Worst gift: I got a
really expensive juice machine that my husband had asked for.
And, my husband received a gift certificate to the mall for $200.
How very rude!!!
Signed - Juice Machine
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Last
summer, I got into it with my MIL for DOZENS of reasons that I won't
go into. After weeks of verbal barbs and sniping at each other
in small telephone conversations, I decided to call a truce.
I called and left a message asking my MIL to call me back.
In the message, I told her that I loved her, and I let her know
that I thought our relationship was worth working on and saving.
That was last August - as in 2002. I haven't heard a word
from her since then, although she's been able to talk to everyone
else in the family, a therapist, and her pastor about our (MY) problem.
The latest was a letter to my parents in which she placed the blame
for everything on me, of course. On August 26, it will be
one year since I requested the return phone call, and I'm thinking
of sending the old bat a "Happy Anniversary" card to mark
the one year milestone. Of course, it won't accomplish anything,
other than to make me feel like the devil, which I am.
Signed - Maybe I Should
Get Her a Calling Card Instead
Per
the poster's request, no responses collected.
I am so upset and sick
of my MIL. For some odd reason, she thinks that she owns my
children. The other day, she called me and said that she was
dropping my two boys off (they spent the night) because she was
taking her other son to a junkyard 2 hours away for a part for his
car. That was at 2:30 PM! Well, I was still waiting
around for them at 4 PM. I was, like, "What the he!!
is going on?" After calling her cell phone twice, she
finally picked up, and I asked her what is going on. My MIL
said, "Well, I didn't have enough time to drop them off, so
I took them with us." And, then, to make matters worse,
she didn't call me later on to tell me that she was going to stop
at her sister's house (another hour away). My kids didn't
get home till 9:30 PM. I think this situation shows disrespect
for me and my feelings as a parent. She's always been an odd
person who says mean things to me, but this time I didn't know where
my kids were. Just because they were with grandma, doesn't
mean that they couldn't have gotten into a car accident, or worse.
Signed - Disrespect For
Me
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
So, if she is disrespecting you as a parent, maybe you should act
like a parent and not let her do what SHE wants with YOUR children.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
So, don't let MIL take off with the kids anymore! Be a mother,
and enforce rules where your children are concerned!
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
Don't let your darlings go anywhere anymore with GM, no matter if
it inconveniences you.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
I hope that was the last straw for you. I hope that when she dropped
them off, you told her that her behavior was unacceptable. I hope
that is the last time GM has your children unsupervised. People
only treat us the way we let them. If that was my MIL, I would
have told her off, then and there.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
I think that you are overreacting. Yes, she should have called
and told you that she was keeping them all day, but anyone can get
into a car accident. They just don't happen when you travel far
away from your house.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
Cut her off. It sounds like she can't be trusted to keep your children.
A junkyard? I can't even begin to imagine my child at such a place!
If a baby-sitter or other caregiver went AWOL with your children,
would you continue to allow that person to watch them? Why should
MIL be held to any different standard than any other caregiver?
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
The problem is that you need to get yourself a mouth and tell her
to stop her cr@p and bring your children home. Nothing is going
to happen until you start acting like the mother of those children
and get an attitude. Tell MIL to bring your kids home when she
says she will. If she did this for you, it would be because she
has responsibility, respect, and gives a damn.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
I wouldn't let her have the kids again. My mother pulled this once.
I went to pick up my son from an overnight, and they weren't home.
I called her on her cell, and she was 70 miles north, IN A DIFFERENT
STATE! And, for what? Breakfast! Hello? There are plenty of
restaurants right here! Her DH thought that I was being unreasonable,
but I told him to stuff it, and my mom didn't get my son overnight
for almost a year.
