Marrying your partner should feel like joining a family that’s just as kind and supportive as they are. But let’s face it, that’s not always how it goes.
These Redditors opened up about the chaos that came with their mothers-in-law, sharing stories that are so wild they almost sound made up. From jaw-dropping drama to petty revenge, the situations they found themselves in are truly next-level.
Keep reading to see just how messy things can get when a MIL decides to stir the pot.
#1
My MIL wanted a grandkid so bad from us, she told me I front of FIL and DH (her son) that I should just sleep with FIL because “DH comes from FIL, so they are the same.” I remember telling her that was disgusting and extremely disrespectful to both her husband and mine. I got some peace for the rest of the visit 😌.
Image credits: Girrcollege
#2
When my DH and I first got married, we lived several states away from our families. My JNMIL had not seen us in months, and was there to visit. She looked at my husband and screeched “All your hair is gone!” And then she looked at me and screeched “What did you do to him?!” My gorgeous DH has been losing his hair since he was in his early 20’s, so I’m not sure what the hell she was talking about. We were both so shocked we didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe she thought his hair loss was my fault! I have always wished I’d had the nerve to tell her that I’d f****d him so hard, his hair fell out!!!!
#3
She gifted me with the nightie she wore on her own honeymoon at my bridal shower. In front of all my family and friends, she gave me her 35 year old, used negligee to wear on my honeymoon with her son!!! Grossest and most inappropriate thing I had ever heard of, all wrapped up in white wrapping paper. Her son and I burned it outside later that night all the while shaking our heads at the craziness of it.
Image credits: LawComprehensive2204
#4
I was getting my hair done a few weeks ago and the only other patron was talking about her MIL to our hairdresser. I could see she was starting to get really upset and was getting close to tears.
I started talking about my MIL, letting her know she was not alone and we somehow ended up in this bizarre yet absolutely hilarious game of naming all the crazy shizzle our MILs have done in the past. By the end we were crying out laughing, it was so liberating!!
We closed with: I see your ’she thoughtfully gifted me postmenopausal face cream even though I am only 40’, and raise you a ’she got sued by the city for cutting off the tops (and only the very very tops) of all the pine trees in her garden - she then demanded I testify that it was my fault because DH spends all his time with me instead of him helping her clean up the needles’.
When you are to be in tears, Better it be from laughing right?
#5
Mine contacted my husband's command when he was deployed to Afghanistan because he wasn’t calling or emailing her but he called and emailed me. Then she told them I hacked his email and deleted all her emails. She then demanded that she be added to the family readiness group emails so she could find out what was going on and they refused because my husband didn’t list her as a contact. When he finally emailed her to tell her to stop this craziness, she contacted the command again and told them I hacked into my husband’s email and sent that email to her. Haven’t had contact with her since and that was August 2011.
#6
She told me she was going to call the Elder Abuse hotline on me because when she popped by unannounced I apparently ‘withheld her grandchildren from her’.
Both of them were at school.
#7
My story is dark- she told me that her husband molesting his step daughter was an accident and no different than a child being a bed wetter. It’s blameless - he went to jail, is on the registry but she opened a daycare so he could still have access to children (daycare is finally closed after making international news).
#8
My ex MIL told me within a few weeks of our wedding that it was customary to be trained by one’s mother-in-law in order to learn how to be the perfect wife. She knows him best of course, so if I had any hope of being a good wife I should start listening to her wise words. I declined the training. Turned out he was a huge mama’s boy who didn’t even flush the toilet for himself and had to be told to brush his teeth, shower etc. He couldn’t even make toast. She wanted to train me how to be his literal servant. No thanks. 😒.
Image credits: tengoqescaparpo
#9
I am Asian American, my husband is white. My MiL, who insists she has not one drop of racism in her body, once told me very proudly about the time she got cutoff by an Asian man in traffic and almost called him a "g**k", but refrained because she has an Asian daughter in law and mixed grandkids, and called him an "alien" instead.
She was really, really proud of herself.
Image credits: Auroraborealus
#10
She tried to pull an emergency baptism when I left my twins with her to pick up SO from his Gpa's funeral.
