I'll try and give a short version as this has been on going for nearly 8 years.
Basically. My husband and I have been together 18 years. Married for 8. Have 2 children. Age 7 and 3.
I always got on with my in-laws. I was always weary of my mother in law but still kept the peace. (She used to make snide comments and I'd never know if she was joking).
Once I'd birthed our son. She became unbearable. Used to bad mouth me to my husband for things like me just taking our son to my mums or I had a few months of recurrent tonsillitis where I'd be bed bound and my sister would help out (because they'd offer but my mother in law never did). She would make a point of booking tables for meals at times like 8pm knowing our son went to sleep at 7 and I just didn't want him around them drunk (they love alcohol!).
All these little things added up until one day she made a comment to my husband about me and my mum. So I called her out on it. We stopped talking that day. She disowned her own son without a care!
She did send a vile letter blaming me for everything and She then turned my husbands entire family against us until here we are 7.5 years later and the only person who speaks to us and has a relationship with our children, is his younger brother.
Unfortunately my mother in law now tries to cause trouble through my brother in law. Makes comments to him. Tells everyone she only has 1 grandchild (her middle son has a 1 year old) . She found out we were moving and then managed to find our address and we caught them outside in the car.
She also goes a far as getting other family members to turn up at restaurants when she knows we are meeting my brother in law.
I've never reacted to any of this. However I'm finding it's slowly eating away at me. There's a small part that wants to finally have my say, to call her out on all her bulls*. But I keep telling myself to rise above it.
I want some advice really on how I can stop this woman having some kind of hold over me. My husband says he doesn't care and to let it go. But it's constant. It's getting me to the point where I don't even want to see my brother in law because I know it's going to bring up yet another conversation of all the crap she's been chatting.
It's mentally draining.
I don't want her to know she's getting to me but at the same time I want her to know I'm not a doormat.
😪 2018 this started and boy is she dragging it out.
I'll never reconcile with her. My children do not need her toxicity in their lives. I just want her to stop. Stop dragging our names through the mud.
Appreciate the time you've taken to read my rant.
Xx