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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU? Mother in Law (MIL) is getting on my last nerve!

78 replies

BubblingRage · 26/09/2016 16:24

So I will give you a bit of backstory, apologies that it's a bit lengthy.
While myself and my OH were at University, he was living with his parents during non-term time and we were away up north while we studied.
My MIL and FIL were married for nearly 30 years.
2 years ago, it came out the MIL was having an affair with another man and had been for sometime. My OH was told by his mother that she was leaving his dad, had someone else and was leaving the home city. BY TEXT. Out of the blue.
The family home was to be sold once my OH had finished his studies and had found somewhere new to stay- effectively forcing his hand to move out and cut short his studies (he was planning on doing a PHD).
My FIL had to move out to live with his aging mother and to become her fulltime carer.
MIL fast tracked the divorce stating unreasonable behaviour on FIL's behalf- Untrue and contested.

Now, this is where my main problem lies. My MIL, was forcing OH to meet her new partner. It turns out that her new partner was terminally ill and would not see the year out. Everytime the conversation ensued, she would cry and guilt my partner into meeting him- something which he was not comfortable with at first as the whole situation was still too raw for him.
She would not meet us or my OH unless her new partner was with her and we literally went for months without seeing her.
We were emotionally blackmailed into attending their wedding, as she rang us up in tears saying that they were getting married that day in London as his health had deteriorated. We immediately left work and got a train to London to support her.
Please bear in mind that in the two years they were together, we saw her less than once every other month. However, when she needed help we gave it to her without question and I personally believe we have gone above and beyond.
For example, we had her cat for 3 months while she was caring for her partner- never to be offered any money towards supplies/food etc.- to be told that it's okay the cat was clawing up our carpet as that's just what it does. To be told that she wouldn't take back her cat until we'd got a Vet certificate to prove it didn't have fleas!!!!!!
I helped her with the wedding, shopping for her wedding dress last minute (literally an hour before the planned ceremony) only to be told it didn't suit her and she would never wear such a thing, she didn't want to look like a slut on her wedding day.... It was a white scooped neck midi dress from John Lewis....
We helped clean his flat and sort through his belongings once her partner died. Not once did we receive a thank you for any of this.
On the day of his funeral, she offered to come round and iron my OH a shirt as my ironing skills were not up to scratch and she didn't want her son "looking like a tramp infront of her new family". I declined, as it was rather insulting and she'd have enough on her plate during the day without worrying about that!
As soon as she saw us, she greeted every member of the family apart from me and said "I shouldn't have trusted you to iron, look at the state of that!!!" and proceeded to mock me along with her new in-laws. Now, I don't mean to be insensitive here, but we didn't particularly go to the funeral for her partner but to support her. Finding faults with me should have been the least of her worries, yet she still thought it was worth while being rude to me.
Now that he has died, understandably, she is lonely. Both my OH and I work 60 hour weeks and on weekends we just want to slob in our PJ's. If we do not make plans to see her every weekend, she just turns up at the house with a lame excuse like she has bought the OH crisps he likes or that she has half a loaf of bread spare and she thought we would like it.
Everytime she comes in she makes a point of wiping down the kitchen surfaces or wiping her finger along the tables looking for dust.
She also LITERALLY WIPES HER FEET ON THE WAY OUT. AngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngryAngry
As i've said, we each work 60 hour weeks so I cannot spend an hour a day cleaning the house but it is in no way dirty.
I have had enough of her incessant need to criticise me when she has been no where near perfect for the past 2 years. She criticises me for the "way i look after her boy" even though I was the one to pick up the pieces when she swanned off for 2 years, rarely seeing her son.
I have about had it with her and I feel like I've given her enough time to stop taking the death of her husband out on us.
How do I talk to my OH about this? AIBU?!?!?!

OP posts:
BubblingRage · 26/09/2016 19:14

I know what you all mean by the PHD thing. All I mean is that she's constantly saying how she would do everything and anything for "her boy" and alludes to the fact he could do better than me. However, for the supposed perfect mum, she doesnt think twice when it actually comes down to putting him above herself! (I'm aware I might be digging myself a bigger hole here Blush)

I don't get why he is so subdued when it comes to speaking up against her because he's usually not shy at all when it comes to things like that!

I don't want to say that she's not welcome round our house because it is his mum after all. Its now got to the point where I'm looking like the bad guy for being standoffish!?!

