The women in these stories navigated through turbulent waters with their mothers-in-law or future in-laws. From being called by their boyfriend’s ex’s names to discovering that their baby showers weren’t catered to their needs, these tales highlight the complexities of in-law relationships.

These five stories underscore the challenges of cultivating healthy relationships with in-laws, particularly mothers-in-law. Each narrative showcases individuals who found themselves compelled to assert their boundaries against in-laws who seemed intent on undermining them.

Husband Keeps Choosing His Mother over His Wife until the Latter Gives Him an Ultimatum
A Reddit user asked others on the platform if she was being unreasonable in issuing an ultimatum to her husband, who had been largely absent for much of her pregnancy. The woman explained that she and her husband had been together for five years and married for six months.

Six months pregnant when she turned to fellow Reddit users for advice. The original poster (OP) shared that her husband and his mother had an unusually close relationship, saying:

“My husband has an unusually close relationship with his mother. He’ll call his mother for hours, talk to her, and spend more time with her than he does with me.”

However, her final straw was the event that led to her posting on Reddit. When OP reached the sixth month of her pregnancy, she asked her husband if he could be around more and help her prepare for the child they expected to welcome.

He told her that being around more would eat into the time he had to spend with his mother. While OP understood that, she explained that she needed him more than his mother did at that point, to which he replied:

“You know my mom comes before you.”

The Redditor was shocked by what her husband said but took it in her stride when he left to go to his mother’s house. She then did everything she needed to do by herself. While preparing for her child alone, her mother-in-law (MIL) phoned her and told her she had won!

To make matters worse, as her MIL bragged about her win, OP could hear her husband laughing in the background. Although angry, she continued to go about her life as usual. A few weeks later, it was the couple’s anniversary, and while OP bought her husband a gift and prepared his favorite meal for the day, he had other plans for what to do with his time.

While she was in the bathroom, her husband returned from work and left again. She thought he might be planning a surprise for her, but when he had still not returned half an hour later, she phoned to find out where he was. He confirmed being at his mother’s house, so she told him that his mother might as well be the one having his child, as he was acting as though he was in a relationship with her.

After hanging up, OP received text messages from both her husband and MIL, telling her that she shouldn’t disrespect his mother and should find something else to do instead of being bitter and jealous. She turned to Reddit users to find out if she was in the wrong.

Soon after posting her story, she updated it, thanking everyone who had sent her messages of support and told her she wasn’t wrong. She also admitted, “I think my MIL is competing with me,” adding that she might have to give him an ultimatum because after reading the comments, things could only get worse from there.

Someone suggested she ask her husband why he enjoyed spending so much time with his mother, and he told her it was because his mother was a special person in his life. OP realized her MIL had no intention of changing and seriously considered divorcing her husband.

She told her husband that she would divorce him if he didn’t stop acting like he was married to his mother. When he heard this, he began crying and vowed to change. OP was hopeful but knew she needed to talk to her MIL, who only told her she would never win.

The Redditor clarified that there was no winning and losing and that if her MIL continued to act as she was, she would not have access to her grandchild. She confirmed that her husband had also stepped up since her conversation with him.

Wife Leaves In-Laws’ Home after Feeling Disrespected by Separate Sleeping Arrangements
What do a barn, a crib, and a Facebook fiasco have in common? These elements frame my Christmas nightmare with my in-laws. I’m Evelyn, here to share a tale filled with creepy barns, adorable twins, and in-laws who overstepped boundaries.

My husband, Mike, and I have been blissfully married for two years, recently welcoming twins into our lives. This Christmas, aiming to celebrate our twins’ first holiday season, Mike’s parents extended an invitation for a two-week stay at their home.

I envisioned a restful fortnight, with the grandparents doting on the twins, allowing me some well-deserved sleep. After all, we hadn’t seen them since our wedding, and I anticipated a warm, loving reunion.

Packing for four, I included treats for the in-laws and wildflower honey for my mother-in-law’s tea, eagerly anticipating our family gathering. Their excitement to meet the twins was palpable, immediately enveloping them in love—a mother’s dream, yet not without its caveats.

The shock came with the sleeping arrangements. Mike and I were assigned separate rooms, a peculiar but manageable setup until I saw my “room”—a barn. Despite its bed and heater, the barn’s ambiance was far from welcoming. Discussing this odd setup with Mike led nowhere; he saw no issue, asking, “What are you complaining about?”

The situation escalated when discussing where the twins would sleep. Assured they’d be in a crib in the grandparents’ room, the separation felt unnecessary and harsh. “Our house, our rules,” they insisted, sparking a heated argument.

