Sadly my mother in law passed away. She was full of life, so much fun, had the most terrific laugh. She made you feel like the most special person in the room. She was always concerned about everyone's comfort and needs. She had a huge heart. She loved parties. She treated me like a daughter. I miss her.

I have a wonderful MIL. She also lives in another country. I meet her once every couple of years for a week or so. She is very nice. We hardly have any miscommunication or cross word.

Anonymous wrote:Mine is fabulous. So is my father in law. They live across the country and any time I'm traveling for work near them, they offer to watch the babies if I bring them.

They begged me to set up an amazon wish list for them so when they want to buy the babies something they can buy useful things we want them to have. They are not passive aggressive at all, and are supportive of they ways dh and I choose to raise our kids even when it's different from what they did as parents.

When we go to visit they stock up on our brand of diapers and wipes so we don't have to run around buying more than is needed for the plane ride. They're just always so helpful and supportive, in every way.

What a great idea! I'm worried that my MIL will want to buy endless amounts of junk for our kid (she does this for all of us anyway) and we live in such a small space. Keeping a list like this open on amazon would be a great way to let her flex her shopping muscles and ensure we are getting things we actually need and have space for. THANKS!

Great thread! I have an awesome MIL. I called her just the other day just to say this. I had lunch with my own mom, who relayed a tense incident with my SIL and it just reminded me how good I have it with my MIL and I had to tell her right then. I usually try to call her twice a week, when I'm walking to the metro or any time at all. I put a lot of effort in to the relationship and I think she really appreciates it. DH and I have been married for three + years and no kids yet and I know it is killing her and she's dying to know what we're thinking, but she hasn't said PEEP about it. hats off to you, MIL. You rock.

Also, my SIL rocks my world. We talk by gchat/text/phone almost every single day and she doesn't even live in the US. She is one of my best friends and I adore her. We tell each other everything. Took us about 3 years to get to this spot, but boy is it worth it. Love love love her.

DH and I actually had a "fight" a few weeks ago about who had the better in-laws, me or him. I feel so lucky.

I love both my MIL and FIL. In fact, I look forward to spending time with them more than I do with my own parents (who I love but who can be very difficult). They are both very laid-back, loving and giving. They never comment on how we raise our children or how we live our life in general; they come and help with the kids all the time, and they are both very warm and accepting in general. Plus, my MIL is really fun to hang out with! (My FIL is lovely but a bit quieter).

It ends up as a two-way street - because they are such great ILs, I totally encourage DH to have us all visit them, to go on family vacations etc (he loves his parents but is fairly solitary so probably wouldn't be going over all the time on his own initiative even though he likes being with them). I am very lucky.

My MIL is great. She's always kind to me, clearly loves her son and grandchildren dearly, and does what she can to help us without ever overstepping boundaries. She's a devout Catholic (as was my mother), and I'm sure she is disappointed we're not raising our children in the church, but has never said a word about it. She has welcomed me from Day 1, and always picks out thoughtful gifts for me for Christmas and my birthday. She and FIL love spoiling our children, but always check in with us first about their elaborate gifts to make sure it's something we are okay with. Every summer, they rent a beach house for us and SIL's fammily, which we all really look forward to (SIL and BIL are also awesome, and the cousins love spending time together). We can also count on her for babysitting when we're in a childcare pinch, or for the occassional weekend away. Plus, she raised an awesome son

NP and another MIL fan here. She's just great. I've always felt welcomed by her. I think she appreciates that I make her son happy and that we've made a good life together. I also just find her easy to talk to--nothing forced. I feel like she really sees me as a daughter.
I really feel like I hit the jack pot with all of my ILs!
My DH likes my family too!
While I know it shouldn't necessarily be a "dealbreaker" when looking for a mate for life, I do think people should take a bit more time getting to know the family they are marrying into. I realized as I got to know my ILs (before they became my ILs) that we had a shared outlook/approach on life, and I think that fed into DH and I having a relatively conflict-free marriage.

You know, I'd just like to throw out there that my ILs are good decent people, and while they did some pretty hurtful things early on, we have gotten over it to a great extent.

I don't have a close, easy relationship with them, but I don't have to. DH maintains the relationship, and we have good times when we see each other, and we certainly do helpful things for each other and try to pick out thoughtful gifts, that kind of thing. And my kid loves them dearly.

Just to put it out there that there's not just "wonderful and perfect" vs "terrible and awful," there can be "You know what, we do all right."

So jealous of you all. My MIL is not a bad MIL but she is stubborn. She likes thing to be her way or will find a way to do it her way which bring down the respect and trust level from me. Other than this, I know she loves and cares for us.

My MIL is one of the kindest people I've ever known. When my mother died suddenly, she was halfway across the country on vacation and drove to be with me immediately. She has been there every time I needed her. She tells me what a wonderful job I'm doing as a wife and mom (which I'm NOT doing perfectly, believe me), sends beautiful cards and gifts, etc. She's amazing.

Anonymous wrote:You're kidding, right?

You are really a piece of work.