Why does MIL make fun of everything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some posters won’t agree, but you could try sprucing things up for the few days she’s there. I’m getting that the way you live/keep your house is a bit informal for her tastes. So, while she’s there, if you don’t want to hear her mouth, use some napkins, put away the legos, etc. I get that you’re busy but I do wonder about people who can’t be bothered to put their best foot forward when they are entertaining or hosting. Your MIL may feel like you’re saying she’s not worth the effort of making things nice for her visit.

She staying at their home for more than 1-2 nights. You don’t get guest treatment and pampering at that point.

Also, she’ll find something new to be critical of. At least that’s how my MIL works. If there’s nothing current to criticize, she’ll dig up something from our past. Rude people are rude.

I disagree that if people are staying more than a couple of nights that’s it’s ok to live as if they’re not there. That’s I think just a difference in upbringing. My parents host us for holidays out of town and everything is thought out and lovely from the time we get there until we leave. I learned from that example and do the same when we entertain. Maybe her MIL feels that way as well. I agree that it is rude for MIL to express her displeasure the way that she does but she’s not likely to stop until something changes. Also, we don’t know her MIL but it sounds like her complaints were very specific to her environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s weird and rude to use paper towels when you have guests. I use them for family dinners too, but not when we have company.

It is weird to have Lego sets in the living area.

MIL has entered the discussion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are so sensitive and mean nasty. Always making everything personal and fight worthy. It's shameful.
Why not just laugh, be silly and make the visit something everyone can enjoy.
Don't let your kids see or feel your negative vibes. It's their Grandma.

Or maybe Grandma could stop setting negative vibes by making fun of the home she’s being hosted in for several days. How about grandma set an example of being a gracious guest and a generally positive person? Hmm?

This exactly. She certainly isn't modeling polite and gracious behavior.

[Anonymous]

My mom is this way. Literally makes fun of the most minute things and thinks anything that’s fine differently than how she’d do it is “weird”. It’s exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do folks really have cloth napkins for everyday dinners? That’s just odd to me.

I use white cloth napkins for every meal. I run a weekly load if just kitchen linens and bleach it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom is this way. Literally makes fun of the most minute things and thinks anything that’s fine differently than how she’d do it is “weird”. It’s exhausting.

And a lot of them can be found in this thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so weird about wiping the food from a dinner plate into the trash using a paper towel? It’s not perhaps the most common practice but why is objectionable?

I'll set aside that OP isn't composting and is just tossing everything in the trash, but why not just use silverware to scrape off the plates?

Why not just use the paper towels?

It can be unsanitary. There is plenty of food that's going to seep through the paper towel and get on your fingers. Would you wipe the plate with your fingers?

Do you not have a dishwasher?

DP. It's not good to leave all that gunk in your dishwasher. It gets stuck in the trap, in the pipes, and becomes a "fat berg" in the sewers and becomes all of our problem. Much better in the trash. Are you my husband?

Sigh. I’ll type slowly for you. You use the paper towel to get the “gunk” off your dishes, then throw the paper towel in the trash. Then you put the dish that your fingers may have touched through the paper towel (*gasp* *horror*) in the dishwasher, which removes your Evil Finger Germs from said plates when it runs its cycle, and you wash your damn hands with soap and water,

All caught up now?

DP but normal people just use utensils for this job.

You really can’t fathom that not everyone needs to do things your exact way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

It’s trashy not to use cloth napkins, PP. I hope you’re not being trashy, even on Pizza Friday.

Right here is why women are never going to rule the world. Too many of us spend brain cells on absolutely the most stupid sh*t and then give someone else a hard time about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some posters won’t agree, but you could try sprucing things up for the few days she’s there. I’m getting that the way you live/keep your house is a bit informal for her tastes. So, while she’s there, if you don’t want to hear her mouth, use some napkins, put away the legos, etc. I get that you’re busy but I do wonder about people who can’t be bothered to put their best foot forward when they are entertaining or hosting. Your MIL may feel like you’re saying she’s not worth the effort of making things nice for her visit.

She staying at their home for more than 1-2 nights. You don’t get guest treatment and pampering at that point.