SO's Jewish and I was raised Catholic but both of us are non-observant. We decided to expose the twins to both religions but to let them decide if they wanted any religion to be part of their lives. She decided to contact a priest from her congregation to force a baptism. It did not happen either due to said priest needing parental approval and/or unavailable.
Image credits: valouis
#11
My latest is that I overheard her telling my husband to figure out what meds I need and sneak them in my food.
In case you’re wondering - she believes I need medication because HE always seems depressed when he’s talking to her.
Image credits: Sufficient-mrs-maybe
#12
My ex mother in law once told me that even at $7 an hour I could feed myself and 3 children and she wasn’t helping us anymore, when her son was in the throes of a*******n, stealing every penny that I earned he could get his hands on and we were about to have no water or electricity. I couldn’t keep up the payments and still feed everyone… a lot more complicated than that, but I’d have to say it was that.
Or when my ex husbands sister came out as a lesbian she said: “She wants to be a teacher. How in the world is she gonna do that if she’s gay?”
I said: “It’s not 1948? She’ll be fine.”
#13
Going on a family vacation and she texted me asking if I was bringing apple juice for my kids (18m and 3y at the time). I said no. And shes like “why, they don’t like it??” And I said no, they don’t drink it, we don’t offer them juice. Why?
And she replies “oh well we start our family vacations with shots of fireball. I was going to RINSE OUT mini fireball bottles and fill them with juice so they could feel included.”
Now look, my husband and I drink - we are not prudes. We have no problem having a beer or whatever in front of our kids. But my MIL wanted to basically teach my toddlers how to do shots and then got offended when I told her that’s not necessary 🙃.
Image credits: NoMastodon4342
#14
Thought she was getting the master bedroom suite when we bought our house. Uh no. Busted my a*s to buy a house. Why the f**k would we be giving you the biggest room?
Image credits: Popadicklikatictac
#15
She wore a see though cream colored dress to my BILs small wedding...
I was like you better not pull that s**t at my wedding..
Image credits: Adventurous-spice264
#16
Crazy, but not funny. Showed up late for our wedding (actually during the recessional), got into a fistfight with her sister in the church (my mother separated them), then at the reception went around and told everyone we hadn't invited her. It went downhill from there.
Image credits: ImportantSir2131
#17
One year I got a one of those bags they sell at supermarkets and it costs $2. That was it all I got for xmas from them. everyone else got beautiful gifts I was furious.
she drives around the town She lives in but she has no license.
Told me after I had my daughter that I was a disappointment because she wanted a grandson.
got angry when my baby started crying at church for xmas mass so I took her outside to the car , she started yelling at me in the car that I had disrupted her church service and that I was incredibly rude for staying in the car and not going back in to the service when she settled down. Im an atheist and hated going to these services, but went anyway because it’s what she wanted. Well that year was the last time I went to church. I always said no we aren’t coming in regards to me and my daughter. She hates it and complains every year.
I could write a effing novel with all the c**p my MIL has pulled.
#18
Not mine now but my ex mil lost her leg because she shot up wrong (got Gangrene) and had her leg removed and had to detox off subs and xanx while at the hospital, lost her mind when she left the hospital, stole an elderly woman's car after making her drive her everywhere all day and then got arrested. We call her the one legged bandit now even though she shot up in the other leg wrong and lost that one as well 🤣
Another good one I wrote years ago about my labor with her on this subreddit and how she made it difficult, broke into the room, and even started pressing on my belly to try and force the baby out faster, trying to smoke in the room while I was in the middle of delivery and even recorded my oldest birth and posted it on youtube, I had to take her to court to get the video removed and the photos she had of me labor deleted, she tried to argue with the judge but I had proof that she was showing strangers and putting me in dangerous situations.
#19
When I had my second baby my inlaws came to the hospital about 3 hours after he was born. Didnt bring any gifts but MIL handed me a handwritten recipe for a dish that I could cook for my husband when I get back home. Wtf? Thanks, I guess... (Btw he wouldn't have even liked that dish).
