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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

What your Mother in Law like?

85 replies

charliecat · 28/07/2004 09:25

Having just started a thread about what your Mum was like I thought another good one would be whats your MIL like..they always make me laugh.
My MIL is a dirty filthy nasty witch.
For example her cats shit in the bath.
You cant see the colour of her carpets for the cat hair.
She continued to send dp details of jobs in Scotland for a good few months after we'd moved to England.
She rings round his single friends before he goes up on holiday hoping they will get him ratarsed and he will sleep around, therefore leaving me and the dds.
She shitstirs where ever possible and she still hasnt accepted that nearly 8 years and two daughters later we ARE together and he wont be going home.
I dont speak to her anymore BTW, I pass the phone over as quickly as possible.
Oh and she used to ring his mobile, not the house phone, as if he didnt live here FFS!

OP posts:
suzywong · 28/07/2004 22:04

She's great
We are moving in with her permanently.

Only ever had words when she sharpened my global knife on a steel.

KatieMac · 28/07/2004 22:04

My DH has a wonderful MIL & FIL - mine however......

nutcracker · 28/07/2004 22:06

Mine is a nasty, self centered old cow, who isn't happy unless she is making someone else miserable.

Me and the kids don't see her (or FIL) at all now. Dp is quite free to see them both but has chosen not too so far.

suedonim · 28/07/2004 23:38

My 84yo MIL is rather poorly and frail atm so we're off down south on Fri to see her - a 10-12hr car trip, uurrrrgh.

MIL is somewhat batty, very into spiritualism, lots of 'alternative' ideas about life, has a marvellously cluttered house and is nonjudgmental wrt our children. She lost four of her seven children so I guess she feels life is too precious to argue the small stuff.

essbee · 28/07/2004 23:40

Message withdrawn

collision · 28/07/2004 23:41

Mine is pure evil.

Told DH is was fat stupid and irresponsible for 'getting' me PG.

Told me this one had 'better be a girl.'

I hate her as she has caused so much trouble and am glad she lives in a different country to me.

Will not write more as my BP is going up.

essbee · 28/07/2004 23:45

Message withdrawn

essbee · 28/07/2004 23:47

Message withdrawn

Ghosty · 29/07/2004 02:39

I love my MIL ... but it has taken me 10 years to do so!
The first time I met her I was terrified of her, she seemed so cold and distant. So very unlike my mum (who is the epitome of the word MOTHER)!
MIL smokes like a chimney, drives a 'ute' and a quad bike, hardly eats but is fanatical about decent wine. I found it really hard to imagine her as a mother when DH was a little boy as she doesn't seem to have a maternal bone in her body.
BUT, since I had children she seems to have mellowed. She loves DS to distraction and thinks that he is the brightest, most wonderful child that ever walked the planet and TBH I love her just for loving him. She and I, over the years, have settled into a good relationship, not that we ever had a bad one. She loves to be made to laugh and so as long as I banter with her we are fine. And lately I have felt I can turn to her for advice too so that is good.

Now ... Step Witch in Law ... what would you like to know about the alcoholic, brassy, fake blond, silicone breasted tart?????????

eidsvold · 29/07/2004 04:12

ex mil was a nightmare - criticised and put me down to anyone that gave her the slightest bit of attention... in front of me or behind my back, interfering, nasty... when exh had an affair and took off with my best friend - my fault and then exmil threatened to take me to court to get some books back, as well as writing a nasty letter to me saying what a selfish ungrateful money grubbing cow I was and how much money I had 'ripped' them off..... that came from all the things she insisted on buying and bringing over to us and the bills she would take from our fridge when she visited and go off and pay...... so glad when I divorced - did not have to see or deal with her ever ever again.....

mil in UK - gorgeous.... credits me with changing dh's life for the better, says I am the best thing that ever happened to him, adores dd and was devastated when we emigrated....she was always feeling bad that she could not do more for us especially when dd was in hospital or ill but she had her own mother to care for who has senile dementia and is a right handful.... UK mil is absolutely wonderful.....

lavender1 · 29/07/2004 08:30

my MIL was a friendly woman but sadly I never got to have a proper MIL as she died 6 months before dh and I got married; often wish I had one as people have horror/happy stories to tell

Tex111 · 29/07/2004 08:50

My MIL is deceptively nice. Just when you think everyone is getting along and things are going well she goes in for the kill. They basically told us that if we die they would fight to get custody of our children... even though my sister in the US is our chosen guardian in our wills! We have an OK but very wary relationship with them. MIL is fairly glam, just had her eyebrows tattooed on and always travels with her Carmen rollers. Spends too much money on DS but is good with him and he adores her so I can't really complain too much.

