10 Mother-in-Law Stories That Are Pure Comedy Gold

Getting along with a mother-in-law is one of those things that’s hard to predict—no one can say for sure how it’ll turn out. Almost every daughter-in-law seems to have a story or two about her husband’s mom, and some of those stories can be more entertaining than a good Netflix show.

• "I (32F) am a mom to a 6-year-old daughter who was super excited about visiting a new cafe that serves "princess cakes" and is known for its high tea. I booked a table for us, my mom (60F), and my MIL (64F), even though it wasn’t for Mother’s Day but an early celebration. My daughter dressed up like a princess, but my MIL, who is frugal and doesn’t enjoy splurging, immediately criticized the whole thing, calling it a waste of money and the cakes ridiculous. She even said princesses wouldn’t want such tiny portions. It upset my daughter, so I took my MIL aside and asked her to keep her comments to herself. My MIL insisted that I was overvaluing my daughter’s feelings and she should learn the value of money. Eventually, I asked her to leave if she couldn’t let my daughter enjoy herself. Now my MIL is telling the family I cut her out because she’s too frugal, and my husband thinks I should have just kept the peace." Adventurous_Ant1546 / Reddit

• "My SIL Alice is a single mom who moved into a condo next to us after I offered her a place to stay. My MIL, Pat, has always treated Alice poorly, and one day, while visiting Alice, she screamed at the 7-year-old. I was furious and told her to leave and never return. Alice was upset, saying her mom often speaks to the kids like that. When I told my husband, he thought we overreacted, but I feel her language was inexcusable, and for the kids' mental health, she’s not welcome here. His family says I’m being dramatic, but I trust Alice completely and hear what was said. My MIL is still denying it, and my husband and I are arguing over whether her anger justifies her words. I don’t think it does." Traditional-Yak2096 / Reddit

• I was 19 when I found out my dad had a second family. My mom had no idea. One evening my dad's other wife reached out to me. She said: "I had no idea about you or your mom. I thought I was the only one." She then told me she would never talk to my dad and then apologized not just for her part in the mess but for my dad’s choices. She said she’d been blindsided and had left him as soon as the truth came out.
  
  Over time, we started talking more, not as enemies but as two people who had been hurt in different ways by the same person. She even showed up at my college graduation to cheer me on when my dad didn’t.

• "I (29F) have been married to my husband (31M) for two years. When I first met my MIL, she wasn’t very accepting of me, calling me "loud and obnoxious" behind my back. I chose to ignore it. When we were planning our wedding, she was overly involved, trying to control everything from the flowers to the meal, which drove me crazy. I snapped at her once, apologized, and tried to move on. Fast forward to the birth of our daughter, Andromeda, on March 16th. My husband and I chose the name because we both love astronomy, but MIL wanted to continue a family tradition of naming the baby after grandparents. She pushed for "Mary," a name after her and her mother, but I felt it was selfish. At a family gathering, MIL kept calling my daughter Mary, even after I corrected her multiple times. My husband is considering changing the name to keep the peace, but I don’t think it’s right." Fantastic_Cow_1594 / Reddit

• "I (27F) had my first baby six days ago and, while recovering, asked my mom for support. She’s been visiting regularly, along with my best friend, who helps with meals and walks. MIL was upset about my mom’s visits, so we invited her over on day six postpartum. She brought gluten-filled food, even though I have Celiac disease, and complained about making gluten-free food. I snapped at her for being rude, especially when my best friend’s husband brought gluten-free tiramisu. MIL got upset, started complaining, and is now trying to turn the family against me. My husband supports me, but most of my in-laws are mad." Certain_Fan_3991 / Reddit

• "I (24m) and my girlfriend (23f) are expecting our first child and her mother has been very critical of our relationship. She overheard us telling my girlfriend's dad about the pregnancy and demanded we use the name she chose for the baby. I told her we would choose the name ourselves and she had no say. She threatened to not be involved in our child's life, which we agreed might be for the best. I told her if she thought I'd let her near my child, she was delusional. My parents think I was too disrespectful, but my girlfriend supports me." Unhappy_Plankton_287 / Reddit

• "I (32F) have a 7-month-old and work while she's napping, but I'm exhausted from teething. My MIL constantly ignores boundaries, so we agreed she couldn't visit unless my husband (34M) was home. After 1.5 months, they came over, and 20 minutes in, MIL tried to feed my baby cake despite me saying no. I took the baby to my husband, and when MIL followed, I left without saying a word and went to my sister's to rest. My husband is furious, saying I was rude and should’ve waited." Glittering_Way4037 / Reddit

• "I (36F) am pregnant and live with my husband (41M). My MIL is generally sweet but over-controlling and has no sense of boundaries. When she came to help with the baby, she started cleaning and clearing out my personal items, including things I collect from garage sales. I told her I didn’t want her to do this, but she insisted it was unsafe for the baby. She then tried to leave with even more items, and I lost it, telling her to leave and booking her a hotel room. My husband is furious, saying I disrespected his mom and was ungrateful. " NoMaybe3163 / Reddit

• "My husband and I are expecting our first child. My MIL kept referring to the baby as "hers" and insisted on throwing me a baby shower for her friends. At the shower, she ignored my registry and gave all circus-themed gifts instead of what we wanted. She also created her registry for "her" baby and planned to decorate a nursery at her house.
  I lost it, told her to stop calling the baby hers, and said she wouldn’t see our child. Now his family is calling us selfish." Unknown author / Reddit

• "I have two young kids, and Christmas is my favorite time of year. Last year, I invited my MIL to join us for Christmas Eve, and she took over everything—making cookies, playing games, and even stepping in as "Santa" without consulting us. It felt like she was trying to take my role as the mom, which hurt me. This year, we're celebrating Christmas at her house, but I asked for Christmas Eve and morning to be just our family of four, with a couple of hours in the morning for the Santa experience. She was furious and even threatened to tell Santa to go to her house. My husband backed me up but later defended her, saying she just wanted to be part of the magic. I don't mind her being involved, but I want to be the one to create that special moment with my kids. Am I wrong for standing firm on this?" Striking-Day1044 / Reddit

Before you go, don’t miss the story Jane shared about how her mother-in-law wanted to come on their honeymoon—and her husband was totally on board.