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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Worst thing your in-laws have ever said or done to you?

408 replies

Springsunshine123 · 03/02/2025 21:52

Whats the worst thing your in-laws have ever said/done to you? Long list of mine include:
MIL telling me on our wedding day “Did not expect this to be this nice from you”
MIL asking me how much my jacket was and when replying £50 she said (god are you sure, wouldn’t expect you to fork out that much!)
trying to feed my 9mo lucozade
wanting someone to blow smoke into my 7yo’s ear to cure his earache
telling me it was my fault her husband was coughing…. The list of gems is endless…GO!

OP posts:
2025willbemytime · 04/02/2025 07:47

Mine told me I shouldn't have any more kids as I couldn't cope with the ones I had. I had PND.

Told my mother, who I have had no relationship with since I was under two, the names of all my children and fuck knows what else.

Treats my middle child differently form the others. As her dick head of a son does.

Divorced her son. In a few weeks I'll be moving 100s of miles away and won't see her or him again.

Mumof2heroes · 04/02/2025 07:47

My mil came to within an inch of my face on my wedding day and spat out 'now you're a (surname) maybe you'll follow the rules'! She spent the rest of the day deliberately treading on the back of my dress. She's been a delight ever since 🙄

SaltyPig · 04/02/2025 07:49

The worst i ever heard was said to my best friend's mum. I have some from mine ranging from outrageous to evil but this was worse i think.
BF's DF was an only child. BF's eledest sibling died during childbirth. Her MIL walked into the hospital and said, to her DIL hour's later, "i suppose I'll never be a grandma now." Then she walked out.

murphys · 04/02/2025 07:52

I think when I divorced my H, I was happiest of cutting her out of my life.

I could never do a thing right in her eyes.

I should have known it would not be great when we first met she said out loud in front of me 'nice enough girl, but it won't last'. And because we did get married (after 8 years!), she hated that could possibly be proven wrong.

At our wedding she told me that I should not have such a beautiful friend as a bridesmaid as she 'completely took the focus off you' with a smirk.

When my children were born, I could never do a thing right. No matter what. She even took H aside once and told me that I was feeding ds too many Weetabix for breakfast 😂 The kid was on Ritalin for Adhd (which was my fault too) and so he would have two Weetabix without fail for breakfast, as he would lose his appetite soon after. Nope, two was too many. God it was ridiculous. Just constant things like this, but they can wear you down.

But the nail in the coffin was when I went through a very bad time and actually ended up hospitalized after having a breakdown after finding out about his affair. And he lied and lied and lied about it, which I think was worse than the affair. She told me to grow a pair and what did I expect as I am just a useless wife anyway.

I have never forgiven her for that. I was going through such a hard time because of him as it was.

I heard that she has since moved on with her wrath to my ex bil now, her daughters husband. As I am now out of the picture she had to find someone else to look down on and berate.

Toxic, toxic, toxic.

(my stomach was churning just typing this and thinking back about her).

Givemethestrength · 04/02/2025 07:53

On my birthday, when I was 2 months postpartum, they got me bathroom scales!

FigTreeInEurope · 04/02/2025 07:53

DancingCactusFlower · 03/02/2025 22:13

My MIL baptised DD over the sink with holy water as we wouldn't have her christened

Im sorry to be inappropriate, but that made me laugh. She's insane!

aspidernamedfluffy · 04/02/2025 07:56

Evicted me and their GD from the home we rented from them in order for their DS (Dd's dad), to move his OW in.

Lurkingandlearning · 04/02/2025 07:59

DancingCactusFlower · 03/02/2025 22:13

My MIL baptised DD over the sink with holy water as we wouldn't have her christened

That’s a new MN low.

Defender90 · 04/02/2025 08:01

MIL (although before we were married) said at another of her son's weddings that she wasn't that bothered if she didn't see us married (we eloped years later).

When we realised there were always birthday parties for the niece and nephew but we were never invited, well you wouldn't want to come would you (at that point we were sure we were unable to have kids).

Said to my DH I don't know how you managed to get someone that can't have kids, saved you lots of money you're lucky eh.

SewingIsMySuperPower · 04/02/2025 08:03

My in laws are genuinely awesome and I love them to bits. So I only have 1 weird thing.

Hubs and I had been together about 4ish years when SIL tried to set him up with one of her friends 🤣 honestly no idea what she thought was going to happen there.

