotionally, mentally. She has made comments about how brown hair is horrible (my hair is dark brown) and that my daughters hair comes from her because her hair is blonde.... She has said this to my face.

Am I being unreasonable here, am I being pathetic and just nit picking stupid things? I feel like I never used to do this, its only been since my daughter than I noticed it getting worse.

There is so much more I can add on here about her but I wont as its long enough already and I promised to cut it as short as possible!

OP posts:
SquinkiesRule · 14/05/2016 16:59

No way I'd let her take my child alone every weekend. Time to start cutting that back and taking back control of your own little family.
You Dh is probably trying anything for a quiet life. We are NC with my MIL due to crap like this, only my MIL professed to love me like a daughter, do fun stuff with me and helped out with Ds all the time, then stabbed me in the back when we didn't live life her way.

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 14/05/2016 17:02

Errrr yes she does aim her abuse at your DD, its just not about her, its about you and its not very nice for anyone to hear someone talk shit about their mother.

It'll get worse, then it'll be teaching your DD to disrespect you.

EatsShitAndLeaves · 14/05/2016 17:04

You do have a problem with your partner because he is allowing this situation to continue.

Equally to be frank, you seem to be allowing this dynamic to continue.

If you don't like it then YOU have to set some boundaries and stick to them.

Otherwise your just enabling your DP's waivering and your MIL's contempt.

Is that really how you want your life to pan out and the example you want to set to your DD?

I'm not trying to be mean here, but you do need to accept that you are playing a part in this unhealthily set up based on what you've posted.....

diddl · 14/05/2016 17:06

"But i'm not going to be a bitch back by stopping her from seeing and having a relationship with my daughter."

But why?

What can your daughter possibly get from it?

At the very least don't leave the poor thing there alone to be bullied into doing what she doesn't want to by her own GM!

EatsShitAndLeaves · 14/05/2016 17:07

Sorry just to be clear - what are the consequences of MIL's toxic behaviour?

She gets to see her GD and DS. You get excluded. She gets to bitch about you to them and the wider family...

Where's the downside? You've allowed her to get exactly what she wants by being cruel and manipulative.

It's not mean to refuse to expose your DD to this shit - it's necessary.

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:08

SquinkiesRule This is EXACTLY what my MIL does. So I should definitely cut contact.. Completely?

OP posts:
leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:11

EatsShitAndLeaves Yes you're right I am. I am trying to find a way out of that, without being a drama queen and cancelling everything last minute and completely cutting contact. There has to be another way to this... I thought talking to her and confronting her would be it. She obviously doesn't like anything bad being said about her and refuses to acknowledge she's ever been that way... Unless her son mentions a time she did it and then she sniggers but doesn't seem to quite fully understand how upsetting she can be. Alright so I cut off contact, I'm not cancelling my wedding my partner isn't that much of an arsehole, he does actually see through her. He does just want a quiet life as he has suffered at her clutches for years now I can't say I blame him, I feel like I'm stuck here... What do I do....

OP posts:
Nanny0gg · 14/05/2016 17:12

So I should definitely cut contact.. Completely?

Yes.

mamas12 · 14/05/2016 17:12

Unfortunately you are also attributing your feelings of normal rightmineddness and fairness to your mil
You cannot reason with the unreasonable
Start today and very slowly pull back from contact with, and that includes your precious dd.
The next time she is meant to go to hers come up with a plausible excuse she can't argue with and spend the day with you dd.

The next time invent an appointment that shortens the time she has with her with an 'oh dear can't get another time slot ' semi apologetic stance

And so and so forth

Your dh should also stop with the quiet life excuse and step up for you little family.

Hope you actually enjoy your wedding day with the formulation of this plan

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:13

I can't just tell her sorry you're not seeing my daughter anymore, can I? I feel like I need a reason.

OP posts:
giantpurplepeopleeater · 14/05/2016 17:15

Stop all contact with your MIL. Let your DP deal with her. Stop your DD from.going round there and explain to her that her behaviour has caused it. Postpone your wedding to anothet day. Get your DP to back you on all of it.

Have a break from her completely. Then decided if you want to reinstate contact but do so on your terms - i.e. you are there when she sees your DD and you leave tge moment she steps out of line.

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:16

mamas12 Thank you this is actually a viable plan and I think this is a good way of doing it. But can just imagine when I get 4 weeks in and she starts to click on that she hasn't seen her granddaughter in a month... Well that's probably going to stir a whole load of crap again.
I hope I enjoy my wedding day too, without her telling us where we need to stand and how to pose ha!

OP posts:
giantpurplepeopleeater · 14/05/2016 17:17

Your reason is how vile she is to you!!!

But no. You don't need a reason. Let your DP explain if he feels the need. But you owe her nothing. Not even an explanation. She already knows!!

EatsShitAndLeaves · 14/05/2016 17:18

What do you do?

Well if putting your foot down about the wedding us out the before then you need to sit down with your DP and jointly agree the boundaries.

Use the wedding as the catalyst for this saying it has to be the start of a new way forward for you as a family unit.

Use scenarios to agree what's acceptable e.g if your MIF is mean to you you during a visit what will you BOTH do? Leave? Confront her? Tell her if she can't be nice you will leave and follow through if she can't behave?

