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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

So upset with inlaws and DH

494 replies

ForShyBlueFish · 16/12/2025 01:31

Honestly, not sure what I’m posting for. I am so so upset I feel very let diwn by my DH and what inlaws have said. I would have expected my DH to have stood up for me more but he hasn’t and I suppose I want to know if I am BU.

I (“Amy”) have been married to “John” for 13 years. All these years I feel I’ve had a good relationship with my in-laws. I’m not hugely close to them but always got on well . so I thought. We only see them maybe three times a year due to living very far apart. But its a relaxed good time when we do meet up.

They have just been to visit us for Christmas. I feel I alomg with my DH made our usual quite a lot of effort for them, cooked nice meals inc full roast one eve and full cooked breakfast one of the mornings, got spare room set up lovely & cosy for the 3 nights they stayed over. Basically tried our upmost to make them welcome. As we always do. While they were here, we all visited my parents, who are local to us. Everything fine. I have never exchange any cross words with my inlaws all the years I have known them and im shattered to now learn they (well my MIL at least) feel this way about me, sorry to ramble, let me now explain,

While they were staying with us, my inlaws had a close friend of hers looking after her dog. As they were leaving to go home yesterday morning, MIL said something about the fact she was going to message the dog sitter / friend once they were on the road, to let her know when theyd be home.

well. What happened was, she accidentally sent the message to our family group chat which contains me, DH, MIL and FIL. This is what the message said,

“On road now, satnav saying arrival home at.. oclock. All fine here except Amy seems to gain even more weight every time we see her. Such a burden on John. What’s that they say though - love is blind, right”.

It is true I am overweight, I have had a very sad year and it has been about just getting through it rather than focussing on life style changes. My DH is very supportive and loves me anyway however he knows I want to make the changes and is promised to support me on whatever way I choose to loose weight next year when I do want to concentrate on myself again.

to say I was shocked . Well. A very big understatement. In a rush decision, I actually phoned up my MIL (FIL does the driving). I said, did you know you sent that to the group chat and I can see it? She said “ohhh my mistake you know I’m not very techy like you, must go speak soon”. And that was that…..!!!???

i burst into tears. DH comes in, having just seen the message in group chat. He says when he knows they are home again he will call her and talk about it. So he does, later that day. He has the phone on the hands-free this is at my own request when making the call. But she wont let him speak, just says. a half hearted sorry that she sent it to the wrong chat screen. And then brushes him off saying it is has been a long journey home and she is tired and got to go.

I wanted him to try and say more I wanted him to try and defend me and tell her what she said is completely disgusting and unacceptable but he said what’s the point, she won’t listen, what’s the point in falling out with them? I mean really I am his wife!!

I feel so violated, I have them in my home as I do when they visit even though it is not very often we both make a lot of effort to make them welcome. They sat around the table, our table, ate our food, sat in my own parents home, and all along they feel that way about me.?

am i being over sensitive here?

OP posts:
Allotmentblackfly · 16/12/2025 10:26

Allotmentblackfly · 16/12/2025 10:24

Very sorry. As a MIL I would be feeling completely dreadful about this and phoning with grovelling apology. A lesson to us all about putting things in writing or speech that would be better in your head. You sound a wonderful, kind DIL, a lovely wife to DH. Hold your head high. Time to book yourself a lovely spa day and did the lot of them
im sure my MIL thought I was a messy disorganised wife but she never said it out loud ( just implied it with her attitude but that’s a lot better)
sending hugs
xxxxx

Sod the lot of them - sorry about typo

MissDoubleU · 16/12/2025 10:26

She certainly would not be welcome back into my home again any time soon. Saying you are a burden on her son is outrageous, even more so for the one reason of having gained some weight. There is no defence and she didn’t even try to use one.

Sorry for sending it to the wrong chat, not even sorry for saying it. Vile.

Shambles123 · 16/12/2025 10:28

She isn't allowed in your house anymore. End of. DH can go to see them on his own in their house. Bliss.

Animatic · 16/12/2025 10:29

I feel the "burden" comment is completely vile. If her message sounded like "hope Amy can focus on her health,etc." It would have been somewhat passable as she could have pretended it was a genuine concern and you could have pretended you believed her.

My sense is she doesn't want to talk as she doesn't know how to wiggle out of this without admitting she is an a-hole.

My suggestion to you, brush it off and focus on yourself, loose weight if needed. Treat it as a (very unpleasant) motivating moment.

MoveToParis · 16/12/2025 10:30

HelloSkeletonFace3 · 16/12/2025 09:40

I'd rather be fat than as bitchy as that. I hope the shame is eating her up!

It won’t be, to people like the MIL, being FAT is the absolutely worst thing to be, much worse than being a nasty fucking bitch, or a criminal, anything really. She thinks everyone thinks like she does.

SamVan · 16/12/2025 10:31

Argh this is awful. I'm sorry. In your position I'd refuse to see her again until she sincerely apologises. Realistically, families talk (although this is particularly mean spirited) and I'm sure there's probably stuff you've said about her that you wouldn't want her to hear. But her reaction is totally unacceptable - she should have been completely apologetic.

Xkk · 16/12/2025 10:32

WallaceinAnderland · 16/12/2025 01:44

I don't think I would try to have any more conversations with her. If she wants to apologise it should be sincere and come from her. I would take a very big step back now and stop messaging. I would be cool with her and I certainly wouldn't be inviting her into my house again.

Sometimes people's actions change things and unless they are willing to take the steps to repair what they've done then it really isn't worth the effort. I hope she is mortified.

I don't think is a strong word. The OP made effort for the in law but the MIL was there to pass judgement instead. I would feel the same to bw honest.

ChristmasinBrighton · 16/12/2025 10:33

zingally · 16/12/2025 10:22

I think it's pretty much assumed that EVERYONE has talked about someone else behind their backs, in an unkind way, at least once.
Unfortunately for your MIL, she made a stupid error and posted it to the wrong place.

Honestly, whether she says a meaningful sorry or not is, at this point, almost irrelevant. You know she's thinking it, and SHE knows you know. If she's got even an ounce of emotional intelligence about her, she'll also realise she's caused potentially serious damage to the relationship. How this relationship goes moving forward is entirely on her.

If I were you, I'd make a point to be absent next time she visits. Take yourself away for a couple of nights (or however long they stay for), and be conspicuous in your absence.

Why should OP have to leave her own home so that this bitch can play happy families?

She would never set foot in my home again.

SunnyViper · 16/12/2025 10:33

Your DH is a pathetic excuse of a man for not standing up for you.

Monty34 · 16/12/2025 10:33

schoolfriend · 16/12/2025 10:25

Yikes, this is a deeply unkind way to talk about someone. Especially to proactively tell a random friend who hasn't asked and presumably doesn't care how much you weigh. Unfortunately it seems that she is just not a very nice woman.

She is more interested in being seen to be amusing or interesting in some way to her dog sitter than she is to being supportive to her daughter in law.

BerriesPineCones · 16/12/2025 10:34

Bloozie · 16/12/2025 10:24

For all the people saying, 'You haven't said how much weight you've put on. Being fat is unhealthy. If you've put on more weight than is healthy, you should try and lose it'.

Fat people know they are fat. We know. And we know it would be better for our health if we were less fat.

You don't need to tell us. It's not some big fucking revelation.

Framing what the OP's mil said as just a 'fact' is wild. The OP could very well say to her mil, 'You're a thoughtless, bitchy, judgemental, ungrateful, gossiping cow' and all of those things are also facts, they are all things that her mil needs to work on in order to be a better person, just like the OP could lose weight to be a healthier person.

But of course they aren't the kind of facts that polite people deliver to their family members - they're the thoughts we keep in our head. Why is 'fat is fact' fine, but 'character critique is fact' to be avoided, lest we offend?