Oh and ive just got home from work to find out she's invited herself round for dinner tomorrow night. I've said no, only for her to ring up crying saying that she needs to see us as she's having a really low time....

I could literally tear my hair out.

OP posts:
chicknquack · 26/09/2016 19:24

Why tear your hair out, just tell him that you don't want to spend time with her because she is rude to you and if he wants to have dinner with her then you will find something else to do that evening... and then go out, even if it is to go sit in a coffee shop and read.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 26/09/2016 19:34

If he's spent his life with her 'funny ways' it can be really hard to firstly see it's off, second to admit that to anyone and thirdly to actually do anything about it.
He may be wrestling with the second stage or he may not think anything is amiss because that's just her.
It's the FOG thing.

ollieplimsoles · 26/09/2016 22:16

I don't want to say that she's not welcome round our house
Why? She treats you like dirt, its your house too. Ive banned mil from my house on several occasions because it's my safe space and I dont want it associated with her

Cherrysoup · 26/09/2016 22:27

Why tear your hair out, just tell him that you don't want to spend time with her because she is rude to you and if he wants to have dinner with her then you will find something else to do that evening... and then go out, even if it is to go sit in a coffee shop and read.

Although I would make them go out, I fail to see why the op should leave her home to make way for the mil from hell.

Every time she makes rude comments when your DP is out of the room, loudly repeat what she said as soon as he walks back in and ask 'Just what do you mean by...., mil?' Alternatively, tell him he is not to leave you alone with her as she's being a massive bitch every time he leaves the room.

You need to put a limit on her visits. It's sad her partner died, but you need some time to relax and she has a fucking cheek, frankly, to decide that she wants to spend every spare minute with you now her partner is no longer around.

HarryPottersMagicWand · 26/09/2016 22:39

She's a piece of work!

In parts I thought you had written about my MIL and changed a few details.

She had an affair. She made her bed, she can lie in it. She is an outright bitch to you and your OH isn't calling her out on it. You are going to have to. Tell her straight not to be so rude to you in your own home. Tell your OH not to let her do her guilt tears. My MIL will text DH saying he has made her cry, because he may have said something that wasn't 100% supportive, he ignores her. It's manipulation and thankfully he doesn't play. She would be a lot worse if she could.

My MIL was on her own after her DH (the one she cheated with) left her. We got the tears, "I'm lonely" etc, at first I was sympathetic but she brought it on herself. She wanted DH all the time and he was getting fed up. Then she met someone and we barely saw or heard from her. They split and it was back to tears, wanting DH around etc. Then she met someone else and we don't hear from her much again. Pattern here. Yours sounds a lot like mine, although mine doesn't come and criticise as she doesn't visit us, expects DH to go to her all the time.

Tell your DH no, you are tired from work and you want to chill. The more you give in to her tears, the more she will do it because she knows it works.

ToadsforJustice · 26/09/2016 22:43

Ring her back and tell her that her happiness is not your concern. If your DH wants to see her, let him visit her. Your home should be your sanctuary - not a battleground.

Atenco · 26/09/2016 23:03

Sorry, OP, a little derailment here, but why, if you both work 60 hours a week do you do his ironing and take charge of the housework?

chicknquack · 27/09/2016 05:15

"Although I would make them go out, I fail to see why the op should leave her home to make way for the mil from hell. "

At first I was going to suggest that, but then I thought that her Dh would most probably end up paying and that OP could probably think of a better use for the money

GinIsIn · 27/09/2016 05:55

What Atenco said - why is your OH not ironing his own bloody shirts? A variation on the theme here because you clearly do have a MIL problem, but you also have an OH problem. He needs to pull his wait, and take your side and that's what you need to work on!

GinIsIn · 27/09/2016 05:56

Weight. Pull his weight. I CAN spell, honest! Hmm

ThoraGruntwhistle · 27/09/2016 06:32

If he doesn't believe that she's even worse when he's out of the room, record her being vile to you and play it to him. Otherwise, every time she says anything insulting, get up and walk out. She can't say it to you if you're not there.
Even better, just don't let her in and tell him he has to see her somewhere else if she can't show you any respect in your own home.

CatNip2 · 27/09/2016 06:44

I never get these MIL threads, she says something nasty in front of her family, you tell her that is an offensive thing to say, she runs her fingers looking for dust you ask her aloud why she is doing that in your house, she wipes her feet going out, ask her aloud why she is wiping her feet going out. Your DH is either frightened of confrontation or oblivious, she knows you aren't so she bullies you. Tell her straight, and keep telling her until she realises she is looking a bitch and it is noted that she is a bitch.