Image credits: More_Storage6801
#20
Years ago we took in my younger SIL while my MIL was going through a divorce. She showed her true colors when she realized we were actually taking care of SIL emotionally and physically, got her grades up in school and you know, CARED, because that made her look like a bad parent (I mean... Yeah she is, I'm really skimping on the worst but she's unmedicated bipolar and a narcissist, draw the lines yourself) and was clearly a slight against her.
During all this she got a dog, and in the months after my SIL moved back in with her to a new apartment it became clear to her that she treated the dog with more respect than my SIL. Took the dog out all the time, forced my SIL to stay home from plans because she "didn't like leaving the dog in a crate" ever, but it was fine to force social isolation on her kid.
Eventually the entire family called her out on it and she stopped some of the favoritism.
In the middle of that we found a great school opportunity for my SIL that would require her to relocate to our town again, asked SIL if she would actually put in the effort and wanted it and she broke down crying that she wanted to move back in with us. So my husband approached MIL about it and at first she was down but then the next day she left my SIL on the side of the road screaming that she was a b***h for wanting us over her and then texting my husband that since she's the parent HER NEEDS come first. It's been a few years since then, some things have improved, some haven't, SIL turned out okay.
On to this week.
Her dog escaped and was missing for two days. Over those two days she put up post after post online about how the dog was her world and she loved it over anything else in her life and I mean REALLY laying it on thick. More than her kids, more than life itself
It's so validating and frustrating when she says the quiet parts out loud about how little she actually cares about her kids. The dog came back home and she's been spoiling it rotten but not before my SIL read all those posts and now feels like s**t.
God.
#21
She’ll casually mention here and there that she has no retirement plan or savings. (She also doesn’t have a steady job, she re sells on eBay). She thinks it’s not big deal though because “I’ve got three wonderful kiddos who will take care of me!!!” Sorry, but no!
#22
She always says I don't tell her anything about my kid's life or schedule, even though I text her with info and pics quite a lot. Every time we see her it turns into an argument, where I produce my phone and show everyone I texted her stuff and she responded, and her insisting I'm some kind of technological wizard who can make texts that never happened appear on my phone.
Finally on Father's Day after a very theatrical performance from her about how I gatekeep info and me showing proof she's full of it, she admitted she deletes my texts immediately after reading because seeing my name in her phone fills her with rage (?!). She said this in front of everyone... shocked silence, eyes the size of saucers everywhere you looked. I would hope she will stop with her BS about my "information gate keeping" but nah. She loves being the center of attention. And I'm going to keep the receipts so I can discredit her every time.
#23
Mines notorious for making things up to fit her narrative, regardless of how nonsensical she’s being.
Somehow we got in the topic of young grandmas (my mom and one of MILs sisters were teen moms and so became grandmas at a young age, late 30s/early 40s).
MIL apparently decided she liked the young grandma vibe and so announces that she also was a young grandma, she was only 42 when my oldest was born. I stared at her….. no… you were 52. NO. She was FOURTY TWO. She was VERY YOUNG. (Said in her typical, this is the story I’ve decided upon , I am the main character so stop ruining it, supporting character! tone of voice) I walked her through her birth year vs his, her current age vs his current age, the age DH was at his birth vs the age she was when DH was born (like, you weren’t 19 when DH was born and he wasn’t 15 when OS was born so…), DH and I didn’t even know each other when you were 42 and I was in middle school at that point, and she just would not let up. *MAYBE* she was 45, but absolutely she was NOT 52.
I just sat there laughing hysterically doing the math 16 different ways as steam poured out her ears and she just kept repeating “I don’t know what to tell you, I WAS a *VERY YOUNG* grandma!!” (ETA: no dementia just a complete lack of sense).
#24
My mil wanted to take a "family trip' with just her kids. We were all married for years at this time with toddlers, babies, houses and you know 'jobs". Yeah, no.
#25
My exes mother came to my apartment once at 8 in the morning with an outfit that was approximately 3 times too big for me (at the height of my ED, that she was aware of) and told me that I would be wearing this to her parent's anniversary party the following week. As this was insane and I had just woken up, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and wash my face. I came out and she'd laid the outfit on my bed and tidied up. I don't miss this.
