Reply to MIL says she is dropping something off then lingers for hours until dinner

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Agree with others who said to decline her offer from the get go. Keep her on a perpetual information diet. Never share your vacation plans or dinner plans ahead of time. If she is the type (like my mother) to fish for information from the kids, don’t tell them vacation plans either. This way she can’t buy a ticket and impose on you at the last minute or play the “the kids told me you’re going to X” or “the kids invited me to join you on X” card. She knows exactly what she is doing. It’s manipulative. [/quote]

I agree with this, plus hosting her when you can because she's so lonely. But when I saw the headline I thought of my grandma who was not eating due to poor finances + poor executive function. So just in case, find out what she eats when she's alone and make sure she is getting meals. [/quote]

OP here - I agree it’s manipulation too but still trying to work to somehow bring some level of harmony since neither of us will be moving away. I know because on one occasion in the past when we were discussing an event that someone else was hosting, I casually mentioned “well maybe x doesn’t want that”, to which she responded “oh don’t worry I know how to get what I want”. She is not oblivious but certainly a little mindless. [/quote]

You seem like a nice person and I really believe that this person is overstepping. Something you said struck me -- that she could literally spend every day with you all and still not be satisfied.

If you find yourself feeling like a person is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom -- no matter how much you pour in, it will never be enough -- this is a person with borderline personality disorder. These people have a fear of abandonment and a desperate need to stay connected.

They don't change, but they do respond to very strict boundaries. Don't ever assume -- you have to be clear with her and push back when you don't want her around. Otherwise she will literally be there all the time and it still won't be enough to satisfy her need.

The people responding that you should be kinder probably don't have someone like this in their life. They have no clue how stressful and disturbing it is.

Read up on Borderline and see if it resonates.[/quote]

Interesting… yes, she very much is like a bucket with absolutely no bottom. What I didn’t mention, because I didn’t think it was relevant to the story, is that for the first 7 years of marriage I absolutely poured into the bucket with no hesitation. I saw how lonely she was, despite being married - I think the emptiness of her marriage makes it worse actually, so I included her in things and was happy to accommodate her every push. Basically I was a pushover but a happy one because I don’t mind including others if it makes them happy.

It took many experiences to realize that she was actually totally self absorbed and oblivious to other people’s needs and boundaries if they interfered with her wants.

[b]A turning point for me was when I had a series of chrinic health issue that involved a couple major surgery a few years back and was bedridden for a week after each surgery. She did not once ask me how I was doing, and instead spent the ensuing days of my recovery insisting that dh and child come over soon. She literally once called every hour from morning until afternoon until they came over. That plus a hundred other experiences. I could not believe that someone I held so dear, included in nearly every outing and vacation, planned girls days with, would literally just gloss over me so readily when I finally had a need. That’s when I realized i basically existed as a function of having her needs met, and not as a real person she wanted to connect with and have real friendship with[/b]. [/quote]

Wow, that's a lot to leave out of the story.[/quote]

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