Rachel0Greep · 27/09/2016 07:34

You could have years of this ahead of you. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

BubblingRage · 27/09/2016 08:17

We've taken her out before so that we can just leave when we've had enough but as some of you have said, she just sits there looking at the bill until we've paid it !
In regards to the ironing, this is what annoys me Angry. She slates me for not ironing and when I say 'Last time I checked, he has hands and is perfectly capable of operating an Iron', she looks at me gone, shakes her head and tut,tut,tuts.
We both have a pretty much equal share in the house- sometimes he'll do more than me , others I'll do more than him. But of course because I'm the woman she sees it as my job. She's even gone so far as buying us a hoover for Christmas as ours "obviously wasn't working properly".

Harrypottersmagicwand In parts I thought you had written about my MIL and changed a few details. They sound exactly alike. How did you get yours to back off? Just by not playing? Mine gets worse if we ignore her and don't respond to her texts/tell her we're busy. Maybe because she knows we'll back down- I don't know.

Thank you all so much for your responses. Smile

OP posts:
Fredmitten · 27/09/2016 08:40

Not the point, but grown men can iron their own shirts. I push back massively with in laws on any slights re perceived woman's work. I work full time too, we earn about the same, I am not a failure for having a cleaner, and I'm the driver in the house. I cook because I enjoy it, but you can't come into my house and be full of the bigoted retro opinions. You and he have to push back, together, consistently or she'll just keep coming. No is a complete sentence and all that. Sorry it's rubbish though.

HarryPottersMagicWand · 27/09/2016 12:39

Thankfully mine doesn't interfere in my housekeeping, she doesn't visit and usually stuff is all about her. One upside of a selfish person I suppose.

I don't have to engage with her which works for us. I dont thinkmshenis that bothered about seeing me. She doesn't ring the house. Well she did once because DH was at work (which she knows) she rang him 4 times at work then rang here 3 times, all because he didn't answer her bloody text. Shenused to when her DH left and be crying downnthe phone to me. I have a long term illness, on the odd occasion she has spoken to me and asked how I am, if I say anything less than "fine" her reply is always "oh well never mind" but her 'crisis' are expected to be met with nothing but sympathy and she cries if she doesn't get it and lets you know. This gets ignored.

I think the difference is my DH doesn't play ball with her guilt trips. If she texts him telling him she is crying, he ignores it. When she has free time and wants to see him, she has to wait until he is free. He won't drop everything to see her when she suddenly wants to. She said something before about wanting to come on days out with us, she wouldn't fit in the car so she wants us to take both cars. Not going to happen. DH hasn't answered it and as far as I know she hasn't said it again, or he may just not have told me. If she was with her exH, she wouldn't be remotely interested in coming out with us or seeing much of DH and her GC. I used to suggest presents for her for Xmas and birthdays and she made it quite obvious she didn't like it even though they were nice presents. Now I let DH sort it out so she gets a box of chocolates or a tenner in a card. I have just disengaged and she is my husbands mother and his family to deal with. Obviously he does love her but he isn't overly bothered about spending much time with her. Possibly because of what happened with her affair. It was pretty awful and it told me the sort of person she is. She was cheating on DH's dad, he suddenly passed away in front of DH when he was a young adult (and he tried to save him) a few days later she decided that was the time to tell him she was having an affair. She sold the house when DH was still living in it and wouldn't let him ever stay with her and her new DH because she knew her step children may want to stay and she didn't like them encroaching on her time with their dad. We certainly were not welcome to drop in for a visit without invitation and she got the hump if DH paid for me when we were out because she thought he should pay for her and it was too much to pay for both of us.

Mine will keep on with the texts when she gets ignored, then she will phone, usually when DH is at work which she knows full well. Tbh it doesn't deter her, she is pretty persistent and likes her own way. But she doesn't get it until it is convenient for us as we know when a BF is around, she isn't so bothered about it. I think when you back down eventually, people know that so they persist, it's the same with children, they learn very quickly that if they pester some parents will give in and the child gets their way in the end so they keep on pestering each time as it gets them what they want. This is no different. Treat her as you would a child. Unfortunately your DH needs to be on board. I think you should loudly repeat the stuff she says out of earshot. When she realises you are doing this, she may stop.