FIL, on the other hand, is a very angry little man. He's full of strange ideas too and after a visit DH and I crack up recounting some of his theories - 'Johnny Depp is English and pretends to be American', 'the Holocaust never happened, the numbers just don't add up', 'Dean Martin never touched a drop of alcohol in his life'.... etc, etc. Mad.

dinosaur · 29/07/2004 09:42

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

anorak · 29/07/2004 09:57

Thank you charliecat for starting this thread. It has given so many of us the chance for a really therapeutic rant. Not only that but those of us with unpleasant in-laws can see that we are far from alone.

Grommit · 29/07/2004 10:10

Never wears underwear or shoes and looks like a warthog. Has absolutely no interest in anyone but herself, luckily for the rest of ue

Piffleoffagus · 29/07/2004 10:17

hell cats ghosty is your MIL my mum?

charliecat · 29/07/2004 11:15

And now folks mid thread...WHAT SORT OF MIL WILL YOU BE???!!!

OP posts:
808state · 29/07/2004 11:55

MIL,

Brief desciption:-

Not interested in anything other than herself

Comes from family with a domineering and disciplinarian father. Very much a daddy's girl.

Nice on the surface but if you scratch beneath the surface you see a different picture

Spends more time going out with her 41 year old son who is still living at home than with her DH.

Smothered both her boys and talked badly of FIL to boys when they were both younger by calling him useless and such like (FIL is mainly harmless. He is not my favourite person in the world but he's had a rough deal from the other two).

My DH is only "normal" because he got away from them when he had the opportunity.

Loves name dropping and image.

Inveterate snob

Manipulative and selfish

However, some other family members love her to bits!. Why exactly!!!.

If I could divorce my inlaws I would!!!!!!

Hawaii

anorak · 29/07/2004 12:07

I am going to be a lovely lovely MIL simply by being the opposite of my MIL and my mother.

Northerner · 29/07/2004 12:09

Ooh Charliecat I hope I'll be able to be a nice MIL. Not interferring, there if they need me etc, and very much involved in my grandchildren's lives. It brakes my heart though to think of my ds loving another woman more than his mummy

charliecat · 29/07/2004 12:12

Northerener that sound a recipe for disaster, so does that mean no woman will ever be good enough for your ds? Or you will scare them out of his life? Maybe these MILs are so bad to us as they love thier own children so much they dont want to share them? Just a thought.

OP posts:
anorak · 29/07/2004 12:14

northerner, he will love other women differently. He may have many lovers, but he will only have one mum.

oliveoil · 29/07/2004 12:16

My MIL is fantastic, she still took dd this morning even though she had a squitty bum and was filling nappies for fun. Left me to my magazines and tv for the day, bliss.

She still does things that I wouldn't do, like too much choc etc and lets dd get away with murder but I just think that is what grannies are for.

Northerner · 29/07/2004 12:21

Charliecat - no I don't mean no woman will ever be good enough for him, but it's difficult to imagine him not loving his mummy and only his mummy as he does now. Am I making sense? He's only 2 now, so I know that in time as he grows it will happen gradually, but to just think about it now is hard. Am I making sense or do I sound like a mad woman?

I think I find it hard to visualise a grown up relationship between mother and son, as I do not have a good relationship like this in my family circle. My Dad's mum died when he was only 17, my dh is not all all close to his mum or his step mum and I hve no brothers. So it's all a bit of a mystery to me IYSWIM?

charliecat · 29/07/2004 12:22

Oh yes, another thing my MIL did, when I was 16 weeks pregnant I started to bleed, by this time I had a bump, we were thinking of names and this was our BABY, well as we were walking out of her house she rubbed dps shoulder, the only time I have ever saw her touch him and be in any way affectionate. The sick thing is im sure it was because she was hoping I would lose the baby and then maybe id go away.

OP posts: