Slightly Irritating Things Your In-Laws Do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 3 kids. MIL sends to each an outfit, a book, and a toy for each holiday for which Hallmark makes a card. This includes Thanksgiving, which apparently to her is the holiday where you are thankful not only for the things you have but also for the new things you get. MIL also brings an outfit, a book, and a toy for each child each time she visits. DS, 3, has started to greet her with "what present did you bring?" I can't be bothered to correct him.

I think this is kind of sweet (DIL here). Your kids will remember this as a tradition with their grandmother long after you managed to spirit away any toys or clothes you didn't want to keep. I love the book idea. Hopefully she writes which holiday and which year in them - what a fun kids' library tradition.

[Anonymous]

We repeatedly ask MIL/FIL to buy one size bigger clothes, but they never listen. Most often MIL/SIL buy current size clothes for our son, and not one size bigger. We, the parents, already have a stock of current size clothes from last year/friends/my family/our own purchase. So, MIL/FIL purchases usually last only few months and gone. What they buy usually are hard-to-get one time deal clothes, so I want one size bigger to extend the lifetime of the clothes (not much photo op with a current size).

I complained and my mom says "it is the fun for a grandparents to shop for grand kids (understand that) and most often we want to see that clothes on the grand kids in current season." WE GAVE UP.

[Anonymous]

PP above. I meant to say, we asked them "if they are buying any clothes for our son, please please buy one size bigger." What we get is usually the current size. This was same for birthday present. One time, MIL/FIL casually asked us what our son wants to for his birthday (might have been Christmas). We replied with what my son is into at that current season. Of course, we get nothing we asked for and instead we got what they want to send to our son. Lesson learned, and since then we never trust their "so, what does he want for Christmas/birthday" question ever.

Other than that, MIL/FIL are loving people. No complaint other than above.

[Anonymous]

They're really picky eaters, like I can count on my fingers the foods they want to eat. And they want very specific brands of food -- only this brand of salad dressing, this kind of ketchup. Worse, my FIL likes one thing, but my MIL doesn't so they expect two separate meals to be cooked for dinner. True, we don't have to accommodate their pickiness, but we've been trained to be good hosts, and when your 80 yo MIL who's not a great driver says she's just going to drive to the store to get some food in a neighborhood she's not familiar with, we just give in and get her the damn food. Having them over for dinner is always a big production.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Constantly “tending to” and observing me. No, I don’t want you to warm this muffin in the microwave for me. Yes, I know there’s jam—I just don’t happen to want anything but butter on my table ast this morning. Yes, I know there’s coffee; no, I don’t want you to pour me any.

And at 5 o’clock, it’s constant drinks pushing. Like maybe if you convince me to have a glass of wine, no one will notice you’re already on your third...

how awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP above. I meant to say, we asked them "if they are buying any clothes for our son, please please buy one size bigger." What we get is usually the current size. This was same for birthday present. One time, MIL/FIL casually asked us what our son wants to for his birthday (might have been Christmas). We replied with what my son is into at that current season. Of course, we get nothing we asked for and instead we got what they want to send to our son. Lesson learned, and since then we never trust their "so, what does he want for Christmas/birthday" question ever.

Other than that, MIL/FIL are loving people. No complaint other than above.

Mine is the same! Demands lists and buys none of it. What’s up with that!

And mine just spent about $75 on a winter outfit from Justice and new winter boots for DD, all current size. I hope it still fits when she can actually wear it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Constantly “tending to” and observing me. No, I don’t want you to warm this muffin in the microwave for me. Yes, I know there’s jam—I just don’t happen to want anything but butter on my table ast this morning. Yes, I know there’s coffee; no, I don’t want you to pour me any.

And at 5 o’clock, it’s constant drinks pushing. Like maybe if you convince me to have a glass of wine, no one will notice you’re already on your third...

how awful.

np -- i get it, the constant hovering and tending is exhausting to be around. My MIL is like that too. Nobody can relax around her.

Remember this thread is [/i]slightly[i] irritating things your ILs do.

[Anonymous]

Complain about whatever we offer them to do, but then complain they are bored when we've run though all the options. In DC in the winter, if you don't want to go any museums/monuments/DC tourist stuff in general, a movie, the theater, or restaurants (calories) - I don't really know what else to do with you besides taking you to a shopping mall or sitting on my couch and complaining.

[Anonymous]

My in laws make us wear stupid accessories like reindeer noses or those black glasses w fake noses then send those out as Christmas cards.

Another year we all (15 total) had to meet at a photo studio on a Saturday afternoon and wear a white shirt and black pants. Photographer took every possible combo of family members and then switched to just kids, kids w Gma, etc. went on forever, but at least we’d get some pro pics for once.

Nope. FIL did not like any of the photos and so Christmas Card photo was back to cheesy accessory photos. I’ve still never seen any of the pic from this session.

[Anonymous]

Being too old and feeble to visit for a high school graduation but having no problem taking a cross country road trip the next month.

[Anonymous]

When we host a big family bbq (extended family is between 20-35 people depending on who comes) and we use paper plates/plasticware my FIL insists on using real dishes, cups, utensils. He doesn't even have to say anything, bc his daughters run around frantically, helping themselves to my cupboards to serve him properly, the way "Daddy" has to have it. They do it for MIL too, but I think just bc she is sitting next to FIL and since they do it for him, they may as well for her. It is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

They try to pay for our groceries while they're visiting, which annoys me more than is reasonable. (My MIL also offered to send us money when we were first married in case we were "starving." She literally asked if we were starving.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're really picky eaters, like I can count on my fingers the foods they want to eat. And they want very specific brands of food -- only this brand of salad dressing, this kind of ketchup. Worse, my FIL likes one thing, but my MIL doesn't so they expect two separate meals to be cooked for dinner. True, we don't have to accommodate their pickiness, but we've been trained to be good hosts, and when your 80 yo MIL who's not a great driver says she's just going to drive to the store to get some food in a neighborhood she's not familiar with, we just give in and get her the damn food. Having them over for dinner is always a big production.

Mine literally only eat meat that is the done-ness of a brick and gag in horror when they see other people eating meat with any pink in it, etc. They also don't like food to touch and won't eat about a million things. She makes a big show about how she doesn't eat red meat poultry and throws away all the red meat in her thanksgiving turkey.

But really, it's MIL saying ewww and wrinkling up her nose at everything that bothers me. What are you, 6 years old? Can't other people eat their food in peace? She also asks for a million substitutions or removals when she's out.

[Anonymous]

Mine makes comments about how lucky I am for owning all kinds of fairly common household objects (like a Keurig) and manages to tie it back to her son's generosity. My DH is awesome but I'm the primary breadwinner in our family.

[Anonymous]

MIL makes spelling errors on household "lables". Minor annoyance, but a pet peeve to open a closet and see her handwritten labels like "towells."

She also is hung up on "and I" so uses it all the time, even improperly. "That's the thing with Dad and I" or "please give that to Dad and I." She often incorrectly "corrects" DC, too. Maddening.