5 Stories of Mothers-in-Law Whose Odd Actions Left Their Families Baffled

Mothers-in-law might not be the same, and some aren't as bad as people say, but the following stories don't help their reputation. Some mothers-in-law like snooping in the daughters-in-law's houses, while others leave them out of special events.

Mothers-in-law tend to get harsh judgments about how they treat their families, and unfortunately, the following five stories only support that narrative.

Mother-in-Law Demands Payment for Doing Chores Out of the Goodness of Her Heart

Taking to Reddit's "AITA" subreddit, a 31-year-old woman contacted social media users seeking their advice. She revealed that a week before posting, she welcomed a baby boy but had to stay in the hospital until a day before her post due to complications.

Speaking about her pregnancy, the original poster (OP) recalled how she and her husband, 33, were home when her water broke. Rushing at the time, the couple wasn't thinking about cleaning their home as they threw towels on the bedroom carpet and left.

While stuck at the hospital, her mother-in-law (MIL), 59, kindly offered to feed their dogs, a gesture they truly appreciated. However, when they returned home, they discovered a receipt and note from the husband's mother on the fridge.

Surprisingly, MIL had chosen to clean their bedroom carpet and the whole house. The note revealed the day's labor costs $25 per hour while the cleaning products cost $200. OP was left shocked by the unexpected request for reimbursement, saying:

"Now, while it was nice of her to clean my carpet and then the rest of my house, neither of us asked her to do this."

Her husband responded to the matter by writing a text to his mother. He thanked her for assisting them while they were in the hospital by caring for their dogs. However, he noted how they found the note on the fridge and revealed that her snooping in their house shocked them as neither informed her about OP's water breaking in their bedroom.

He also couldn't understand why she'd spent so much on cleaning products or why she wanted them to pay her for them and her time cleaning the house. They also wanted to know where these cleaning items were, expecting to get their money's worth since they were expected to pay for them.

OP's husband said when they trusted MIL to look after their dogs; they thought she was helping them out of the goodness of her heart instead of using it to make money quickly. He was hurt that she'd do something like that while OP was still unwell.

MIL's immediate response saw her insisting that her actions were from kindness, and she couldn't understand their ingratitude. Extended family members also texted OP praising her MIL's efforts, noting how she'd show her love by assisting them despite her advanced age.

OP had to switch her phone off to avoid the overwhelming messages she received. Her husband continued facing criticism from their families, who accused the couple of manipulating the situation and unfairly portraying the MIL as the villain despite her intention to prepare the house for the baby.

OP was deeply upset by the incident but was torn when her husband suggested they pay MIL to appease their extended families and to give them a chance to focus on being new parents. However, the new mother wasn't keen on paying her MIL for her unwelcome behavior.

MIL sent another message to the couple saying she was willing to gift them the cleaning products, but she still wished to be paid for her time, saying the cleaning process felt like she was dealing with "a biohazard."

But OP ultimately felt torn between conceding to bring harmony and peace or sticking to her feelings due to her principles. If that meddling MIL's behavior didn't surprise you that much, the following one will leave you with your mouth on the floor!

Woman's Mother-in-Law Excludes Her from Family Dinner during Vacation

Another Reddit user shared how her husband's family has always looked down on her because they perceived her as being lower-class. Her MIL always treated her differently because she thought OP lacked etiquette compared to their family.

One day, the woman and her husband went on a family vacation with his family, but when they arrived at their destination, something wasn't right. A family dinner was arranged at a fancy restaurant outside the hotel, but OP wasn't informed of their night's plans.

OP only found the truth when her husband started getting dressed. She asked him where he was going, and that's when he mentioned that he and his family were going out to eat. That was also when he decided to tell her she wasn't invited.

When she asked why, he told her his mother had assumed she wouldn't want to go because she wouldn't recognize the food or know how to eat it. Instead, OP's husband revealed that his mother suggested she stay at the hotel and eat at its restaurant to be more comfortable.

The OP was taken aback, but she chose to remain calm and didn't argue with her husband. When he left for dinner, she packed her bags and took the first flight back home. When her husband returned to their room, he discovered she'd already left and freaked out.

He started calling her non-stop, trying to find out why she left the vacation, which he had to beg his mother to allow her on. OP's spouse didn't make matters better when she called his wife ungrateful for how she acted and said she'd embarrassed him in front of his family.

The couple ended up arguing, and when he returned from the vacation, he gave her the silent treatment for a while. His family also began indirectly criticizing the woman on Facebook. In an update, OP revealed that her husband's family didn't even tell her what food they'd eat at the restaurant.