What happens if she posts mean things on social media? Do you go NC for a month or until SHE apologies?

How often will you visit? How long will you stay? Is it acceptable for DD to visit without you? Etc etc

Then you both sign up to that agreement and don't waiver.

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:19

giantpurplepeopleeater Telling her that her behaviour has caused it will just stir up her manipulation/victimisation. she will turn the tables and basically say I'm the bad person because I took her granddaughter away from her.

OP posts:
leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:22

EatsShitAndLeaves I understand what you're saying. Me and DP have already been putting plans in place because of some decisions we're taking in the future we know she will go bat shit crazy.
I actually think not going round there at all is a better idea but I want to be realistic not just for me as it's not just me involved. I need to think of my daughter and partner, he isn't cutting his mother out completely, he just doesn't have a close bond with her anymore so I suspect he will still go to his parents house when he is on leave.
I think I will talk to DP tonight and see what he says.

OP posts:
mamas12 · 14/05/2016 17:25

Confrontsti n never works with people like this they are never wrong don't ya know
Withdraw, and disengage
After the 2nd or 3rd week of missed mil and dd time just have a normal one and then start again. Eventually getting it down to maybe one hour or so.
Could you sign her up for a gym class, tumble tots, play date anything
Limit Skype calling too.
Your dh needs to be unavailable for them more often, telling tales on you is not on but he needs to do the same there, miss some and half the time on others
If there are events going on in the family friends circle or in the town you're in get family members to take her and distract her
You may need to be quite active in being inactive with her

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:29

mamas12 When we fell out after I confronted her. She actually didn't speak to me directly (still came to pick her up every Saturday) but what she would do, if she didn't like something, was text my partner saying she didn't like what my daughter was wearing that day (if she had seen us out and about - she lives 5 mins away) and often when picking her up would grab my daughter and run off without letting her say bye to me. So how do I push her out of the picture when all she does actively try to stay in it by sending texts giving her opinion etc.

OP posts:
DailyMailFail · 14/05/2016 17:31

I had this
She'll never change
Not interested in our children , only the other grandchildren
I never see her neither do my children
But now she is old and frail we should ' put it all behind us '
NO FUCKING WAY

leelou905 · 14/05/2016 17:33

It's nice to know I'm not alone, but how bloody sad that their are so many MIL's like this.
They are rotten to the core.
And yes she will never change, they're always right you're always wrong.

OP posts:
rumblingDMexploitingbstds · 14/05/2016 17:35

Your MiL can't have it both ways. She can't have an unimpeded, delightful relationship with her granddaughter while at the same time behaving so badly to her granddaughter's mother. She needs to choose one or the other. I admire your open mindedness, I really do, but your daughter will not be missing what is going on here just by living in the situation. She will pick up on it even if your MiL never says one single word against you in her hearing - and from what you're describing that is unlikely, since your MiL has no problem saying these things directly to your face with an audience there watching her.

If things go on the way they are at the moment, your daughter is going to have to deal with split loyalties. Such as:
I love grandma and grandma says she loves me, but grandma doesn't like mummy that makes me feel uncomfortable

I'm half mummy so does grandma hate half of me?
When grandma says hurtful things about mummy, daddy pretends he hasn't noticed
Mummy isn't allowed to come with us at Christmas or special occasions at grandma's house

She isn't internalising very healthy models about her family or about relationships and love in general. The ways things work at the moment your dd may also be getting the message that the alpha adult in the family is grandma since she is the one with the power - Grandma can exclude mummy at will - so she is the one to believe first and to take the lead from. It's also not unknown at all for a prized, loved GC to pass out of the little, cute and wholly dependent, 'that's my baby' stage and then start becoming a victim of the manipulation strategies themselves.

I'm not encouraging you to separate your dd immediately from your MiL but your dp and you need to think about boundaries and protections for dd together.

CodyKing · 14/05/2016 17:45

She's your child - if you don't want DG to have her then say no - don't answer the door -

Why are you letting her do this? Why?

Change the date of the wedding - put it off a week - DH can still see his dad -

Start saying no - you actually have the power here!

FB copy her messages to DH - whoops MIL didn't like DD cardi? Anyone?

You need to withdraw for fight back - I'd do both -

escapedfrommordor · 14/05/2016 17:49

Why does she take your daughter every weekend? Does she have her all weekend?!

brassbrass · 14/05/2016 17:53

Blimey she has absolutely no respect for you.

Everyone else has already told you what you need to do. She ISN'T going to change. It's important you make her understand that you won't be putting up with her treatment of you.

You need to stop all unsupervised visits. You have no idea what she is filling your daughter's head with. Your DH can take her over to see them when he is around. She needs to be told to stop all comments/opinions about how you raise your daughter.

You really need to stand up for yourself. This isn't going to get any better for you unless you toughen up.

Crazycatladyloz82 · 14/05/2016 17:59

My MIL was the same. I told DH time and again to speak to her about boundaries etc. He did but she either chose to not listen or he wasn't firm enough. I told him he had one more chance after another episode and the next time I was going to lay down the boundaries. When she played her usual tricks she got a very firm and clear talk from me and since then she is not a problem. Bullies turn into utter cowards when confronted. When they can bully their sons they don't change but when we stand up for ourselves they do.

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