RESPONSE: Disrespect For Me
I know exactly how you feel. My MIL has no concept of time. She
might take my DW or my DD out some afternoon, and will keep them
out until late at night. She doesn't realize that, just because
she might not have a job to go to, or anything productive to do
the next day, that doesn't mean that the rest of us don't need to
go home and get some sleep. She is the worst about letting my DD
take a nap in her car seat around 5 or 6PM, so she is good and wired
around 9, which is her usual bedtime. And, the most infuriating
thing about it is that all of these errands that she has to run
with my family has nothing to do with my family. They are all stuff
that SHE needs or SHE wants. I wonder if she could ever learn to
live without having my DW up her @ss all the time.
Over the past 20 years,
I have received some really cheesy gifts. For example, for
Christmas one year, I got some extra-oversized (her size) panties
that she bought on TV. But, a couple of Christmases ago, she
really topped herself. We invited the ILs over for dinner,
and afterwards we proceeded to open gifts. The MIL had many
small packages individually wrapped for my husband, DD, DS and me.
These were items such as chocolate milk mix for the kids, really
offensive candles in small glass containers (when burned they gave
everyone a headache), and numerous items that she could not have
purchased anywhere except a dollar store. The bright pink
fuzzy plastic slippers were really quite an item, and on and on.
We bought them nice items (as usual), including gift certificates
to their local theater, and dinner. When they left, I told
my husband that we were going to wrap the "gifts" back
up and send them to his sister and the BIL. They were also
renowned for cheap, cheesy and recycled gifts. Hey, if this
garbage was good enough for the ILs to give to my family, then it
was good enough for the SIL and BIL. I just wished that I
could have been a fly on the wall when they opened this "stuff".
Actually, quite some time elapsed before any repercussions came
about. My MIL was really pissed, to say the least, and said
that she would never get us anything ever again. The SIL (who
lives out of state) never calls, etc., but their presents and presence
are not missed. I have always thought that what you give someone
is a direct reflection of your impressions and feelings for that
person. Oh, I forgot to mention that several days after opening
the "gifts", my MIL called and wanted my DH to come over
to their house right away, as she had some extra gifts for him.
He took time out of his busy schedule to drive over there, only
to receive 2 very ugly ceiling fans. They were so ugly that
the store would not take them back - they had been clearanced down
to $5 each. And, with my MIL's discount, she probably paid
no more than a couple of bucks each for them. I could go on
and on about these people. My MIL and FIL never cease to amaze
me. PS: She does always make sure that she calls me
to tell me what to get the DSIL, BIL, their kids, and FIL for their
birthdays or Christmas. Yeah right.
Signed - My MIL Never
Ceases to Amaze Me
RESPONSE: My MIL Never Ceases to Amaze Me
Good for you for re-gifting MIL's gifts. That's hysterical.
RESPONSE: My MIL Never Ceases to Amaze Me
When she calls to tell you what the others want, ask her why she
thought that you would be buying gifts for them.
RESPONSE: My MIL Never Ceases to Amaze Me
It sounds like you have the right attitude toward them. Just laugh
at them and avoid them as much as possible. That's what I do.
RESPONSE: My MIL Never Ceases to Amaze Me
Wow, if I was your MIL, I'd want nothing to do with you either.
She may be a bad gift giver, but you, ma'am, are simply rude and
tacky. Shame.
RESPONSE: My MIL Never Ceases to Amaze Me
I respectfully disagree with you that gifts are a direct reflection
of how a person feels about another. Some people have a "gift"
for gift-giving, and others don't. My in-laws don't particularly
like me, but they are great at gift giving. They give me the best
and most generous gifts that I've ever gotten in my life. Some
people might really adore you, but not quite "get" what
would be the perfect thing to get you. And, then there are other
people who will get it right sometimes and get you the perfect thing,
and at other times you will be scratching your head over what they
were THINKING! Maybe you are one of those people who is gifted
at gift giving. But, you don't sound like you really like your
in-laws at all. Yet, you are good at getting them gifts. So, your
gifts don't reflect how you feel about them, do they? Just because
you give thoughtful gifts, doesn't mean that you love the recipient.
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