18 Stories of Family Members Who Thrive on Causing Havoc

Luckily or not, you can't pick your family. This means life is filled with both pleasant and unpleasant surprises because you never quite know what your family members might do next.

• When my child was 18 months old, my grandmother called me over and said, "Here, try this juice. Can I give it to the baby?" I take a few sips without a second thought, thinking I should check whether it's too cold or sour.
  Then I realize I've swallowed some rotten stuff with a strange aftertaste. I spit this disgusting thing and ask her what it is. And my grandma is like, "Has it gone bad? That's what I thought. The jar was bloated, and there was mold on top... But I picked it up carefully, nothing got into the cup."
  It turns out that she found an old bloated jar in the pantry, and, instead of throwing out this junk, she decided to give it to a 1-year-old child, but at the last moment, she decided to try it on me first. Good thing I was passing by, otherwise I don't even know what would have happened. © Alidamai / Pikabu
• Once, my mum and I were staying with my aunt when I was about 5 years old. And one day my aunt thought I had stolen her money. There was an envelope in a book, and then it was gone. Who is guilty? Surely me!
  Oh, how much they tortured me and asked a million questions. In a couple of weeks, I even started to believe that I'd stolen the envelope, but I forgot where I put it. Mum even threatened me with the police.
  When we were already on the train going home, my aunt called my mother and said in an innocent voice, "Oh, I was looking through my books and found the envelope in one of them. And I forgot that I had put it there myself." My mother, of course, apologized to me for this. But I couldn't trust her anymore. © NEET*** / Pikabu
• My sister invites our mother to go to Turkey for a holiday. The mother always says, "You don't understand, I'm 70 years old, it's hard for me, I can't do it!" But the funny thing is that our parents work in the garden every single day to grow organic potatoes that no one needs. And all this is under the pretext, "Well, we have to exercise, it's our hobby!" © Nachtwandler70 / Pikabu

• I stopped inviting my son's friend over because his mother had so many rules. He could not eat hot dogs or grapes - a choking hazard. No hamburgers at restaurants or our house because they might not be cooked through. No playing outside without an adult present to watch. This was through sixth grade, even.
  I could go on, and she'd email us during the school pancake feed fundraiser, to tell us that she was watching and thought they probably kept the batter cold enough to prevent salmonella, so it's okay that our son ate the pancakes. That kind of thing. The great thing is, her kid was pretty normal. In contrast, I invited another friend over for him, and they were outside monkeying around and got a kite caught in the tree.
  His mom came to get him, saw it up there, scoffed at their efforts to fish it out with a rake, and ordered her son to climb up and get it. He hesitated, and she was like, "Get up there!" So he scrabbled up there like a monkey while I thought, "Yes, this is a normal childhood." © FeatofClay / Reddit
• My mom wants grandchildren and is bugging me terribly about it, and I don't even have a boyfriend.
  So, I went on my third date with a guy. We come out of the cafe, and I see my mom! We said hello, my mom looked at Jake and said, "Well, when should I expect grandchildren?" He even got pale, but quickly came round and said, "We haven't decided yet!" © Caramel / VK
• I went to high school with a guy whose parents had a camera installed in his room. When he told me, I assumed it was one of those things they used when he was a baby, then disabled when he was older. Nope, according to him they still kept it on 24/7 even though he was like 17 years old. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My husband and I found out the other day that we're expecting a daughter, and we decided to name her Ariadne - we both love this name.
  Recently, my husband told him about it to his parents. My mother-in-law almost choked with shock when she heard the name we chose! She immediately said that the granddaughter must be named Maria after her grandmother. And that, in her opinion, was out of the question.
  I tried to explain my position and even give arguments in defense of our choice, but no one even wanted to listen to me. All my husband's relatives sided with my mother-in-law. My parents supported me, so my mother-in-law snapped at them. She shouted that we have our family line, and therefore we should call our children by the names of grandparents.
  It all turned into a big fight and I felt so bad that I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. In the morning, my husband called me and we chatted. And then my husband said, "If Mom wants it so bad, let's name our daughter Maria because it's just a name for a child. And we will name the second child as we want."
  I snapped and told him that I would register the child with the name I wanted because, for his family, it is just a name. My husband went silent and said, "Well, whatever you want," and hung up the phone. I want our child to have the name that my husband and I have chosen. But I don't want to spoil the relationship with my in-laws. © YOUZHEZMARRIED / VK
• My grandmother and I went to visit my aunt. I was about 12 years old. I had very long hair at the time. But, except for a simple ponytail, I didn't know how else to style it.
  Usually, my mum, grandma, or friends would braid it. My aunt was furious that my grandmother braided my hair every morning. One morning, she took my ponytail and just cut it off while my grandmother wasn't home.
  When we returned home, my mum was shocked, and I cried all the time because the short haircut didn't suit me. So now I had to live with a bob, while I wanted to be like Rapunzel. © MissXaker / Pikabu