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 04/02/2025 08:10

My MIL really isn't a horrible person. I think this was just a weird malfunction on her part.

It's a long story but essentially my MIL tried to trick me into giving my son ibuprofen instead of paracetamol when he had chicken pox.

I'd asked my husband to grab me some Calpol for my son. My MIL shot up from the sofa and said she'd do it, then came back with a full syringe thing instead of the bottle, and I just knew what she'd done. She then left abruptly when I asked my husband to change it for paracetamol.

MIL had been looking after my son so we'd told her he couldn't have ibuprofen. And she worked in a chemist at the time so knew the difference.

The whole situation was fucking weird. It's not been mentioned since.

SaltyPig · 04/02/2025 08:13

My worst tales would be immediately outing to any friends and family. My own SILs sympathise with me for marrying her golden boy. I was young and naive.
Some lesser ones were telling me to come back after I'd had a DNA test when pregnant with DC1.
DC1 looks DH's like twin.The moment she saw him she became obsessed with him too, often threatening SS because she wanted custody. This was for crimes such as our home not being completely finished when we moved in, the hall wasnt painted.
She's cancelled holidays we had arranged stay at SILs (she told her DH couldn't get time off), because she wanted to go with friends. We'd booked AL and only had a tiny window. This would have been part of our only holiday that year. She is retired.
She told DC they should remember she was their only grandparent now, days after my DM died,
Purposely revealed my surprise 40th.
She also got upset because she felt ignored by DH because they held my hand and sat with me.. at my DM's funeral.
I really could write a book, but it's given me the perfect template of how not to be. My DIL is wonderful.

Newfoundzestforlife · 04/02/2025 08:20

Springsunshine123 · 03/02/2025 21:52

Whats the worst thing your in-laws have ever said/done to you? Long list of mine include:
MIL telling me on our wedding day “Did not expect this to be this nice from you”
MIL asking me how much my jacket was and when replying £50 she said (god are you sure, wouldn’t expect you to fork out that much!)
trying to feed my 9mo lucozade
wanting someone to blow smoke into my 7yo’s ear to cure his earache
telling me it was my fault her husband was coughing…. The list of gems is endless…GO!

Judged me because I was a single mum when I met her son, make snide comments to me behind my partners back, turned the whole family against me, excluded me from every family event, invited my partner round one Christmas eve and when he said he'd bring me and the kids told him we wasn't welcome (he didn't go and she didn't get any presents that year...), came to my house once for a lovely bbq which I thought went well but I only found out months afterwards that she'd made up a massive lie to her husband about me on the way home about me saying I'd said something really mean to her when we were alone in the kitchen...apparently she'd even burst into tears and made him pull over as she was "so upset"....I think what upset her so much was seeing us so happy....Evil manipulative psycho, she carried out most of this hate campaign the same year my dad died of cancer which makes me hate her even more as it was already a hard time for me...

TheBewleySisters · 04/02/2025 08:26

@GiGiddyCrab holy water is easy to come by; my grandmother (and other Catholic friends) had a tiny ornamental container by the front door and she would dip her fingers in the holybwatwr and bless herself coming in the house.

TheFormidableMrsC · 04/02/2025 08:27

TheBewleySisters · 04/02/2025 08:26

@GiGiddyCrab holy water is easy to come by; my grandmother (and other Catholic friends) had a tiny ornamental container by the front door and she would dip her fingers in the holybwatwr and bless herself coming in the house.

My Nan used to flick it on anybody who passed the threshold 🤣

MsCactus · 04/02/2025 08:28

My PILs were fine until I had a baby.

Then my MIL kept calling herself "mum" to my baby, told me repeatedly that baby preferred her - kept telling me and DH to leave her and FIL alone with the baby. Didn't want us there. Refused to let me hold or feed the baby and got really upset I wouldn't let her have overnights with the baby.

DH put his foot down and told her she was upsetting us both, and we don't see them much now - also now my DC isn't a baby she's not interested in them at all!

The comments about how the baby prefers her were always done when DH had left the room, and upset me as a first time, new mum.

Lulub94 · 04/02/2025 08:31

Had a massive argument over text with my mother in law about potty training. She thought that we'd left it too late and that our son would be in nappies forever. Anyway, we potty trained and he got dry in the day pretty much straight away, but then she told me I 'wasn't doing it right' as he was wet overnight, I then explained that you can't really train overnight as it's to do with hormones etc. and nobody I know has got their child dry day and night straight away, she then told me I was arrogant and always think I know what I'm talking about but I'm always wrong. There were other messages which were quite abusive, she's always been difficult and very opinionated but my husband was shocked at this exchange, he drove round to speak to her about it face to face. He came back and said we've agreed you wont ask her for advice and she wont give it to you, I was like I never asked her for advice in the first place!!

