MIL can't fathom that other people do things differently than she does. She also has very narrow views about food. I am a vegetarian and she is constantly flummoxed about what I can eat. I told her the other day that we had tacos for my birthday dinner and she was shocked that I ate tacos, because she has no clue that tacos aren't solely made with ground beef and there are such things as veggie tacos.

MIL lies and creates drama centered around herself. Lots of passive aggressive complaining to induce her children to compete in saving her from whatever current distress is. Latest distress was the weather in SIL's town where MIL is visiting. Air tickets have to be cancelled and re-bought with a slightly different date and a completely different routing so she can visit her other children (completely last minute and unplanned).

Anonymous wrote:Mine bought my daughter a 4T dress when she was about 18 months. She won't stop nagging me about when my tiny petite kid will fit into it.

On of my mom’s friends gave me size 3T girls bootcut jeans with unicorns embroidered on the pockets when my son was born. I wrote a thank you note. I am glad I never had to produce those jeans. They were donated long before my son ever fit them.

My father-in-la sits in the middle of a three-person couch, so the next person to sit down has to sit directly next to him.

Anonymous wrote:My in-laws wake up at like 4:30am. That's not annoying - get up whenever you want. BUT... they are loud people. And the guest room is right off the kitchen, where they make coffee (loudly), feed pets (loudly), and talk (loudly), while occasionally shushing each other (loudly). For being loud.

And then they loudly exclaim, "Oh, did we wake you???" every time I finally give up on sleep and just drag myself out for caffeine.

Foam earplugs and a white noise machine when they're there. Set up the coffee ahead of time so they just have to push the "brew" button.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live with my MIL for over a year due to financial issues and the worst thing she would do was play music really loudly Sunday mornings before she had work and would sing really loudly. Other than that she never really annoyed me much

Glad the person who took you in when you needed help with basics like shelter, food and water wasn’t TOO annoying.

Oh shut up and read another thread. Could be the MIL had the financial issues, not the poster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MIL knows I take an XL in t-shirts and then buys me t-shirts that she knows are too small and says "Well, I thought about getting women's women's XL, but then again you couldn't be that big, so I got a medium. I guess I can return it. Or wear it myself because I am so much smaller."

Omg this is so awful!

My mil also did this. I am 5' 9". She is 5' 1" and tiny. She was upset that I wouldn't wear her wedding dress. Every Christmas she would give me size small clothes no matter what while going on about not being comfortable with people who are big. She wanted all her children to be small and to stay small. Yes, there was a lot to unpack with this woman.

+1

You said it! Awful. Sorry you have to listen to that, PP.

I'm annoyed that they raised my husband that doesn't call them and then they also don't call him. So we never learn any holiday plans, and both sides are totally out of the loop 24/7.

They also think that the wife's parents should do all the helping and that they should only help their daughters family and not son's family. it doesn't matter how much we need help, they expect my parents to fly in (in laws live an hour away). It doesn't matter if I just had a preemie or whether my husband is out of the country and a kid is in the hospital who needs me. We've learned to rely on friends and babysitters.

Wow, i have never heard of a grandma shower before, that's crazy.

Anonymous wrote:Live with my MIL for over a year due to financial issues and the worst thing she would do was play music really loudly Sunday mornings before she had work and would sing really loudly. Other than that she never really annoyed me much

Glad the person who took you in when you needed help with basics like shelter, food and water wasn’t TOO annoying.

Live with my MIL for over a year due to financial issues and the worst thing she would do was play music really loudly Sunday mornings before she had work and would sing really loudly. Other than that she never really annoyed me much

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's only ever given my kids cheap clothes. Suddenly, her daughter is pregnant and she's trying to buy them everything form high end strollers to cribs, etc.

They don't need the money. We are doing okay too. I'm more annoyed because I feel like my kids are now tossed aside.

Just curious if early on she bought stuff that you didn’t use because it wasn’t your taste? My SIL did this. She had the first grandchild and HATED my mom’s taste, and never used anything. My mom got the hint and stopped spending the money and bought less expensive things that she didn’t mind going unused (she didn’t overshot btw - were talking bday/Xmas presents). When my other SIL and my sister had kids, she was much more generous because they (at least acted) appreciative.

This may be part of it. Truth is, SIL is very gracious - but overly so - like she talks on and on about what her mom gives her so that her mom hears it. And she even once admitted to me that she does this because it makes her mom get her more things. My family on the other hadn't almost never gives us gifts - I'm fine with it, honestly. They contribute in a lot of other ways that are more important. But I can't help feeling like my husband and now my kids are a bit shafted.

Different love languages, I guess?

Not a MIL but DH's aunt drives me nuts. She never had kids but is dying to be someone's favorite aunt. She is self absorbed and doesn't respect anyone else's desires or beliefs. She treats kids as accessories and can not understand why no one hands there kids over to her. Our kids beg not to stay at her house. I tell her no. She goes behind my back and pulls the kids aside trying to convince them to convince mommy to send them over. She then tries to convince me that the kids really want to go -all while kids have those begging NO mom eyes. I stand firm but it drives me nuts. She does this every time we see her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My MIL knows I take an XL in t-shirts and then buys me t-shirts that she knows are too small and says "Well, I thought about getting women's women's XL, but then again you couldn't be that big, so I got a medium. I guess I can return it. Or wear it myself because I am so much smaller."

Omg this is so awful!

My mil also did this. I am 5' 9". She is 5' 1" and tiny. She was upset that I wouldn't wear her wedding dress. Every Christmas she would give me size small clothes no matter what while going on about not being comfortable with people who are big. She wanted all her children to be small and to stay small. Yes, there was a lot to unpack with this woman.

Anonymous wrote:She's the one who had a 50 person grandma shower fot herself when DS was born. I, the baby's child, wasn't invited. Neither was anyone in my family.

She's hoarding the grandma shower stuff in her guest bedroom.

My mil did this as well. She expected to have my twin premature infants there without dh or me. They had medical issues and round the clock medicines and had just been released from the nicu. One had been in for two months. She wasn't honest with her friends that it was a grandma shower and she received gifts meant for us. She had a nursery for our children that put ours to shame. Our children did not attend and she threw a fit. She was so angry she refused to ask or even be interested in our children. We continued to be nice and try to engage her for a few years and gave up. We have no relationship with her.