Why does MIL make fun of everything?
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Anonymous
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MIL is visiting, she’s been here since Monday. Everything is going well for the most part, but one particular behavior has been bothering me. And it’s not something new. It’s been a thing as long as I’ve known MIL.
She likes to make fun of things. It’s always minor things that are insignificant. Examples: We typically use a half sheet of paper towel when we eat dinner. 9/10 the kids don’t even use theirs, and I use them to scrape plates into the trash. We’ve been eating simple meals buffet-style this week, and I’ve set out plates and utensils, plus the sheets of paper towel, at the beginning of the buffet line. On night one MIL noticed and commented “You don’t use napkins? That’s different.” Now each night she’s been grabbing her paper towel and proclaiming to everyone, “I have my paper towel!” DH and our oldest have bonded over Marvel. We have a corner in our family room where they display Marvel Lego sets on the shelf, and even have some other Marvel-related collectibles displayed. Every time she enters the room she has to comment about the “toys” in the main living area of the house, or make some comment about how silly she thinks it is. “I’ll be in the cartoon room watching TV if anyone needs me!” Etc etc. A criticism followed by a never ending joke. Why? Why does she do this? Is she just uncomfortable and doesn’t know what else to say? What does she expect from us? And what can I do to not let this bother me for the rest of the week? |
Anonymous
| To subtly put you and your family down. |
Anonymous
| I think she expects napkins at dinner. |
Anonymous
| You just need to ignore. This is her passive aggressive way of commenting on things she doesn't approve of. My mother also thinks it is horrific to use a paper towel instead of a paper napkin. |
Anonymous
| Your paper towel thing IS weird. Why can't you use the silverware to scrape plates and thus have less waste? It's a bit trashy to not use napkins. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| I'm 15:11. I ALWAYS use paper towels when my mom comes because I know it annoys her, and I am a petty b****. |
Anonymous
YOU think it’s weird. Bounty napkins are literally the same material. And the point of the post isn’t about whether napkins are weird, but why someone would, over and over again, comment about it. You would do that? Then you’re weirder than paper towel napkins. |
Anonymous
No it’s not. It’s completely normal and many families use paper towels as napkins. It’s the same thing but one comes on a roll. |
Anonymous
It’s trashy not to use cloth napkins, PP. I hope you’re not being trashy, even on Pizza Friday. |
Anonymous
| Do folks really have cloth napkins for everyday dinners? That’s just odd to me. |
Anonymous
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Feel free to “joke” right back.
“Oh, are you still talking about the napkins? If it bothers you that much, Safeway is open. Might be a nice little errand for you.” “I don’t think anyone will need you. Enjoy!” And if she acts offended, you can just give her a huge grin and say, “Oh, I thought you were joking around, so I’m just joking around, too.” |
Anonymous
No. We all know they are a marketing ploy by the paper towel people to sell more of the same paper product. There’s just one PP in this thread who thinks they did something. |
Anonymous
NP. We do, yes. We don’t make a big deal about it, though, and we would certainly never comment (or even notice) if other people were using paper napkins or paper towels at their house. As long as there’s some type of napkin available, that’s fine! |
Anonymous
| She is being a passive jerk. Just ignore. |