My Mother-in-Law Treats Me like Her Slave – My Husband Didn't Believe It until I Secretly Recorded Her

A heavily pregnant woman decided to stand up against her mother-in-law after the latter had been mistreating her. However, the confrontation did not end well

Relationships with in-laws are sometimes challenging to build and nourish, especially between mother and daughters-in-law. It is all the more difficult when a woman's husband sides with his mother instead of his wife.

Sadly, such was the experience of a 21-year-old mother who was pregnant with twin girls. The woman shared her experience with the Reddit community, asking if her actions were proper.

The woman shared that she and her mother-in-law have not been on the best terms. Things worsened when the OP's in-law moved in with her and her husband six months after her father-in-law passed away.

A Tumultuous Relationship with Her Mother-In-Law

A woman had always had a broken relationship with her mother-in-law, partly due to their different cultures. While OP was from the West, her husband's mother was from another continent. She often felt judged by her in-law, who would nitpick her actions despite trying hard to please the older woman. Admittedly, their strained relationship has left the OP in tears.

Her mother-in-law often asked the OP to do things, including when she requested her daughter-in-law to cook a dish from her homeland without help or guidance. To please her husband's mom, OP researched the meal and tried her best to get it right. However, despite her best efforts, the dish was disregarded. The OP said:

"[She took] one bite and [told] me it's awful and [threw] her whole plate out."

Pleading For Her Mother-In-Law To Be Kind

After many disrespectful and painful moments, the woman asked her mother-in-law to treat her better several times to no avail. Whenever this happened, the in-law would talk to OP's husband to tell him that his wife was disrespectful.

As a pregnant woman, she couldn't take all the orders — cleaning, cooking, and running errands. Even while doing chores she ordered, the mother-in-law would still point out all the wrong ways the OP does things. The woman said:

"She doesn't understand how her son could marry someone who doesn't even know how to be a wife."

Standing Up For Herself

Finally, the day came when the woman had enough of his mother-in-law's antics. She stood up for herself and told the older woman she would no longer be ordered around. She would no longer do things for her in-laws until she was treated kindly.

The OP also emphasized that she was the wife of her son and the mother of her born and unborn grandchildren, whether the mother-in-law liked it or not.

Unfortunately, her words were not met well. The OP's mother-in-law got angry and started insulting her, calling the pregnant woman disrespectful to her elders. The in-law also claimed that she was "disgusted" that her son married such a woman.

Siding with His Mother Instead of His Wife

Amidst all that has happened, the OP's husband still sided with his mother. He sympathized with her story after she called him to rant about his wife's actions. The husband talked to his wife and asked her to be more understanding of his grieving mother. He also didn't think she was putting much effort into their relationship as mother and daughter-in-law.

"I brought this to my husband's attention enough times and all he did was downplay his mom's action," the woman said. Now, the OP wonders if she was wrong to tell her husband's mother off.

After seeing her husband side with his mother, the woman brought him proof. The OP chose to record her mother-in-law as the mean person she is and showed her husband. He finally took action and set ground rules for his mother. However, he did not have the heart to kick his mother out of the house.

Do you think the woman was wrong to stand up for herself? What would you have done in her place? In a similar story, a pregnant woman's mother-in-law often made her feel bad for her weight and refused to give her cake at her own baby shower. However, the woman's husband did not sympathize with his wife and sided with his mother.