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Omg such anality from pil. Come and share your anal behaviour stories (lighthearted)

911 replies

ledkr · 05/01/2013 11:04

We are with pil at present and they are very sweet but so bloody uptight about everything.
Bil has been away for a week so he left car with pil so that it "wasn't left in the street" it has a steering lock on and fil takes it for a drive each day! The car is an old banger worth about two hundred quid.
Kids can't even eat a banana without a table cloth,mat and plate Hmm
Leaving the house to walk to shops is a major ordeal. Costs hats gloves change of shoes everything switched off at the wall last minute run upstairs for wallets. I could have been there and back.
So I'm asking you to entertain me with similar stories to help me through the day.

OP posts:
GreenShadow · 06/01/2013 22:05

Whilst finding most of this great fun, I don't understand why it is considered weird to warm plates before serving a hot meal. Just seems logical to me.

Also only ever make tea in a teapot.

Slippers - I don't see the issue here either - especially with those of you who don't like guests to wear shoes in the house - sounds like they are just being courteous to me.

Sunnywithshowers · 06/01/2013 22:05

YY to teabag collecting thingy. My lovely MIL brings tea on a tray, with a wee jug for milk, a teabag in a cup, a teabag plucking-out tool, and teabag collector.

AnyFuleKno · 06/01/2013 22:08

I recognise lots of my pil traits here

On Xmas day pils arrived at 10:30 am laden with presents and the usual bags of odds and ends - interesting articles clipped from local paper and who knows what else. From this time until I served dinner at 4pm mil spent constantly footering with small sandwich bags, wrapping paper, unpacking bags, showing me the contents and repacking neatly, placing all items in my living room in neat but impractical stacks and talking constantly about unknown (to me) jeans and daves and their various comings and goings.

When I used to drop dd off for the day at 8:30 lunch would already be prepared and in the slow cooker...why? They don't go anywhere necessitating this time saving device

The leaving rital ...90 mins from stating intention to leave with hugs kisses and requests for us to Phone soon...we see them 2 to 3 times a week!

AnyFuleKno · 06/01/2013 22:13

Ah yes and the tiny cups, the weak pallid tea...I've taken to making my own. Tea bags on the highest shelf, and they use a miniature teaspoon to measure out your paltry ration of coffee,

In other ways they are generous and kind but their frugality and fogey habits are frustrating to me as someone whose parents dont know the meaning of the words routine, savings account, planning etc

HollySheet · 06/01/2013 22:16

Oh shit...

I collect teabags in a little bowl before depositing them in the bin. (lazy)

I have 2 gravy boats.

I own a lot of Tupperware.

I'd rather take a picnic than buy lunch.

I actually have special plates and glasses for Christmas.

I'll be 29 in a week... Blush

MumVsKids · 06/01/2013 22:23

I've been reading this all day today, it's great!!!

I've got loads to add, but I'm typing on phone so will just add a couple for now....

MIL called a couple of weeks before Xmas to say her central heating was broken, and an emergency plumber had diagnosed X and quoted Y for the work to be done. DH (her son) is a plumber, and she wanted to know what he would charge, and if the quote she had was reasonable.

DH offered to repair for free, but MIL has now decided to wait approx 10 weeks to have a whole new system installed by age concern uk, as she is entitled to a grant.

DH can supply and fit a new boiler for a 10th of the grant she thinks she's its entitled to, and he could fit it in this week. But no. She doesn't want to inconvenience DH by putting some work his way!!!!

MIL drives, has her own car etc but resolutely refuses to drive 25 miles to our house as she doesn't know the way. She has a satnav, a car 10 years newer than ours but will not make the journey alone - henceforth she has turned up at our house with a rather odd collection of acquaintances, including one friend who was so travel sick she couldn't have a cuppa when they arrived???

She has no problem with us piling three DCs in the car and ambling over to her too small for more than two people at once house, where she will force offer lukewarm tea at 7 minute intervals and stale cake/biscuit, or if we're really lucky chip butties.

We also have the 90 minutes chatting on the doorstep when trying to leave, and the piece de resistance, was her telling me she had put a stool in the bathroom for me ready for when I needed to bf ds. Hmm
I totally ignored her, commandeered an end of the sofa and sat and bf ds in the living room. DH ended up telling her that this is the norm these days, and if she wished to eatin the bathroom she should go ahead, but ds eats with the rest of us :)

She buys so much crap stuff off the shopping channels, then tries to offload it to us.
She has already given us three sets of suitcases, we do not need a fourth.

She irons EVERYTHING. If we go to her house, and she has stuff needing to be ironed, she hides it in the tumble dryer! I mean, why???

She has a dishwasher, but doesn't use it. She says this is because the heating is broken and there is no hot water - I pointed out it is cold fill and doesn't need hot water, and will use less energy than currently being used to boil the kettle to wash the fucking pots!

The house she lives in now, she chose it because of the wood floor in the lounge and the leather sofas which were included in the sale. She has lived there less than a year and has had a new carpet fitted OVER the wood floor that she loved so much and covers the carpet with a variety of rugs. The leather sofas are covered in so many cushions and various throws that I'm not actually certain the sofas are there anymore IYSWIM!! I think It is just a pile of cushions!!

She cannot cook for toffee, she literally boils everything to a mush. Roast dinner is a chicken breast so overcooked you could use it as a foundation stone, along with carrots, peas and potatoes that literally disintegrate to a pulp at the first sign of a knife and fork.