I agree

Oriunda · 16/12/2025 10:36

Honestly? She’s done you a favour, letting you know her true colours. I’d just totally drop the rope. Don’t engage. Come off the group chat (I am so thankful I’m not on anything like that). Leave hosting to your DH next time. Be polite, but nothing more.

My MIL can’t stand me. She’s good enough to say it all to my face. It’s really not worth my DH while remonstrating with her, as WW3 kicks off. Instead, I dropped the rope a long time ago. I’m polite, but nothing more. No warm kisses. No photos of my DS sent to her. I leave it all to DH.

TheMorgenmuffel · 16/12/2025 10:36

She (and possibly the rest of them) clearly talk badly about you behind your back regularly and comfortably. At least now you know the truth of who she is and you can adjust your relationship with her accordingly.

I would pull right back. Be civil but no more.

lizzyBennet08 · 16/12/2025 10:37

Well... what an utter bitch. So unnecessarily mean. I would text her and tell that you wont inflict your fatness on her any more so your dh can go and visit her going forward and you will stay home.

Benjithedog · 16/12/2025 10:41

Tell your wet lettuce of a husband that unless you get a full apology his mother will never set foot in your house again and you will not see her again either. .

dobbylan · 16/12/2025 10:44

Only issue I see here is her saying you are a burden! How ?

dobbylan · 16/12/2025 10:45

Benjithedog · 16/12/2025 10:41

Tell your wet lettuce of a husband that unless you get a full apology his mother will never set foot in your house again and you will not see her again either. .

What more do you think he can do? she spoke over him , if he forces her to apologise you know it will not be sincere anyway

Safxxx · 16/12/2025 10:49

So ungrateful 😔 Unfortunately most in-laws are. Don't let her opinion of you ruin your self esteem, you could lose all that weight yet she will find something else to criticise you with... seriously there's no winning with such low people....as long as your husband is supportive of you and you both have a good relationship..that's all what matters ❤️

Whereismyfleeceblanket · 16/12/2025 10:50

Ops dh isn't caught in the middle here..
He only made vows to one of the women in this scenario.. Maybe remind him of that.
And remind him she isn't welcome in your home again.

Safxxx · 16/12/2025 10:51

Leave the chat group asap

Benjithedog · 16/12/2025 10:55

dobbylan · 16/12/2025 10:45

What more do you think he can do? she spoke over him , if he forces her to apologise you know it will not be sincere anyway

The husband should be prioritising his wife and shouldn’t be letting his mother speak over him. He’s not a child. He could have told her to be quiet when he was speaking. The OP also needs to know her husband is putting her first. The vile mil needs to be held to account for her behaviour and this starts with an apology.

CitizenofMoronia · 16/12/2025 10:57

I'd be saying to DH, sort your mother out and stand by me, or it's the last time she crosses my threshold.

WearyAuldWumman · 16/12/2025 10:58

LBFseBrom · 16/12/2025 06:41

She didn't say you were horrible or didn't like you, was just expressing to a friend that she is concerned for you and your husband because you are overweight. You weren't meant to see the message, it's unfortunate that you did but it's done now.

Could it be a wake up call for you? If your weight is now such that it causes concern to others, it must mean that it is a problem. You'd feel much better if you slimmed down a bit. Why not use this positively and get to work on it.

You're overlooking the use of the word 'burden'.

Thehandinthecookiejar · 16/12/2025 10:58

Whereismyfleeceblanket · 16/12/2025 10:50

Ops dh isn't caught in the middle here..
He only made vows to one of the women in this scenario.. Maybe remind him of that.
And remind him she isn't welcome in your home again.

It’s not DHs fault his mothers been caught out acting like a twat.
Just tell MIL she’s not to visit again and be fine with it. It’s possible she doesn’t want to look them in the eye now anyway.

mbosnz · 16/12/2025 11:01

It's worth thinking about what MIL would think, do, and feel, if OP had posted something similar about her, when she is mulling over how she 'should' feel and respond.

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