Lock up anything you don’t want her getting into before you leave. Ask your parents to ship you another box after they leave. Don’t ask MIL for big favors again.

Now you know what to get her for Christmas

Think of it as the price you have to pay for free childcare.
Sure, it crossed a boundary but it wasn't malicious.
Make sure you put financial records and anything you don't want her to go thru in a secure place

The chocolates are expensive or the shipping is expensive? Just order yourself another box and take it out of MILs holiday gift amount that you would normally spend.

Anonymous wrote:Get a baby sitter next time

+1. She has no boundaries. Have her over to visit your kids but not to watch them when you aren’t there.

Anonymous wrote:If younger, I’d have gone really crazy. It would have ruined my outing.

Now I’d get upset, but I’d reason it away from my mind.

What’s more, the cost of the babysitter of the chocolate? Next time mail it to your MIL for her bday.

What brand was it? I’d love to try it.

So much the same. I learned to chill way out.

I’m so sorry OP. That really sucks.

If younger, I’d have gone really crazy. It would have ruined my outing.

Now I’d get upset, but I’d reason it away from my mind.

What’s more, the cost of the babysitter of the chocolate? Next time mail it to your MIL for her bday.

What brand was it? I’d love to try it.

Yeah, that’s a weird lack of boundaries.

Wow, yeah - cannot imagine a scenario where my in-laws would open mail for me. That’s truly nuts. What does DH say?

It was incredibly inappropriate for her to open your mail. No matter what it was. What did you say?

I would not let someone stay in my house, unsupervised, who was so willing to cross boundaries. No amount of free childcare/house sitting is worth that.

She’s horrible!

Get a baby sitter next time

That's rude of her but you are overreacting. Surely she left some for you, right? And wouldn't you have offered to share since they were at your house anyway?

My MIL/FIL are staying with us for the weekend, so that DH and I can go out to dinner and stay in a hotel for my birthday for one night. This is of course very nice of them to do.

They arrived this morning while DH and I were at work. When I came home, MIL was gloating—and I mean gloating—about the fact that she received a package for us, read that it was from the specialty chocolate shop in my hometown, and “couldn’t resist helping herself to a few.” This was a birthday present sent to me by my parents, a rare taste of home. They are expensive to ship, so it’s a real treat to get them.

I am so flipping mad. I can’t believe she would open a package for me, let alone open AND EAT a birthday present FOR ME from my parents!