We've already told you about all sorts of conflicts between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law more than once or twice, and each new tale actually sets a new standard of human insanity. Hell, I never actually imagined that life in an extended family could be like this!
Well, the story we're going to tell you today - from the user u/80hanes, only convinces us that, in fact, ordinary entitlement has no limits. The author's mother-in-law, to top off all her odd behavior, has now become obsessed with taking the heirloom wedding ring from the daughter-in-law. But why? Well, now we'll find out...
More info: Reddit
The author of the post has an incredibly toxic mother-in-law with a long and bad back history of relationships between them
Image credits: gpointstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
This lady managed to lose her real estate agent license due to fraud and covered another son's adultery from his pregnant wife
Image credits: 80hanes
Image credits: gorynvd / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The mother-in-law also dislikes the author - mainly because she can't have kids due to her health conditions
Image credits: 80hanes
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So, recently, the elderly lady started pestering the author, demanding she return her heirloom wedding ring in order "to let it stay in the family"
Image credits: 80hanes
So the author now considers going no-contact with the in-laws and decided to take it online seeking advice
Literally, from the first words, the Original Poster (OP) makes it clear to us that her mother-in-law is, to put it mildly, a rather specific person. By the age of 65, this lady had already lost her real estate agent's license due to various frauds, barely escaped prosecution, and also managed to buy one of her sons a house for his mistress without his pregnant wife knowing.
Needless to say, the author's relationship with her MIL is very strained. The elderly lady disliked our heroine, among other things, because she and her husband have no kids (in the OP's health condition, pregnancy and childbirth would be associated with great risks). And also, according to the MIL, it was the author who forced her BIL to cheat - "because after the wedding, he lost his best friend in his brother." Nuff said, I believe...
Luckily, the husband always takes his wife's side in these arguments, so the couple ended up going almost no contact with her. And yet, on big holidays, relatives still come together - and almost invariably, new fights begin. Because the mother-in-law goes to a new round of nagging at our heroine. For example, this is not the first time she has demanded that the OP return her heirloom wedding ring...
The reason? Because, as the MIL believes, the heirloom ring "should stay in the family," and since the OP and her spouse will most likely stay childless, this branch of the family should be interrupted. Therefore, the ring, in the opinion of the elderly lady, should go to the BIL's new wife - that ex-mistress of his... Of course, our heroine doesn't take this seriously, but these digs surely irked her, so the author turned to netizens for advice.
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
"You know, the behavior described here really goes beyond any conceivable and acceptable boundaries," says Maria Kryvosheeva, a psychologist and NLP coach, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment on this case. "Because such words would be completely unacceptable and rude even if it were a 100% joke. But this is definitely not a joke."
"Considering the age of the mother-in-law, the established and ingrained patterns of behavior in her are unlikely to be changed. And it's also unlikely that she will change in any way - given that she obviously considers herself to be absolutely right in literally any argument, which she herself actually ignites."
"Based on this, the only correct action here would be going no contact unilaterally, without any additional explanations. Simply because any attempt to explain something will be interpreted as a weakness. And, of course, interpreted completely incorrectly. Fortunately, as far as I get it, the spouse is on the wife's side in this conflict, and his support should ease the situation," Maria concludes.
Commenters were also surprised why the OP hasn't yet cut all ties with this toxic lady, given the entire backstory of their relationship. After all, as someone rightly pointed out, unlike the author's husband, for whom she's a mother, the OP has no obligation to communicate with her. Well, and someone just believes that the MIL wants to sell the ring and pocket the money. And what do you, our dear readers, think about all this?
Most commenters sided with the woman and literally urged her to cut all ties with such a toxic MIL
