30 answers

Mother-in-law Problems

My mother-in-law has been divorced twice and has four children all from different fathers. She has always felt that I wasn't good enough for her son and honestly believes we will be getting divorced in the near future. My husband and I have been married for almost three years and both plan to stay married forever. We have a daughter who is almost 2 years old. We live about 4 hours from both my parents and my husbands mother, so when we go down to visit (about once a month) we stay with my parents because my mother-in-law has a two bedroom trailer and still has two teenage sons living there, and there for doesn't have room for us. She has made the statement several times that none of my family is welcome on her property, so we respect her wishes and never bring any of them over with us. My husband got deployed to Iraq when my daughter was 4-months-old, and since I didn't really know anyone where we lived we decided it would be best for me and my daughter to move back in with my parents for the year. Even though my mother-in-law and I didn't get along, I felt it was important for my daughter to have a relationship with her. Since she refused to go visit us at my parents house, we would go over to visit for an hour or so about once a week. She defiantly cared for my daughter deeply and would sit on the floor and play with her. However, she spent the whole time telling me all the things that my husband use to do for her before he married me, and that she always figured he would marry someone more beautiful, more wonderful and skinny like she is. "I guess kids have to make their own mistakes," she says all the time. Well, as time went on, and my daughters understanding of language grew, I started feeling really uncomfortable taking her there, because I didn't want her to her grandma disrespecting me and I didn’t want her to be in the middle of this quarrel. My husband returned home and we moved back to Las Cruces. we still continued going to visit family about once a month, and tried to go and visit his mother during that time for at least an hour. My husband even started not liking going over there, because he was tired of her guilt trips all the time. About three weeks ago, my husband and I received a 7 page letter from my mother-in-law telling me all the things I had ever done wrong going back 6 years, to the moment I met her. She also included in there a time chart of how much time she should have gotten to see my daughter and how much time she has. She tells my husband that he needs to open his eyes and see how I'm manipulating him and how he needs to cut the leash I have around his neck that keeps him from seeing her and his two brothers who still live at home. She has now added on that I and my family are no longer welcome on her property. My husband says to just ignore the letter, and that she is just trying to manipulate him into going over more, and that the whole thing will blow over in a month or two, but I can't. I feel like this letter is her way of saying that she doesn’t want me around, ever. I realize a grandmother has rights to see her grandchildren, but I don’t feel like I can have my daughter see her anymore when she obviously has no respect for me or my marriage. I need advice on how to work through these problems with my mother-in-law, and I need to know what I can do, if anything, to keep my daughter out of this mess.

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Thank you all for your responses. They were all very helpful. I appreciate all the advice and all the stories that helped me feel like the problem between my mother-in-law and my self is not uncommon!

More Answers

Sorry that you're going through this tough time Anastasya, but I have to clarify one thing for you before I go on.

Grandparents DO NOT have rights to see their grandchildren, it's a PRIVILEGE. Secondly, you should put the welfare of your child above all others, so if it were me, I wouldn't have her visit that house anymore as I wouldn't want my daughter exposed to that kind of nasty attitude which could influence her character for many years to come. Lastly, you're not welcome on her property, well neither should be your daughter as she is a part of you. If she can't accept you she cannot accept the family.

If it were my husband, I'd be giving him a serious talk. How could he believe this would blow over in a couple weeks when she has clearly behaving this way for years? He needs to buckle up and stand by his family. I'm sorry if I come across as harsh, but you and your family should be of the utmost importance for him and he needs to defend that. As for your MIL, she really needs to get a clue.

I hope things work out for you soon.

-S.- mum to Breanna

3 moms found this helpful

I disagree, grandparents have no rights. She is toxic and will teach your child that it's okay to disrespect you. Personally, I would cut her out of my and my family's life until she's shown a correction in her abominable behavior!

3 moms found this helpful

Anastasya,
Your husband needs to stand up for you. He needs to be the leader and explain to her that when a son gets married, his wife and his family become number one, not his momma. And although he still loves his mother, what she is doing is wrong. Maybe he should make out a list of all the things he loves about you, and state that who he chooses to spend the rest of his life with is not conditional on her approval. In addition, he also needs to explain to her that by her rejection of you, she is ruining her relationship with him, and the possibility of a good relationship with your daughter.
Maybe spelling it out for her, by him is what is needed to nip this in the bud. Or he can say, if you can't respect my wife, and quit badmouthing her and putting her down.....then our ties will be cut, and you will not have the opportunity for a relationship with anyone. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to your daughter, because she will end up being put in the middle and either having to listen to her, or defend you...later on down the line. NOT ACCEPTABLE, if his mother had any regard for what is best for children, then she would not be doing this to you. Your daughter will be the one who ultimately suffers....but then again, she's got 4 kids from 4 different marriages/ dads so....maybe her perception of what is best for children is a little off. I'd have a few choice words for her if I were your husband.

Good Luck with that! Tell your husband, it's his responsibility to do something about it, if he loves and respects you. He should demand that for you.

2 moms found this helpful

WOW! Your mother in law is something else! She's obviously got severe mental issues, and control problems. Although writing a letter in return, documenting all of her flaws and time-lining her visits and rules about who can visit, would be tempting, it would only serve to engage you more. There are times in life when you just have to see things for what they are. She is who she is, and to hope for her to be different, or to think she would change, is futile. She is NEGATIVE energy for you, your child and your husband.