#26
MIL was watching my daughter (age 5 or so) and decided to get her a haircut! We were trying to grow out her bangs, the rest of her hair was shoulder-length, and I guess MIL didn't like how it looked (who does? -- that in-between stage isn't easy), and proceded to give my daughter a pixie with even heavier, shorter bangs. I could. not. believe. it. When I went to pick my daughter up, my SIL was looking at me sideways, like is AndiAzalea going to blow up now? I was screaming inside, let me tell you. But my MIL wasn't someone you could tell off. Isn't that the first rule of things grandmothers aren't supposed to do to their granddaughters?! Besides getting their ears pierced... That's another story...
Image credits: AndiAzalea
#27
We've only been married for two years but the current thing that takes the cake, is when MIL (who is inappropriately obsessed with her son) thought it would be cute to flaunt photos of my husband while he was a model for a destination wedding company - a full wedding photoshoot with a different, gorgeous model bride - at our actual wedding. 🙃
Image credits: soyasaucy
#28
She said she wanted to get a drink with me for happy hour. Proceeded to take me to a really weird place and refused to sit on the patio even though it was perfect weather. We went in and she was actually crashing a retirement party for a former coworker that she hadn’t been invited to.
#29
FMIL suggested he wait to marry me because I might be a man.
#30
My husband tried family therapy with MIL and FIL at his therapist's office. After two sessions he decided it was a waste of time and went NC again. MIL lost her mind and left a voicemail for my husband's therapist trying to get information about him. She also lowkey suggested that his therapist help her get SO to talk to her. Then she ended her call with asking his therapist to please not tell SO she called and to keep it a secret.
#31
Not me but my mom: my grandma (my mom’s MIL) gave her a toilet seat for Christmas when she was engaged to my dad. My mom still lived with her parents. She had no toilet of her own to put a seat on.
#32
I had so many WTF moments with mine. But one of the most WTFest of WTFs was when JNMIL told us to put our then young daughter (under 10 years old) on birth control so she didn’t get pregnant. At the time DH would try and excuse how she acted but even he couldn’t with this one. In fact he said “WTF Mother?!” JNFIL tried to have her back and doubled down. We left soon after.
#33
My MIL told me that both my therapist and OBGYN were obviously not helping me and that she was going to take me to a psych ward when I was struggling with depression during my pregnancy… went low contact after that one 🤦🏽♀️ also, after I told her not to kiss the baby on the face, hands, feet or anywhere, she proceeded to kiss the baby 😒.
#34
My Ex GMIL gifted me pajamas for Christmas in a size large. I was a size US 4. I discreetly asked my ex Aunt in law in regards to a receipt or where purchased so I could just exchange - the look on my face when I discovered they were a regift. Needless to say just the tip of the iceberg.
#35
My mother in law banned me from her house and then planned for a friend of mine to kidnap me for a wedding shower at her house. She was verrrry disappointed I ended up not showing up! We hadn't even been in communication since she had left me homeless so I don't know how she thought an event like that would even work well.
#36
I have many things. The latest is LO has allergies, now confirmed by hospital. When meeting inlaw family my partner informed about the allergies and for everyone to wash hands and be bit mindful if the wanted to interact with LO.
MIL response: well, how is that going to work when LO starts kindergarten/daycare?
As if our kid is the first the world history to have food allergies and our daycare will be the first to take care a child with such allergies.
She also got offended when she of course touched LO right after eating food he is ALLERGIC to. Stated she has washed her hands, but that was before eating... I pointed that out, she said I was right. And instead of apologizing and getting up to wash her hands, she just ignored LO and glared at me for the rest of the gathering.
#37
My MIL took it upon herself to wash my SO’s and my clothes while we were visiting. When I came downstairs, she was folding my THONG underwear in front of her husband and saying, “omg look at this little strings! How do you even wear that?” I was embarrassed but also WTF?! Don’t touch my underwear, make comments on it in front of your husband!!!! I will never forget that day.