Also, she’ll find something new to be critical of. At least that’s how my MIL works. If there’s nothing current to criticize, she’ll dig up something from our past. Rude people are rude.

I disagree that if people are staying more than a couple of nights that’s it’s ok to live as if they’re not there. That’s I think just a difference in upbringing. My parents host us for holidays out of town and everything is thought out and lovely from the time we get there until we leave. I learned from that example and do the same when we entertain. Maybe her MIL feels that way as well. I agree that it is rude for MIL to express her displeasure the way that she does but she’s not likely to stop until something changes. Also, we don’t know her MIL but it sounds like her complaints were very specific to her environment.

Did your parents also raise you to make fun of how people organize/decorate their house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do folks really have cloth napkins for everyday dinners? That’s just odd to me.

We do. Everyone has a napkin ring and we switch the cloth napkins out every few days.

I hate paper napkins.

What do you mean you switch them out every few days?

They get put in the laundry and we put new/clean ones in the napkin rings.

Table linens are part of our normal laundry routine.

So you are saying you don't have clean napkins for every meal? You use the same napkins several days in a row. That's disgusting and strange and I would love to know some of your other habits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do folks really have cloth napkins for everyday dinners? That’s just odd to me.

We do. Everyone has a napkin ring and we switch the cloth napkins out every few days.

I hate paper napkins.

What do you mean you switch them out every few days?

They get put in the laundry and we put new/clean ones in the napkin rings.

Table linens are part of our normal laundry routine.

So you are saying you don't have clean napkins for every meal? You use the same napkins several days in a row. That's disgusting and strange and I would love to know some of your other habits.

This was my upbringing. Everyone had a different ring and the napkins were washed after a few meals. We all managed to survive it just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do folks really have cloth napkins for everyday dinners? That’s just odd to me.

We do. Everyone has a napkin ring and we switch the cloth napkins out every few days.

I hate paper napkins.

Ewww. I think it's gross that you reuse cloth napkins. I try to be environmentally friendly but I will not go there.

I think it’s gross that you are such a sloppy eater that you regularly dirty your napkin. Generally, ours stay perfectly clean, though we switch them out with some regularity and as needed.

What are you eating? Even if you and your kids are experts and never having food touch your lips, Do you never eat corn on the cob, pizza, burgers, nothing that might touch your hands?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

It’s trashy not to use cloth napkins, PP. I hope you’re not being trashy, even on Pizza Friday.

Right here is why women are never going to rule the world. Too many of us spend brain cells on absolutely the most stupid sh*t and then give someone else a hard time about it.

I’m pretty sure it’s more due to the Taliban shooting women trying to go to school, Putin waging war, and MAGA voters stripping away women’s rights, but sure. Blame someone commenting on paper towels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so weird about wiping the food from a dinner plate into the trash using a paper towel? It’s not perhaps the most common practice but why is objectionable?

I'll set aside that OP isn't composting and is just tossing everything in the trash, but why not just use silverware to scrape off the plates?

Why not just use the paper towels?

It can be unsanitary. There is plenty of food that's going to seep through the paper towel and get on your fingers. Would you wipe the plate with your fingers?

Do you not have a dishwasher?

DP. It's not good to leave all that gunk in your dishwasher. It gets stuck in the trap, in the pipes, and becomes a "fat berg" in the sewers and becomes all of our problem. Much better in the trash. Are you my husband?

Sigh. I’ll type slowly for you. You use the paper towel to get the “gunk” off your dishes, then throw the paper towel in the trash. Then you put the dish that your fingers may have touched through the paper towel (*gasp* *horror*) in the dishwasher, which removes your Evil Finger Germs from said plates when it runs its cycle, and you wash your damn hands with soap and water,

All caught up now?

DP but normal people just use utensils for this job.

You really can’t fathom that not everyone needs to do things your exact way?

Where did I say I can't fathom it? Normal people don't do it that way, the abnormal do. Why get your hands involved if you don't have to? I would say it's also weird to have the dog lick all the plates and then just stick them in the dishwasher. Feel free to disagree, but it doesn't change my opinion. Sometimes there are better ways to go about things.

[Anonymous]

My mom will say things like this. I am pretty sure she thinks she is covering up her disapproval. She thinks she is being clever. Just ignore.