NearlyThere2025 · 04/02/2025 08:32

Ex ( when I was with him ) messaged her bitching about me when I had a newborn and a toddler and her reply was "leave her on her own for a few weeks with them. She'll soon be begging for your help'

Well those few weeks turned into 8 years after he was found guilty of assaulting me and when she was dying of a terminal illness 4 years ago she asked to see my children ( who she hadn't seen in years ) and I suspect you can guess what my answer was

Sharptonguedwoman · 04/02/2025 08:34

Notgivenuphope · 03/02/2025 22:28

sorry this one made me laugh out loud. Was she a vicar? haha (guessing not)
(Think I did that with the cat when I was about 6 and had been to a christening)

I think anyone can baptise a child, following the same actions and words as a minister. (Not saying this lady was right to do so!).

RedRoss86 · 04/02/2025 08:44

My MIL told me one day she'd removed me from her and FILs will incase myself and DH split....
I didn't know I was in the will so why tell me I've been removed? 🙃

Just one of those comments where you are gobsmacked and don't know what to say. 'Ehhhh okkk...'

ILoveRadio6 · 04/02/2025 08:44

My extremely Catholic Grandma 'baptised ' me when I was a baby. I was premature and she thought I would die. I actually think it was a caring gesture rather than controlling,

Hwi · 04/02/2025 08:53

ILoveRadio6 · 04/02/2025 08:44

My extremely Catholic Grandma 'baptised ' me when I was a baby. I was premature and she thought I would die. I actually think it was a caring gesture rather than controlling,

Absolutely! She was also, I am 100% sure, praying all the time for you, in a real way - not the nonsense people say 'prayers with you', whilst not really caring or helping, but actually praying, on her knees, crying and praying. I am not a Catholic, btw.

Teenybub · 04/02/2025 08:55

When we got engaged they booked a venue for us as a surprise, it was a venue we would have never considered and a term time Wednesday, I’m a teacher so wouldn’t have been able to attend. We had discussed venues with them prior and been clear we wouldn’t even be viewing there because it wasn’t what we wanted. Told them we didn’t want that booking and we booked elsewhere and we paid the deposit, they sent us the money to pay the rest of the balance, which we did straight away. We had planned on paying it off over 2 years.

Then within a month they took me (only me) to small claims court seeking the money for the original venue back as it couldn’t be cancelled and they owed the full amount. They lost because the booking was nothing to do with me and contract in their name, my Dad loaned us money to pay them back for our actual venue because we didn’t want them holding anything over us.

They told everyone that we had called off the original wedding and cost them a fortune and not to book hotels/buy outfits for our actual wedding yet because we were still having problems so might call this off too!

They also took BIL and SIL child out in summer, put no sun cream on them and then reported SIL to social services for neglect. SIL wasn’t even in the country, they had looked after the child so BIL (their son) could pick up an extra shift.

Felicityjoy · 04/02/2025 08:56

No. 1: DH and I were proudly showing PIL round our first tiny house, on their first visit. We showed them the bathroom and MIL said "Oh look, the toilet seat's all smeary. Felicityjoy hasn’t wiped it properly."

No. 2: DH and I have always pooled all our money and had a joint bank account. I had stopped working to be at home with our 2 DC, then aged 2 and 6 months. I told my MIL secretly what I had bought DH for his upcoming birthday and she said "You say you’ve bought it for him, but it’s his money really, isn’t it!"

Skandar · 04/02/2025 08:59

Nowhere near as some of these, but my MIL refused to believe that some portrait photos we'd had done hadn't been photoshopped because 'there's no way you could look that good otherwise'.

More minor, demanding to know what packet mix I'd used for my yorkshire puddings, and refusing to believe they weren't from a packet. She let it go, but clearly thought I was lying! (Not that I'd cooked a lot for her at that time, so she had nothing to base it on..)

Oh and when complaining to us about how little my BIL got paid, I mentioned that actually it was very similar to my salary and she said "gosh, I didn't think YOU'D get out of bed for that!".

She died before we had children, otherwise I suspect there would have been many more.