#38
The one that still befuddles me most is when DH mentioned working extra OT shifts and her immediate response was "yay! I'll get to watch the LOs!" as if I don't exist.
#39
Shortly after DH and I moved into our first place (in the same general area as most of my family), my JNM announced that she was getting tired of doing Thanksgiving. DH's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and - silly us - we immediately volunteered Our New Place.
No one attempted to discourage us. This is important.
We started making plans, even before Christmas - throughout the summer, we were trying recipes, making sure we'd have enough places for people to sit, inviting his family and some of our friends. We got a specialty honey to glaze the turkey with, found out about everyone's food allergies, and started collaborating with some friends of ours who also enjoy cooking.
October comes, and my mother's father has been moved into her house - still moderately active, but couldn't be left completely on his own. There's a family get-together for his 97th birthday, and DH is talking about some of the dishes we have planned and how his mother, grandmother and sister are all excited.
No one makes the slightest protest. My sisters are talking about bringing leftover containers.
I go into work the following Monday, and open my email.
I kid you not, there is a message asking me what I plan on bringing to the potluck Thanksgiving at Mom's place.
Y'all.
We have people making the trip from Boston to DC to have Thanksgiving with us. We are not rug-pulling them and porting them to someone else's place. Never mind the awkwardness of telling our friends not to come over.
From what I was told, our spread was better anyways. (Those leftover containers still made an appearance.).
#40
I got a jar of opened and partially used body butter that I suspect she bought at a yard sale.
#41
My otherwise lovely MIL would gift my LO boxes of really nice clothes that she had shoplifted. We lived hundreds of miles away so it wasn’t possible to return them even if we had known which stores they came from. We got quite good at removing ink and EAS tags.
#42
My MIL yelled at us because SOMEONE ELSE offered to let me and my husband sit next to each other. She told him I wasn’t divorced yet when we were moving in together (covid court delays). She would yell at my husband and repeatedly tell him he can’t tell me just to test that he would or wouldn’t. She told the family I stole him and was a**sing him, and she turned the last conversation about the time line of our adoption into a race between who could give them grandchildren first between us and BIL- who was jealous and bitter about us getting married before him. Oh also since my husband is now converting to Judaism, she has to repeatedly remind everyone he’s really an atheist so we got some light antisemitism to top it all off.
Bonus points: I got annoyed that I got sunburned once so FIL told me “I guess you’re just white anyway” I’m mixed race Jewish and Puerto Rican. He then said something about sunburns for the next year and a half every time he saw me.
#43
My MIL told a family member that we financially take advantage of her and mentally a**se her. The family member confronted me, so I set the record straight with them. Thankfully they know MIL is crazy and believed me. My husband confronted his mom. She blew up, cried, threatened to unalive herself because no one loves her, then she blew up at the family member for telling us, and cut off contact with them. Made herself the victim in the story, never apologized or showed any remorse. I was never close to her, but I limited my contact with her more since then. I’m civil with her if I have to see her at family events but will not give her any information about our personal lives. I won’t keep my husband from having a relationship with her, but I stopped encouraging/reminding him to call her or keep her updated on things. I don’t think he ever remembers to on his own so she never hears from us.
#44
Mine contacted my husband’s command when he was deployed and managed to invite herself to his reenlistment ceremony without his knowledge. Imagine his surprise when he shows up and his overbearing mother is the person swearing him out and back in. This was before we met.
I went to his last reenlistment ceremony and she was not there this time. He doesn’t like her involvement in his career milestones because she quite literally centers herself.
I sent my in laws a video of the ceremony while we were on the FaceTime. She was furious and started yelling “WHY WASN’T I THERE? WAS (OP) THERE? I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME!”
#45
When my LO was about 10 months old, MIL called DH several times to let him know she bought toys for LO to play with at her house. He thanked her every phone call. When we visited, she went on and on about buying toys for her house. All she had was a dollar store ball, and LO wasn’t interested in balls. Throughout the whole visit, MIL kept trying to get LO to play with the ball and telling her how lucky she was that MIL bought it for her and how MIL almost didn’t find that ball after looking all over the store for the perfect gift, and DH thanked her every time. When we left, she insisted that we take the ball home.