I think it's time YOU put a rule into place, and that is for you and your child to not have contact with her at all. You can simply say, "You clearly don't like me, and so I'll be sure that we stay away." Sadly, she seems like the type that (if she had visits alone with your daughter - say your husband brought her) she could put a negative spin on your daughter about you. I think your husband needs to defend more than his country - he needs to defend you as his wife, and protect his daughter from her as well.

His mother is likely to get upset for more perceived lack of control, but let her stew. She's ultimately created this rift, and is spewing her own insecurities about marriage, etc onto you and your family. Your husband will hopefully grow tired of your mom's nonsense and come to the same conclusion to stay away as well. Let her be the martyr, it may be all she's good at.....

Find peace with having the positiveness of YOUR family, and let the rest go. Making peace with knowing you didn't do anything wrong, is key. She is ill mentally, and there's no reasoning with the unreasonable.

Best of luck!

2 moms found this helpful

your mother inlaw sounds impossible. you know, some people just can't be helped. sounds like you are a great person and your husband has a good idea how is mother is...i have had my own problems with a few inlaws, i finally came to realize...if they don't like it, TOO F___IN BAD! this is your life too, and you only live once...from the words of Cher "this isn't dress rehearsal" your daughter will figure out soon enough that grandma is "grumpy" it's her (grandmas) loss! some people are just meant to live miseralble lives, my mother told me once that my husband would never love me...my mother has never had a sucessful relationship that she didn't mess up...hang in there. i know my husband loves me. my mother has came to except that, but the things that htey say will last forever...just always remember, never to do those things to your children...because we know how it can effect us later. keep your chin up and live YOUR life! you have a beautiful child to love!

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how does that old saying go... "a daughter's a daughter for all of her life... a son is a son till he takes on a wife" I feel your pain.. I thank God my mother in law lives in Texas, and I have only seen her twice in the 4 years my husband and I have been together. Save that letter in case she tries for her "grandparents rights" that is MENTAL ABUSE to you and your daughter. Your husband needs to put her in her place. and now LADIES: if you have a son... remember this as how NOT to treat your daughter in law if you want to see your grandchildren.

2 moms found this helpful

It is good your husband understands the situation and he is with you. I can only advice to keep distace from your mother-in-law for awhile. Like don't go visit her with your daughter for the meantime. She is having a hard time dealing with her son getting married and having a family. It seems unfair not to visit her, but you are right, your daughter is seeing how your mother-in-law is treating you and it is not advisable. Give it a time. Maybe when you guys stopped going there for awhile, then she might realize that what she is doing with you isn't right anymore. I almost had the same situation but it was with my mom. She used to treat me differently and tried to manipulate me when i was still single. but when I got married and moved out from their house and limited my time visiting them, then she started to change. She started to give me my space and respected that i now have a husband and will start a new family. with ur mariage, PROVE her that you are WORTHY for her son.Don't get affected with what she wrote to you. With your daughter, explain to her why she can't see her grandma for awhile. explain the situation in a way that she won't see her grandma as a bad person. I hope everything goes well. My prayer is with you. God bless.

1 mom found this helpful

Hello, my name is M. and i feel that your mother in law is the one that is manipulative. Your husband needs to tell her that she needs to respect u and your family or to stay out of your life... Even if you and your husband had a bad relationship its still not her place to interfere. She will destroy your marriage if your husband doesnt stand up for u and your family(your parents)..or you will end up leaving because you just cant take it anymore.. I think she is jealous of your family thats why she doesnt want to be around them.. She sees that they are family oriented and she hates that.. I feel that if she wants to be a grandmother she should be making the effort to pick your daughter up and or go visit her.. I dont think you should be taking your daughter to see her.. If she doesnt see her that much thats her doing and she shouldnt be telling your daughter anything negative about u.. if she does than your daughter doesnt need to be around that.. I dont think that you have a leash on your husband, but i do think she needs to pull the nipple out already and let her husband be a man,husband,and father... Your husband needs to be the one to stand up for u and speak up... Its his mother and like i said earlier u do not need to make an effort to take or make sure that your daughter has a relationship with her.. (she can stick her chart up her *$@.. That is something she needs to do herself if she really loves her granddaughter she will make the effort...I tell my husband that if his family says or does anything about me then its his job to say something in my defense because if i say anything it will not be nice.. and if my family does or says anything about him its my job to defend him... it causes less drama that way because its not the other disrespecting the other side of the family.. you said she has to other boys well maybe when they get married she will be to occupied trying to ruin there relationship and stay out of yours.. but i really feel sorry for all her boys because she is going to do that to all of them when they get married... its her way of controlling,munipulating she wants to come first.. i would not trust that woman with my any of my kids, one day she may snapp especially if your child looks like u she may take it out on her and then knowing the love that u have for your child and to get back at you for taking her son away from her she might want to take your daughter away from u... i dont like to think that way but these days i see it all the time on the news with grandmothers,mothers,fathers, etc killing there grandchildren and children its sad but true...all because of jealousy,control and other reasons... I dont want to scare u.. but talk to your husband..

1 mom found this helpful

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