Put your holiday IL rants here!

[Anonymous]

I gave my anti-Obama people a short project to work on for me -- think putting ice in coolers and loading drinks into them. They got all their anti-Obama talk out of them in a separated area. They all felt loved and supported and they got out all their anger. I will do the same thing next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is so weirdly naive "I discovered a place where they will both cut your hair AND wax your eyebrows!" And strangely easily impressed "I recently met someone who grew tomatoes in a pot on their patio!" And I find it almost impossible to have a conversation with her without getting really snarky. Like, she believed in Santa clause until she was like 15. Also, she infantilizes my kids. She is very impressed with very mundane successes "I met someone who knows how to drive a car in traffic!" And I think she's a little senile. She talks about herself and her home renovations 100% of the time but never asks us anything about ours (we are well into redoing most of our house ourselves). Her comments about window shopping "one vendor gave me a price that was $200 different than the other!" Omg, please get off the turnip truck. The woman has the life skills of a third grader. I'm incapable of dealing.

Wow, this seems mean. She seems harmless and not even particularly annoying. The only real negative is that she doesn't ask about your own home renovations.

Yep. It does seem a bit petty for a holiday rant. So she chit chats about inoffensive, boring things. Some may actually find that nice.

NP here. Maybe she does that on purpose -- like she purposefully talks about innocuous things with enthusiasm so as to avoid any kind of conflict. I know someone who is like that. And for years, I though the person was naive/dull, but then I realize that it's their small-talk coping strategy. And I realized it is actually brilliant.

Yes, my own mom could learn this. Instead of spouting her Fox News doctrine to my Democrat husband (and I couldn't care less just want them to STOP.)

Hah. I sometimes do this. Mainly because I have nothing I really want to say to the other people. I'm not brilliant though, just easily annoyed.

[Anonymous]

Not the ILs' fault, but it's hard entertaining the kids all day when it's at someone else's house and they don't have kids. The ILs were wonderful hosts, and im glad the kids are getting to know the extended family (we are at DHs cousin's house). Just gets exhausting when you are constantly trying to stay on top of them so they don't break something or get injured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL told my 7 year old she was proud of him for clearing the table. Then she turns to my 4 year old and states "I'll be proud of you some day." WTF? I don't expect him to be praised, but don't say things like that.

Bet she did the same to your DH and his siblings. Some parents set up their children to compete against each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I make a macaroni and cheese that ppl in my family love, MIL included. She asked me if I would make it for thanksgiving dinner. I said ok. Asked her if I could make it at her house and she agreed, and even offered to get the groceries needed for it. Dh and I get over to her house, she tells me that "the groceries are over on the counter, but the mixing bowls, casserole dish etc are dirty and You should wash them."

I found this incredibly rude. I'm Not your maid!

Good Gravy, I can see my mom saying this to me, it's family big deal.
People are so sensitive about stupid stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is so weirdly naive "I discovered a place where they will both cut your hair AND wax your eyebrows!" And strangely easily impressed "I recently met someone who grew tomatoes in a pot on their patio!" And I find it almost impossible to have a conversation with her without getting really snarky. Like, she believed in Santa clause until she was like 15. Also, she infantilizes my kids. She is very impressed with very mundane successes "I met someone who knows how to drive a car in traffic!" And I think she's a little senile. She talks about herself and her home renovations 100% of the time but never asks us anything about ours (we are well into redoing most of our house ourselves). Her comments about window shopping "one vendor gave me a price that was $200 different than the other!" Omg, please get off the turnip truck. The woman has the life skills of a third grader. I'm incapable of dealing.

She sounds sweet and you sound very mean.

[Anonymous]

Both my parents and my MIL and FIL have passed. I truly feel sad for people who don’t have good relationships with their parents or IL’s. I know it happens, and it is sad. I was lucky to have great parents whom we loved visiting and IL’s that were like second parents to me. The holidays are truly my very favorite memories. Great times. Was everything perfect - No. Were some people mildly irritating - yep. But, I loved them despite their flaws just as they loved me despite my many flaws.
I feel so lucky to be left with great memories. Memories of laughing, playing games, cooking, eating, and just being a family that enjoys the company of others. I miss my parents and IL’s tremendously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is so weirdly naive "I discovered a place where they will both cut your hair AND wax your eyebrows!" And strangely easily impressed "I recently met someone who grew tomatoes in a pot on their patio!" And I find it almost impossible to have a conversation with her without getting really snarky. Like, she believed in Santa clause until she was like 15. Also, she infantilizes my kids. She is very impressed with very mundane successes "I met someone who knows how to drive a car in traffic!" And I think she's a little senile. She talks about herself and her home renovations 100% of the time but never asks us anything about ours (we are well into redoing most of our house ourselves). Her comments about window shopping "one vendor gave me a price that was $200 different than the other!" Omg, please get off the turnip truck. The woman has the life skills of a third grader. I'm incapable of dealing.

