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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:
Haworthiia · 27/09/2016 13:49

Agree with those above that a man who won't stand with you to enforce respectful boundaries is not one you are going to have a fun future with. Boundaries doesn't mean 'oh my wife says I can never talk to my mother again' it means setting the standard for respectful treatment. Of all parties.
Think carefully about your future here - the PhD thing sprung out at me as well - I don't doubt his mother treated him shittily but why did that mean he 'couldnt' do his PhD? That makes no sense to me.

At the end of the day, this is about standing firm together - which is a microcosm of marriage. You're going to have to hang together about lots of things in life. Hopefully the good-but-tough stuff like child rearing, but maybe illness, redundancy, etc. If he can't stand up to his mum who is treating his wife badly, that bodes ill for your future. My Dh had a firm but gentle word with his mum when her criticisms got too much. My respect for Dh for dealing with it in a calm manner is immense.
Don't have kids with this chap until you're sure he puts his immediate family (you, children) above ducking out of emotional confrontation

BubblingRage · 27/09/2016 14:26

hellsbellsmelons- I love the idea of the book, definitely worth the money!

ZenNudist- I have told OH what she says and how rude I think it is. I tend to start off calm and then end up ranting which doesn't help my cause but I damn well can't help it [angry ]His problem is that he thinks it's just a phase where she's lonely after the death of her partner and that it'll pass so humours her... somehow I disagree.
I really like your idea of leaving them to it and going to the gym, but I don't think I should be forced out of my own home. And besides, I'd probably come back to her shampooing the bloody carpets!

.

OP posts:
chicknquack · 27/09/2016 15:31

If you come back to her shampooing the carpets you say "Oh lovely!" very enthusiastically and "I had such a long week at work, so nice of you to do it!" and leave the room. If you refuse to get upset it will take the wind out of her sails.

It isn't getting forced out of your home, it is controlling what you are willing to deal with. It is you having the power. Plus she will be so disappointed she can't wind you up.

BubblingRage · 27/09/2016 15:44

Thanks chicknquack. That's so true. I hadn't thought of it like that!

OP posts:
imnotreally · 27/09/2016 15:52

I'd tell her if she's that bored and lonely she's welcome to come and do the cleaning and ironing while you work your socks off as she will obviously make a much better job than you.

KateInKorea · 27/09/2016 15:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IAmTheWhoreOfBabylon · 27/09/2016 16:03

I wouldn't encourage her to clean. She needs keeping at arms length not bringing further in

WorkAccount · 27/09/2016 16:05

Stop taking her cleaning as an insult, take it as useful. Who gives a flying fuck if she is judging you, you don't care about her opinion.

CaspoFungin · 27/09/2016 16:26

Well I reckon you ar just spending too much time together, surely it's not normal to see your MIL several times a week? He can go to hers if he wants to see her.

BubblingRage · 27/09/2016 16:32

I completely agree CaspoFungin. The problem is getting her to stay away. She knows he doesn't want to see her so she just turns up! And the muggins that he is doesn't want to turn her away cause she's driven half an hour to see him... Wine

OP posts:
imnotreally · 27/09/2016 16:53

She drives an hour and a half several times a week?! Maybe point out to her what she'd save on petrol?!

TheHubblesWindscreenWipers · 27/09/2016 17:55

Then you need to be on your way out several times. Even if that means sitting in your coat all evening.
Arrange something for one evening with mil. Repeat several times that yoi are both terribly busy this week do not to turn up without asking. If she does, you've got your coat on and are on your way out of the door. Oh sorry mil that's why we asked to to text and arranged your visit for Wednesday because we are so terribly busy

When you do see her on weds be delightful, but every other evening you are terribly busy.

ItShouldHaveBeenJess · 27/09/2016 18:08

The swipey finger thing...

My ex does this.

He's seriously going to lose that finger one day. Grrrrrrrr....

BubblingRage · 28/09/2016 13:03

So we went out for dinner last night.
True to form, all was well until OH left the table to go to the toilet. After I mentioned that the food was nice and that I was full, MIL replied "Oh I'm not surprised!! I wondered when you would stop eating!" I had eaten a burger and hadn't touched the chips.
So when we got home, I said that I would no longer be going out with them and if he insists on having her round the house then he is not to leave her alone in a room with me due to her incessant bitchiness. I told him that she would have to stop turning up without notice, to which he said he has already told her that next time he wouldn't open the door to her.
He got very defensive and said that it was very convenient she was lovely when he's there but magically morphs into a bitch when he's left.
The journey to the station this morning (we both commute to work) was more than frosty and we haven't said a word to each other since.

I'm well and truly pissed off and have no idea what to do next apart from let it blow over. Confused

OP posts:
TheHubblesWindscreenWipers · 28/09/2016 13:35

Record her.

IhatchedaSnorlax · 28/09/2016 14:28

I agree - use your phone & record her so that he hears it first hand (although likely he believes you but family loyalty makes him feel he has to defend her).

ProseccoBitch · 28/09/2016 14:33

I would hide and not answer the door when she calls round unannounced, but then I do that to anyyone who comes round unannounced as I think it's rude (unless some kind of emergency).

mickeysminnie · 28/09/2016 14:34

As a previous poster said, your stock respinse should be along the lines of..."at least I don't cheat" every time. Then smile!

gillybeanz · 28/09/2016 14:37

I'm sorry but nobody makes you do something you don't want to.
Stick to your guns and stand your ground with your oh.
He needs to stand up to his mother, why won't he do this for the sake of your relationship?

2kids2dogsnosense · 28/09/2016 14:59

She dumped her family when it suited her to do so, and now she has no-one else (obviously didn't impress new in-laws enough at the funeral), she's picking up where she left off, not giving a damn about how much it may be upsetting her son, you or even her exH.

What a piece of work!

hellsbellsmelons · 28/09/2016 15:08

Your stock response to your MIL saying nasty things to you should be:
'Well aren't you just a delight??'

Every single time!!!

thetoothfairywhoforgot · 29/09/2016 03:21

She sound awful OP. She may even be trying to spilt you and your partner up cos she wants his attention. But I reckon she'd be like dust if a new man comes along.

So my advice is to set her up on Tinder. Wink

OliviaBenson · 03/10/2016 15:47

How are things OP? I'd be very upset by your partners comments after dinner. Does your partner think you are making it up? It is convenient for your MIL to say it out of his earshot! I'd be asking why he doesn't believe you and why he thinks you would make it up.

KC225 · 03/10/2016 16:20

Why did you go out to dinner with them? You have run around after her for two years and she treats you like shit. She is not going to change but you have to change the way the way you deal with it. Why did you wait until you got home to tell your OH what she had said. You should have pulled her up on it when he returned to the table. You should have said looked her in the eye and said 'repeat what you just said to me'

Stop joining in. If he wants to see her then he sees her alone. You don't have to be chased out of your own home, he can meet her somewhere. Its him she wants to see. If she chooses to knock without prior arrangement, do not let her in say are on your way out and it's not convenient.

It can be done, I've not done the summons to MIL for a good two months now. I say to DH you go, you take the kids, I've got plenty to get on with here suits us both.

JellyBelli · 03/10/2016 16:26

I dont understand your DH's attitude. He has sided with her against you, despite knowing what she's like.
She's a cunt, and she has got the 2 of you arguing. Record her and play it back to both of them.

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