RunRabbitRunRabbit · 27/09/2016 13:00

You've got one thing completely right: Mine gets worse if we ignore her and don't respond to her texts/tell her we're busy. Maybe because she knows we'll back down

Well yes, of course she will get worse. You've taught her that's how to get what she wants from you.

Every time you have enforced a boundary, she has had a little tantrum until you backed down. This is your dynamic.

You can change it by not enforcing the boundaries or by not backing down after you enforce the boundary.

Her tantrums and manipulation are outside of your control.

It will definitely get worse before it gets better if you try to change the dynamic. But you can't get to the better without going through the worse.

Expect silence, tears, martyrdom, flying monkeys, unverifiable illnesses (cancer and heart trouble are always popular with manipulators), legal threats, excessive gifts and maybe even relatives supposedly demanding your reconciliation on their supposed deathbeds.

Farmmummy · 27/09/2016 13:04

"Oh actually on second thoughts dinners works well for us as we are busy this weekend going away with friends, sorry we won't be contactable as reception is poor. Sorry you are feeling low dinner should cheer you up as hearing about our weekend plans will be such fun as if it works out it will be becomin g a regular thing" in false cheery voice in J Lo style in monster in law

Haworthiia · 27/09/2016 13:16

Urgh. My mil told me I was a disgrace for 'letting' dh go to work in an unironed shirt. I did the 'hahaha, well, he's almost forty I think he can work an iron' thing. She seems to be escalating her behaviour whichbi find very worrying (I actually think she may be unwell) and dh finds upsetting.
It's difficult but you've got to put boundaries down. We are going through this at the moment - tears and tantrums every single fucking time they visit. You've got to get into a united front with your dh and together find a way to deal with it.
We sat down and talked about it and my take on it was 'she's your mum and I want you to have a good relationship with her but my boundaries are here here and here - these do not get stepped over.' . We don't want to fall out or go nc so we discussed ways of coping/dealing with behaviour etc.
I'm hoping we can put boundaries down or just frankly distract them like toddlers... anyway, take home message is this only works well if you're united.
If your partner is a bit spineless when it comes to his mum then it's pointless going in guns blazing because he'll see it as you forcing him to choose. A better approach might be, "love, when your mum does x it makes me feel y. This isn't ok. I've no desire to cause a big fight but can we talk about ways to deal with her behaviour together?
Right, if she does x how do we respond?'

Good luck

Wotshudwehave4T · 27/09/2016 13:22

smile and give her the polish and duster saying oh yes please, with both working full time we don't have time to do that, get DH to entertain her if she has to come round. Invent some work related study you have to disappear to do when she arrives or get him to meet her away from home - or go and clean the bathroom(long soak with glass of wine). Record her when DH is out of the room. A long term slow push back is needed to keep her out of your home unless invited and definite boundaries need marking. Your DH may not be strong enough to stand up to her but he has to back you up when you stand up to her in his presence if things are to improve.

hellsbellsmelons · 27/09/2016 13:27

I think a 'WTF are you tutting for MIL? Is it because he has a penis he should be unable to use a iron?'

Also get this book and leave it very prominently out so she can see it next time she visits.

hellsbellsmelons · 27/09/2016 13:29

I should also say now - RUN RUN RUN - RUN FOR THE HILLS.
Can you even begin to imagine the utter nightmare you will endure when you have a child?
Fuck that. Your OH has no idea how to stand up to her and stand up for you.
That does NOT bode well for your long term future!

ZenNudist · 27/09/2016 13:39

Well your first mistake is caring what she thinks. I've told my MIL not to expect me to do things dh is perfectly capable of doing himself and she didn't like it but it shut her up. I have right in my side. I'm not going to buy his family's Christmas presents or send thank you cards for his gifts to great aunty Ida.

As for spending so much time with her, start making other plans. Go out with friends.l, join a gym, have an affair 😀😁 Leave her and your dh to it. Start asking him to book in time with the two of you alone on certain evenings and weekends.

Also hoe would he feel if you had your family over all the time?

It doesn't sound like you two will have much of s future together if you can't work out this kind of thing. She would be s nightmare once you have DC.

I am surprised your dh is happy to let her criticise you all the time. Have you told him what she says?

Rachel0Greep · 27/09/2016 13:45

Unless your OH is with you on this, then I'm sorry to say I think you are fighting a losing battle.

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