MIL can be a busy body and a bossy but this really irks me and I can’t put my finger on why this particular thing bothers me so much.
DH is an only child with a small extended family. He has one aunt, MILs sister and she has 3 adult children, all around our age. We don’t tend to send each other greeting cards for any occasion but we do wish them happy birthday etc on the family WhatsApp. I don’t think that the lack of a physical card bothers any of us.
MIL is a prolific card sender. Makes her own and gets everyone a card. Over the years she’s repeatedly asked if we’re getting such and such a card and we’ve replied ‘no’ and explained that we don’t exchange cards, so she is aware of where we stand and the lack of a card isn’t a mistake. They also don’t get us cards either.
Despite this she repeatedly purchases cards on our behalf and gives us them to sign. Eg, sign this before you go and I’ll take it to x with mine. She never asks for payment but I find it really controlling. I’m an adult and I know how to purchase a card if needed. I don’t get my own adult cousins cards and feel forced into doing something that I’ve explained that I don’t want to do.
Tonight she’s arrived at our house ‘just passing’ with a wedding anniversary card for cousin and wife for us to sign.
DH finds it annoying but says it’s not a hill to die on. She has a tendency to get sulky etc when they disagree and DH feels that it’s petty to refuse to sign the card and it does no harm to actually send them.
YABU-sign the bloody card
YANBU-it’s a form of control. Refuse!