When LO was about 1 year, MIL bought her a puzzle more appropriate for a 2 or 3 year old (asymmetrical flowers with each petal carved out). LO wasn’t even doing simple shape puzzles yet. She kept trying to instruct LO across the room to put the pieces in the right place (which she had never yet done for even a simple shape) and then tried to put it in for her. MIL couldn’t even get the puzzle piece in the spot and she put the puzzle away unfinished in embarrassment.
#46
My husband's step mother (SMIL has been part of the family for 35+ years) however.
SMIL once was given a set of bubble bath and scented talcum powder for Mother’s Day. (Me and hubby have it to her as part of a “self care” basket she had asked for). She had specifically asked for that scent and brand to be included. She split the bubble bath and talcum powder up and gave me the talcum powder and my SIL the bubble bath for Christmas. SIL doesn’t have a bath and I’m allergic to the scent of the talcum powder.
#47
She had my sons tonsils out. Long story..I worked out of town and she took him to routine appointments and convinced the Dr it needed to be done. After the procedure the Dr told me it was at her insistence and wasn't necessary. Aarrgghhh. Dead and gone and water under the bridge.
#48
For Christmas one year, she gave me a size 5X full length flannel nightgown. At the time, I was a U.S. size 12.
#49
She encourages her son’s to cheat on their SO, she’d occasionally get cheated on by her boyfriend and she’d punish him.. such a double standard, she should just let him cheat.. I laughed when I found out it happened. lol she should have held boundaries like I did. lol so glad to be away from their s**t.
#50
If anyone takes her to dinner or is treating for a special occasion, she will order the most expensive thing on the menu and her reason is, “I wouldn’t buy this for myself!” like it’s a completely innocent and normal thing to do.
Needless to say we rarely take her to dinner and definitely no longer treat her.
Besides her bday recently 🙄.
#51
On her wedding day, she called me to leave a voice message for her son on my phone, telling him she knows he misses her although we are NC, and that he wants to spend time with them.
Half a year prior, I went to the police to file her for stalking (charges dropped sadly). She's blocked on my phone, but my provider still allows voice mail. DH doesn't have her blocked.
There is no reason to call me. There is absolutely no way he doesn't want NC, otherwise he would be in contact. She's delulu so hard, she's almost on the other side of sanity again!
Anyhow, he didn't answer her, and I filed her message on my stalker app.
Btw we're NC because she crashed our wedding, and never felt wrong for it. Weddings are apparently sacred, you know?
#52
Man here. My justnomil gave me a hair and body care kits last Christmas. Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant….i'm totally bald.
#53
My MIL constantly tells us (and I'm assuming other family members) about other family members' personal business without us asking to know. On a recent visit she told us about my BIL's marriage issues, like lots of details. Apparently BIL found out and sent MIL a text message upset as he felt she betrayed his trust. She then calls my husband crying and playing the victim. When my husband called her out as at fault and needing to take some accountability, she starts going into a depressive nosedive (she does have diagnosed depression) talking about how it would be better if she wasn't here, etc 🙄 Like just stop telling everyone everybody else's business!
I have learned (long before this instance) never to share anything with MIL that I'm not okay with the rest of the family knowing.
#54
Gifted my daughter paper towels and Kleenex for her first birthday.
#55
My MIL spilled coffee over a scratch cake step MIL made me for my shower. It was a brand new cup of coffee and the cake was in the fridge still.
#56
I am pregnant with our 4th child, my husband would love to have more, for me it’s the last one. At my first doctor appointment I asked to tie my tube after birth.
So MIL came to visit and told me her son should be very discouraged with this 4th pregnancy. So I tried explaining to her that her son wants évent more kids and I am done. And she was replying, I don’t think so…. Me and my husband had MULTIPLE conversations about having kids. She kept repeating herself «I think my son most be really discouraged of this pregnancy ».
My husband wasn’t there every time she said it. But I asked his to have a talk with his mom, because I was going to lose my mind.