She also mentioned that she wasn't the only excluded person, as her brother-in-law's girlfriend was also left out. OP asked if she had been unreasonable for leaving the family vacation after they'd mistreated her, especially seeing as they'd paid for her trip.

Luckily, most Reddit users were on her side, while others believed her husband was the main problem; sadly, she never returned with another update. However, in this third story, the revenge from this daughter-in-law (against her MIL, is something you'll never forget.

A Woman Set a Trap for Her Snooping MIL

A Reddit user had a MIL who habitually wanted to go into their bedroom whenever she went to her and her husband's house. One time, when MIL did this, the OP decided to follow quietly up the stairs. The OP saw the woman in her bedroom, rifling through bills on her dresser.

When she confronted her MIL, the older woman denied snooping. She claimed to have entered the bedroom because she couldn't find the bathroom. However, OP knew what she saw and installed an exterior doorknob that required a key.

OP also installed the exact mechanism in their office. After the installations, MIL kept claiming she forgot where the bathroom was as she tried to enter the bedroom or office, annoying her daughter-in-law (DIL) further, with her stating:

"My husband says that I just get annoyed at this because everything she does drives me crazy, and since we've put locks on the rooms we don't want her in, there isn't really a problem anymore."

However, things came to a head when MIL and OP's sister-in-law (SIL) came over to dinner for the holidays. OP knew then that would be the ideal time to get revenge on her snooping MIL. When she knew MIL was coming over, she searched for her keys to lock her bedroom, but her husband insisted she didn't need to as he believed his mother wouldn't try to get into their bedroom.

OP and her husband argued about the issue for a while until they agreed to coat their doorknob in fine glitter so they could see if MIL tried to enter their bedroom. The tactic once worked well for OP when her husband didn't believe her before that his mother was snooping around in their house.

However, this time, OP took it a step further by coating the doorknob in glitter and rigging a folder of glitter over the door. If MIL entered the room, the contraption would drop down, covering her with glitter. She unlocked the bedroom door and waited for her MIL to fall into her trap.

Her husband showed his family the bathroom they could use when they arrived and asked them not to go upstairs. However, MIL didn't take long to ignore his request and went upstairs to their bedroom, where she got covered in glitter from her hair to her hands, with OP sharing:

"She completely lost it and started screaming at me, so I yelled back, and now my husband is saying I went too far."

The MIL also told OP that she was terrible for what she had done. However, her SIL reassured her that she had done nothing wrong and that the MIL deserved what she got because she was snooping. MIL even complained that the glitter had ruined her car as she couldn't remove it.

Although her intentions were good, OP felt terrible and asked Redditors if she'd gone too far or if she was justified in what she did. Most social media users thought OP wasn't in the wrong, while others believed her husband wasn't doing enough to remedy the situation.

OP might've gotten her revenge, but her humanity had her doubting her actions because of her unsupportive husband. In the following story, one woman got the blame from her MIL for ruining Thanksgiving, although the older woman was the one who left her out of the celebrations.

Mother-in-Law Favors Son's Ex-girlfriend over His Wife

A 28-year-old Reddit user reached out to the community, seeking their assistance regarding a Thanksgiving situation at her MIL's home. She and her husband, Shaun, 33, had been married for five months after being in a relationship for two years.

Sadly, she and her MIL didn't have the best relationship because she was passive-aggressive and often criticized the OP. However, MIL had an excellent relationship with Shaun's ex-girlfriend, Julissa, who still got invited to family occasions.

Julissa had managed to stay on good terms with everyone regardless of her break up with Shaun because of the strong bond she'd built with them. Although it wasn't ideal, OP never minded Julissa's attendance during family gatherings and holidays.

Things changed when MIL hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her place. OP's husband left ahead of her to the venue; by the time she arrived, it was already dinner time. All the chairs were taken, and everyone was seated and ready to eat.

There weren't more empty seats for OP, and there wasn't any space to fit another chair. When OP asked her MIL for a seat, the older woman apologized before explaining that her granddaughter had joined the celebration at the last minute.

OP wasn't happy with her MIL's response and gestured toward Julissa, seated beside her husband. She claimed that as the daughter-in-law, she had more of a right to be at the table than Shaun's ex-girlfriend. OP had already uttered those words before she could stop herself.

