It’s sad to know that even in the 21st century, there are male chauvinists who believe in toxic masculinity and ruin things for the ones who don’t encourage such obnoxious behavior. I mean, aren’t there bigger problems like war or global warming that need human attention?
The original poster’s (OP) father-in-law falls under this shameful category, as he always taunts our guy for being “raised by women” and not being “man enough” for his daughter. However, all hell broke loose when he falsely accused OP of being a thief and led a smear campaign against him. Here’s what happened!
More info: Reddit
Many times, having toxic in-laws can create tension between a couple if they don't have a united front
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster's father-in-law feels he's not "man enough" for his daughter and accused him of stealing his iPad when it went missing
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The innocent poster was baffled when the man called the cops on him and even led a smear campaign against him on social media
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
What hurt the poster more is that his wife showed zero support for him, and instead asked him to apologize to her father and keep the peace
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: Sandesh Sharma / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Even when the toxic man found that the poster didn't steal his iPad, he never apologized, so the poster distanced himself and his daughter from the whole family
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: LARAM / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
His wife expects him to let it all go and not talk about it, but he is distraught by her lack of empathy for his problem
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: Nicolás Flor / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
As advised by netizens, the poster had a talk with his wife, poured his heart out about the problems, and even brought up separation
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits:Blake Cheek / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
His wife is rattled by the thought of separation, and since they both don't want that, he suggested marriage counseling
Image credits: ThrowRASukimaRoad
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
He loves her a lot and wants to work on their marriage as she's a very caring person, but when near her toxic father, she just bends to his will
They have decided to see how things work for them after marriage counseling, as both of them want to resolve the issue
Today’s story is quite dramatic, as Reddit user u/ThrowRASukimaRoad tells us that he and his wife have a 4-year-old daughter, but their marriage is suffering at the moment, all because of his father-in-law. This toxic man never really liked OP, as he sees him as “not good enough” for his daughter, and due to his chauvinistic beliefs, he also taunted the poster for being “raised by women.”
However, things spiraled out of control at Christmas dinner, when he accused OP of stealing his iPad when it went missing, and even got the cops involved. In fact, this man has so much hatred within him that he went on a smear campaign online against the poster and claimed that he’s “not man enough to own his mistakes.”
The innocent guy got shunned by the family over this, and hearing the things his father-in-law said about him, he insisted on keeping their daughter away from the toxic man. However, what hurts him the most is his wife’s lack of support throughout the whole situation. Instead of defending him to her family, she asked him to apologize to her father and not escalate the issue.
When it was out in the open that OP didn’t steal the iPad, he never received an apology from his father-in-law, but he got invitations to family dinners, which he declined. His wife is angry that he’s not “keeping the peace” but refuses to talk about how much the whole situation has pained him.
In an update, OP mentioned that he finally spoke with her about all this and even showed her his previous Reddit post. What truly rattled her was when he brought up the topic of separation, but both of them want to work on the relationship, so they have decided to go for marriage counseling instead. He also added that he loves her and she’s a better person when she doesn't bend to her toxic father’s wishes.
Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Research suggests that people don’t necessarily have shared beliefs and mutual understanding with their in-laws. In fact, conflict in such a relationship is so common that 75% of couples reported having problems with an in-law. Looks like the couple in the story is one of them because of the toxic father-in-law.
It has been observed that behaviors that are manipulative, controlling, and consistently disrespectful are clear signs of a toxic in-law. If you look at it, the antagonist of the story has displayed all these characteristics, and even more when he went on to insult OP in front of his 4-year-old daughter.
Studies show that children learn and imitate behaviors by watching and listening to others. This is sometimes called “observational learning,” when children can learn things simply by observing others. Many folks commented that it’s a good thing he completely stopped contact between his kid and the toxic man in the story, or she might pick up and learn these things.
Many people also expressed concern about the couple’s rocky marriage and the way the wife just refused to discuss his issues or support him. It has been observed that mutual support among couples is crucial for maintaining healthy relationships, and netizens also pointed out that things won’t work for OP and his wife if she doesn’t back him up in front of her parents.
Folks were also quite stumped due to the father-in-law and his insufferable beliefs about manhood and how OP is not “man enough.” Many assured him that he sounded like an amazing father and partner, and said he should really consider cutting out the toxic man from their lives permanently. That sounds reasonable, right? What would you do? Let us know in the comments!
Folks online were baffled by the toxic father-in-law, but they felt that things won't work for the couple if the wife doesn't support him