There's no hope!!!

edam · 06/01/2013 22:26

dh collects teabags although he doesn't have a little dish for them, he just squishes them on the side of the sink. However, he has almost convinced me that they are just too wet to go straight into the recycling bin when retrieved from a cup... Does this mean it is starting..?

edam · 06/01/2013 22:28

oh, the interesting articles clipped from the paper thing, I'd forgotten FIL used to do that! Every time we visited, bless him. In his defence, they were usually funny - the sort of stuff that columnists get paid for collating.

TeaOneSugar · 06/01/2013 22:33

MIL has a complete set of "best" crockery and a canteen of cutlery only used on christmas day and boxing day, maybe new years day if you're lucky.

She gets dressed in the morning, and then gets changed into her finery (sp?) to go into town shopping and then immediately gets changed again when she gets back, she won't sit in the house in nice clothes, just really old tracksuit bottoms and t-shirts.

This christmas i discovered she checks the napkins after christmas day lunch and if they don't look dirty she puts them out again for boxing day lunch, so you get a napkin someone else used the previous day.

Plates must be warmed, even if they're taking up room in the oven needed to cook food.

She makes bisto gravy from granules with boiling water and then brings it back to the boil in the microwave, gravy must be bubbling on arrival at the table.

She is also obsessed with airing and constantly tells me how well its drying today "it's dried lovely today" etc.

LindyHemming · 06/01/2013 22:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ledkr · 06/01/2013 22:35

I think it starts with obsessive tea drinking. I drink loads and only use certain tea bags and it has to be made a certain way strong with little milk or I literally can't drink it. Ds gets stroppy cos I just can't drink his mugs of beige luke warm slop. The tea bag doesn't work properly when it's not hot enough fgs.
I also worry about being unable to have tea and if necessary take tea bags or a flask.
I am on my way!

OP posts:
LindyHemming · 06/01/2013 22:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 06/01/2013 22:36

Oh I can explain about the teabags. If you carry them across the kitchen to the bin they drip everywhere. If you collect them in a ramekin you can then bin (or compost) them later when they are cool and not-drippy.

(I use ramekins for this purpose).

My mum does the articles clipped from the paper thing. One Christmas a few years back she saved them all up for a year, stuck them in an album and presented it to me as one of my gifts!

HazleNutt · 06/01/2013 22:36

EverythingsNotRosie I remember there was a poster on MN who did that, both she and her DH washed their underwear every day when they were showering and she was shocked to find out that not everybody does the same. Apparently it's gross to put underwear in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry.

My MIL is elderly and has difficulties walking, not to mention anything requiring any flexibility. At Xmas time, she insisted that she needs to pick up all pine needles and crumbs she could see on the floor. One by one, by hand. We do have a vacuum, but oh, no don't get it out, too much trouble..so had to watch her huffing and puffing when bending down for half an hour. Painful.

Yes, PILs come over with their own slippers, facecloth, soap and toothpaste. Because sure, you can use the guest room, but oh no, not our toothpaste! Confused

drjohnsonscat · 06/01/2013 22:37

When my mum comes to my house, because she doesn't have access to the china tea bag spoon, she squishes the tea bag dry-ish and leaves it on the draining board Angry

drjohnsonscat · 06/01/2013 22:40

I carry my cup to the bin, lift the lid and deposit the tea bag therein. No mess no fuss no china tea bag spoon Confused

EndoplasmicReticulum · 06/01/2013 22:43

drjohnsons - logical if you're only making one cup. If you're doing 4 that's a lot of trips across the kitchen with tea.

Sparklingbrook · 06/01/2013 22:43

DF has one of those teabag squishers.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 06/01/2013 22:48

I have one too - in my defence it came free with a box of teabags and I don't use it for teabag squishing.

It's very useful for turning over hot bacon halfway through cooking, so it has become the "bacon turner".

The more I read this thread, the more worried I am getting. I am definitely showing signs.

drjohnsonscat · 06/01/2013 22:48

Yes that's true but my mum lives alone Confused still

AnyFuleKno · 06/01/2013 22:50

Love the image of the microwaved gravy bubbling on the table like one of those sizzler dishes you get at tgi Fridays. Grin

Yes the flipping newspaper cuttings '100 health benefits of vinegar'. 'town hall frontage to receive 10 yearly cleaning' any old shit that mentions our town name. Also 'poims' as mil does love a poim so we receive a lot of glurge about the footsteps of children etc

LindyHemming · 06/01/2013 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 06/01/2013 22:53

Euphemia you re-use teabags? Is your tea not all watery and weak?

LilyVonSchtupp · 06/01/2013 22:54

I keep my food waste bin next to the tea-making facilities. Ergonomic and time-saving. Grin

Don't people get burnt mouths all the time with the hot plates, and 3 hours in the oven chicken and bubbling hot gravy? Confused

My DM refuses to drink the water in France. It's probably poisonous don't you know. I also once took her to Yo Sushi just to see her face Cue much pursing of lips and refusal to eat ANYTHING. Even the little pancakes.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 06/01/2013 23:04

Just thought of another - Grandma-in-law is obsessed with the price of things. If something doesn't cost the same as it did pre-decimalisation she sucks air in through her teeth.

Family took her to Bettys for tea once. She looked at the price of a pot of tea on the menu, had a funny turn and had to go outside for some fresh air.