Her MIL claimed Julissa was just as much family as her and noted that OP was rude to think otherwise. Julissa sat and nodded and glanced at OP as the exchange happened, with the Redditor revealing:

"I was so upset I wanted to leave but decided to just sit on my husband's lap and act as casual as possible. I sat on his lap asking if he was okay with it."

OP started to eat with her husband while sitting on his lap and even complimented the food. However, the table went into an awkward silence when OP praised her husband's warm and comfortable lap. Her brother-in-law (BIL) tried to make conversation to force the awkwardness to dissipate, but they couldn't shake it off.

In the meantime, MIL and Julissa had barely touched their food and kept looking at each other before turning to OP. Eventually, Julissa excused herself to go to the bathroom, and MIL followed. The table remained awkward, but OP and her husband continued eating.

OP and her husband left when dinner ended, but she received a message from her MIL telling her she was inappropriate and had ruined Thanksgiving. The MIL claimed the Redditor could've taken a chair from the kitchen instead of acting like a child and making Julissa uncomfortable.

Most Reddit users were on OP's side, and once again, others called out the husband for not mitigating the situation. The last story featured a MIL who refused to eat Thanksgiving food cooked by her DIL and offered to bring her own.

A Woman Was Left Offended When Her Mil Asked to Bring Her Own Food for Thanksgiving

In November 2022, a woman, 32, reached out to Reddit users asking for advice over a Thanksgiving mishap with her MIL. She revealed she planned to host Thanksgiving at her house that year and spent the whole month planning her menu by testing different recipes.

She was excited and looking forward to sharing her cooking with her family. OP had the support and assistance of her husband, 35, throughout her planning and preparation phase. She bought all the necessary ingredients and organized various dishes, including traditional favorites and a few unique additions.

When OP posted her story to Reddit, it was because her husband informed her his mother wished to bring her own dinner when they came over. The Reddit user was shocked and asked if it was necessary if she'd prepared more than enough food.

Her husband justified his mother's actions by calling her a "grade A picky eater" who wouldn't "like" anything his wife had prepared. OP found the explanation ridiculous and argued that her menus were familiar and offered a variety of choices.

However, her words were brushed aside as her husband shared that he thought his mother bringing her own supper was a "good compromise." OP disagreed with him, saying she would be humiliated if MIL ate something entirely different from everyone else, and it would be an apparent negative nod to her cooking skills.

OP felt her MIL's request was rude and disrespectful, considering all the time, money, and effort she'd put into preparing the meal. In frustration, she told her husband that his mother wasn't allowed to eat anything at their place and was welcome to stay home and enjoy whatever she'd made for herself.

OP's husband called his wife insensitive and petty and accused her of ruining the holiday. However, OP felt she deserved to have the company of friends and family who appreciated her efforts, not the negativity of someone who rejected all she did and insulted her cooking after all the effort she'd put in.

However, she was content either way, even if her MIL didn't like anything.

She felt the Thanksgiving preparations were a labor of love, something she wished to share with her family and friends. However, she had doubts and asked Reddit users if she was wrong to ban her MIL if the older woman insisted on rejecting everything she'd prepared.

OP also shared the Thanksgiving menu she planned on serving. It included various traditional dishes such as roasted turkey, stuffing, and creamy mashed potatoes. She also intended to offer potatoes au gratin, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce for a traditional touch.

OP also made roasted carrots, homemade bread rolls with apple butter, and roasted squash with goat cheese. Honey-glazed ham and braised short ribs were included as savory alternatives, while unique options like spinach, bacon, feta cheese pies, a special lasagna with white sauce, and stuffed mushrooms added flavor to the feast.

She planned on serving three pies for dessert: pecan, pumpkin, and apple. With such an extensive menu, she couldn't understand how her MIL couldn't find something she could eat. In an update, she thanked Redditors for their replies and thoughts.

After careful consideration, she acknowledged feeling hurt but decided to take the "kill her with kindness" approach. OP was overwhelmed and exhausted, but she told her MIL that she was welcome because she wanted Thanksgiving to be perfect for everyone.

She planned on focusing on her other guests and would ignore any negativity. OP decided that her MIL wouldn't ruin her day and chose to be the bigger person for the sake of her family. She was still irritated but hopeful that her MIL would try something new and enjoy it.

However, she was content either way, even if her MIL didn't like anything. Some Reddit users thought OP's husband should take over the preparations since he felt it wasn't a big deal, while others thought MIL should eat at her house before going to her DIL.

Either way, OP found a solution that brought her some peace, and that's all that matters. Click here if you'd like to read another story about a MIL who ate her DIL's share of food and still wanted to take leftovers home.