As tensions rose, Mike vanished, opting to reconnect with friends rather than support me. Feeling isolated and disrespected, I decided on an impromptu departure. After capturing the barn’s essence in photos, I shared my ordeal on Facebook, then retreated to the sanctuary of my parents’ home with the twins.

Now, amidst a storm of angry messages and calls for apologies, I find solace at my parents’ house, where love and care are abundant. As we prepare for a cozy Christmas, I ponder my next steps and seek advice: What would you do in my situation?

MIL Disobeys Daughter-in-Law’s House Rules and Pays the Price
A Reddit user sought advice on whether her method of dealing with her snooping mother-in-law (MIL) was too extreme, a sentiment echoed by her husband. The woman recounted her efforts to highlight her MIL’s invasive behavior, which her husband initially downplayed.

Despite her husband’s objections, she felt compelled to take action against her MIL’s habit of entering their bedroom uninvited. The situation escalated when she caught her MIL rifling through personal documents, a claim the MIL deflected by feigning confusion over the house’s bathroom location.

In response, exterior doorknobs requiring keys were installed on both the bedroom and office doors. Yet, the MIL persisted, claiming forgetfulness as an excuse to attempt entry into the restricted areas, prompting the wife to devise a more direct solution.

Anticipating her MIL’s visit, the wife proposed locking the doors, but her husband believed such measures unnecessary. They compromised on a less conventional strategy: applying fine glitter to the doorknob to detect unauthorized entry, a tactic previously used to confirm the MIL’s snooping.

This time, the plan included a booby trap: a folder filled with glitter positioned to shower the intruder upon opening the door. Despite clear instructions to avoid the upstairs area, the MIL ventured into the bedroom, triggering the glitter bomb and coating herself in a sparkly mess, with OP sharing:

“She completely lost it and started screaming at me, so I yelled back, and now my husband is saying I went too far.”

The aftermath was chaotic. The heated exchange left the husband criticizing the extent of his wife’s retaliation. Meanwhile, the MIL lamented the glitter’s persistence, notably its unwelcome presence in her car.

Seeking validation, the wife turned to Reddit, where the consensus supported her actions. Users agreed that the MIL’s disregard for boundaries justified the glittery consequence, affirming that respect for house rules could have spared her the ordeal.

Girlfriend Gets Revenge on Boyfriend’s Mother Who Insists on Calling Her by the Wrong Name
A 30-year-old woman was dating a man who had broken up with his high school sweetheart just a year before they began seeing each other. While he had put that relationship behind him, it was not the same for his family members.

OP’s boyfriend’s mother was heartbroken that he and his childhood sweetheart had broken up. The older woman felt like her son’s ex-girlfriend was part of their family, as she had grown up with them. The breakup was amicable as the couple grew apart as they got older and decided it was time to end their relationship. However, this didn’t stop the boyfriend’s mother from taking it out on OP.

The Redditor entered the relationship, understanding that it might take his family some time to get used to him being with someone else. She thought his mother needed to get to know her, and things would improve. However, that was not the case. OP’s boyfriend’s mother called her by his ex’s name for the first year of their relationship. She shared:

“…until [my boyfriend] got angry once and told her to be nice. She laughed it off and said it was just a habit.”

When his mother eventually stopped calling her by the ex-girlfriend’s name, she still didn’t use her correct name, opting for Janet instead of Jenny. The first few times this happened, OP corrected the older woman.

However, she soon realized it seemed that the older woman enjoyed hurting her, so she stopped correcting her. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, OP was at her boyfriend’s sister’s home for a barbecue. She was in the kitchen with her boyfriend’s mother, one of his two sisters, and her husband.

As they stood there, the boyfriend’s sister spoke of how he had talked highly of OP’s cooking to his brother-in-law. The boyfriend’s mother was listening and sarcastically suggested that OP should cook the turkey for Thanksgiving. However, she again used the wrong name, calling the woman Janet, not Jenny. The Redditor noticed that her boyfriend’s sisters giggled at their mother’s suggestion but remarked:

“That’s a great idea!”

She knew what to do next to make her point once and for all that her boyfriend’s mother could no longer call her by the wrong name. Things came to a head at her boyfriend’s mother’s house a few weeks later on Thanksgiving.

OP and her boyfriend arrived with the usual wine and dessert, and everybody was shocked when they saw she hadn’t brought the turkey that had been discussed weeks before the holiday. OP said she thought Janet was bringing the turkey because the older woman had used the ex’s name weeks before when discussing the day, before confessing:

“There was yelling, crying, and then we got kicked out.”