She sounds sweet and you sound very mean.

yeah, maybe she's speaking to your level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a macaroni and cheese that ppl in my family love, MIL included. She asked me if I would make it for thanksgiving dinner. I said ok. Asked her if I could make it at her house and she agreed, and even offered to get the groceries needed for it. Dh and I get over to her house, she tells me that "the groceries are over on the counter, but the mixing bowls, casserole dish etc are dirty and You should wash them."

I found this incredibly rude. I'm Not your maid!

Good Gravy, I can see my mom saying this to me, it's family big deal.
People are so sensitive about stupid stuff.

+1 This is something that happens all the time at my mother or MIL's house. If she just cooked a meal for a dozen people I would feel bad not helping with the dishes. What pisses me off is when my husband doesn't help out. Just because you have a penis doesn't mean you can't help in the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is so weirdly naive "I discovered a place where they will both cut your hair AND wax your eyebrows!" And strangely easily impressed "I recently met someone who grew tomatoes in a pot on their patio!" And I find it almost impossible to have a conversation with her without getting really snarky. Like, she believed in Santa clause until she was like 15. Also, she infantilizes my kids. She is very impressed with very mundane successes "I met someone who knows how to drive a car in traffic!" And I think she's a little senile. She talks about herself and her home renovations 100% of the time but never asks us anything about ours (we are well into redoing most of our house ourselves). Her comments about window shopping "one vendor gave me a price that was $200 different than the other!" Omg, please get off the turnip truck. The woman has the life skills of a third grader. I'm incapable of dealing.

Wow, this seems mean. She seems harmless and not even particularly annoying. The only real negative is that she doesn't ask about your own home renovations.

Yep. It does seem a bit petty for a holiday rant. So she chit chats about inoffensive, boring things. Some may actually find that nice.

NP here. Maybe she does that on purpose -- like she purposefully talks about innocuous things with enthusiasm so as to avoid any kind of conflict. I know someone who is like that. And for years, I though the person was naive/dull, but then I realize that it's their small-talk coping strategy. And I realized it is actually brilliant.

+1. I went to college with a girl like this and I was fascinated by her - how could anyone be so sweet and so clueless but still be pulling A's in pre-med? Over time, I realized...she was raised that way by equally sweet and non confrontational parents, it was her comfort zone to keep things light and harmless, and it was just her way of deflecting everyone else's drama and angst.

[Anonymous]

I'm sad that my MIL couldn't come this year (health issues). Because usually she just drinks wine and tells stories about what it was like to work in advertising in NYC in the early 1960s and all the people she slept with, including all of her bosses, which i find highly entertaining (DH gets embarrassed). She's divorced (3x) so we don't have to see FIL, who has emotional problems and is not welcome in our house with the kids (think screaming obscenities, racist rants, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously are you own parents perfect? These threads are so tired.

Sort of. They're dead. DH doesn't have to deal with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a macaroni and cheese that ppl in my family love, MIL included. She asked me if I would make it for thanksgiving dinner. I said ok. Asked her if I could make it at her house and she agreed, and even offered to get the groceries needed for it. Dh and I get over to her house, she tells me that "the groceries are over on the counter, but the mixing bowls, casserole dish etc are dirty and You should wash them."

I found this incredibly rude. I'm Not your maid!

Good Gravy, I can see my mom saying this to me, it's family big deal.
People are so sensitive about stupid stuff.

YOUR mom can say that to you. not your mother in law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a macaroni and cheese that ppl in my family love, MIL included. She asked me if I would make it for thanksgiving dinner. I said ok. Asked her if I could make it at her house and she agreed, and even offered to get the groceries needed for it. Dh and I get over to her house, she tells me that "the groceries are over on the counter, but the mixing bowls, casserole dish etc are dirty and You should wash them."

I found this incredibly rude. I'm Not your maid!

Good Gravy, I can see my mom saying this to me, it's family big deal.
People are so sensitive about stupid stuff.

+1 This is something that happens all the time at my mother or MIL's house. If she just cooked a meal for a dozen people I would feel bad not helping with the dishes. What pisses me off is when my husband doesn't help out. Just because you have a penis doesn't mean you can't help in the kitchen.

It's far more appropriate to ask your own child to clean/do something rather than your daughter in law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MIL is so weirdly naive "I discovered a place where they will both cut your hair AND wax your eyebrows!" And strangely easily impressed "I recently met someone who grew tomatoes in a pot on their patio!" And I find it almost impossible to have a conversation with her without getting really snarky. Like, she believed in Santa clause until she was like 15. Also, she infantilizes my kids. She is very impressed with very mundane successes "I met someone who knows how to drive a car in traffic!" And I think she's a little senile. She talks about herself and her home renovations 100% of the time but never asks us anything about ours (we are well into redoing most of our house ourselves). Her comments about window shopping "one vendor gave me a price that was $200 different than the other!" Omg, please get off the turnip truck. The woman has the life skills of a third grader. I'm incapable of dealing.

I actually laughed out loud at this.