Coincidence? Every time we mention MIL, she calls

[Anonymous]

My DH is essentially estranged from his parents. We haven’t seen them in over a year, and contact has been very limited, maybe once or twice during medical emergencies. Otherwise, they are not part of our lives.
That said, something odd keeps happening and I’m trying to decide whether this is just coincidence.

Earlier this month, my teen DD and I were talking in the living room about Christmas, which led to Christmases past and eventually grandma (MIL). I stepped away to take the trash out, DD went to her room, and within a minute she came running out to say that grandma had just texted her that she was thinking of her. First text in months, immediately after we’d been talking about her.

DD then pointed out that this has happened before, even before the estrangement. Whenever grandma is mentioned casually, she seems to reach out very shortly after, like the “your ears must have been ringing” phenomenon.

Then last night, DH was at the airport coming home from a business trip, and we were talking about how weird but peaceful the holidays will be without his family. We hung up, I went back to cooking, and a few minutes later DH called back to say his mom had just called and left him a voicemail.

At this point my brain is doing gymnastics. Rationally, I know this is probably coincidence and confirmation bias. But emotionally, it’s unsettling that every time she’s mentioned, she contacts one of us.

There’s no realistic way she’s listening in (no home computer, no shared devices, though she has accessed our wifi during visits), so I’m assuming coincidence, but is it?

Please talk me down if needed, or help me figure out how this might be happening!

[Anonymous]

Maybe MIL bugged the house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe MIL bugged the house

OP here, that’s exactly where my crazy mind is going at this point! But then the rational part is like, how would she know how to do that? how would she be keeping the device charged? etc etc. It’s just really an uneasy feeling when she reaches out ONLY after we talk about her in this house. She hasn’t reached out to DH in months. How strange that she chooses to on a random Thursday evening and right after we hung up from our call?

[Anonymous]

The call is coming from inside the house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The call is coming from inside the house

I wish I could joke about this!

[Anonymous]

Secret camera in your living room/kitchen??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Secret camera in your living room/kitchen??

But how would it stay charged for over a year?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like she is spying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like she is spying.

But how? Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

she has accessed our wifi during visits

There you go. Using her MIL connections to the underworld, she bribed/begged/blackmailed a hacker to get access to devices in your home remotely. Perhaps she sent a bogus technician/repairman to plant an eavesdropping device. It could also be that decorative doo-dad she gave one birthday or Christmas has a spying device in it.

I have a feeling someone won’t be inheriting anything from her estate.

[Anonymous]

So both times you did not see your DD or DH between the time you spoke of your MIL and she made contact. You need to stay with DD and DH for an hour or so immediately after you talk about MIL. I’m suspecting someone’s (DD or DH or both) contacting MIL.

[Anonymous]

It’s like saying Candyman.

[Anonymous]

Just try it a couple more times. Even if she did bug your house, it’s not really realistic she’s listening at every single moment.