• I have a brother. When I had my baby, he invited me, saying, "We have some stuff left over for the baby. Come and see if there's anything you need." So I did. His wife brought a very shabby stroller (I already had a stroller, but that's not the point).
  The point is that they offered me to buy it and also to buy used baby hats, onesies and so on. I politely declined, saying we had everything. But I still feel ashamed of my family. © aleale2019 / Pikabu
• Our family has a huge problem, and we don't know what to do. My husband's father did a DNA test for an unknown reason, and it turned out that he was not my husband's biological father. My husband is now 32, I am 29 years old.
  My mother-in-law did not deny it, but replied something like, "Who cares what happened 30 years ago? Do I have to remember everything? After all, the main thing is that I loved you all these 30 years. Don't you care about that?"
  She is a good woman, she and her husband have always lived in love and harmony. But now my father-in-law wants a divorce. My husband is angry with his father and resentful of his mother. They all text him and complain about each other. What should we do? I'm in shock. © Overheard / VK
• My aunt won't let her kids open their soda cans because she thinks they'll cut their fingers off. Which was fine when they were young, but they're 15 and 18 now. © SteelyDanny / Reddit
• My dad once made a rocking horse for my niece. He carved it out of several pieces of wood, hand-braided the tail and mane out of rope that he painstakingly unwound, and hand-painted it.
  It was a beautiful toy that would have lasted for generations.
  One day, her father was too lazy to go out and chop wood, so he smashed it up and threw it into the fire. © dewright23 / Reddit

• My mum loves shops and clothes, so she buys her granddaughter a lot of clothes without even looking at them. I would better choose everything myself, but I accepted the gifts with gratitude because I thought that you don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
  One day the grandparents came to take our 3-year-old to a cafe with children's slides, pool, and trampolines. I thought, "How should I dress her? It's uncomfortable to climb in a dress or jeans." I dressed my daughter in a new sweatsuit that my mother had given me.
  When they returned, my child was dressed in jeans and a blouse embroidered with glass beads. And the mother said from the doorstep, "When I saw your daughter, I even cried how badly she was dressed, in some old clothes! I had to urgently buy new clothes and change her in the shop."
  I said, "Mum, you gave me this sweatsuit! Here are the labels - I cut them off just now, here's the bag - you brought it last week." Silent scene. Mum silently walks away. © Tatiana / ADME
• Since our baby was born, my mother-in-law has done nothing but criticize me about my parenting. It’s been out of control. It would be one thing if it was good advice, but everything she suggests is dangerous. Things have been made worse due to her sister having a grandchild around the same time, so she’s constantly comparing.
  One of her biggest things is I don’t dress the baby properly, according to her. She acts like I’m committing child mistreatment and says my baby is cold (I would never let my baby be cold). When she has the baby, she wraps the baby in these giant blankets. I’ll go to check on the baby, and the baby will be red and sweating like crazy!
  Well, I finally saw how the other grandchild was dressed. The temperature is in the 90s °F (32.2 °C) here. We went to visit, and this baby had on a fur jacket, fuzzy pants, shirt, and socks. My baby is usually in a onesie and regular pants or a pajama suit. No wonder she’s appalled with me, considering they expect the baby to be wrapped up in a fuzzy jacket in June!
  I don’t think any is getting through to her. My husband wants to just limit contact, but man, this sucks. © Rare-Caregiver7538 / Reddit

• My mother-in-law thinks that my husband should personally dig her vegetable garden and plant potatoes. When he timidly tried to object that he could hire a helper for her, she said, "What are you for then if you don't want to do anything?" The husband calmly got into the car and drove home.
  A month and a half of complete silence. No calls, no messages. She is not interested in grandchildren. But it's been so peaceful, words can't describe it. © WendyMage / Pikab
• My sister once told me about this one time when she was at a beach house with her friends. They were all over 20 years old, and they were planning to stay there for the weekend. They were going to stay up all night watching movies when midnight struck. This one girl's phone started to ring, and it was her mother, telling her to go to sleep. Worst part? She silently stood up and went to bed. © superman_*** / Reddit
• My husband and I have our phones on silent until at least 10 a.m. on weekends. So, we're sleeping. Suddenly, I wake up to the sound of my husband pulling on shorts and a T-shirt. Immediately, the intercom rings. I ask him, "Who is it?" He replies, "Police."
  It turns out that my mom sent me a screenshot of the water meter in the messenger at 7 or 8 a.m. And 2 ticks didn't appear. She started calling me at 8 a.m., but my phone died overnight. She called my husband, and his phone was on silent.
  He read her message that he had to open the door to the police because they were helping to search for her missing child only at 10 a.m. To say I was angry is an understatement. We are 37 years old. © Zosia1987 / Pikabu
• A man I know told me that his student son said he wanted to live separately. He said he's an adult now and doesn't want to live with his parents. Okay. They live in a big city and have an empty apartment in the suburbs (the tenants have moved out).
  They say, "Live there, find a job. We have nothing against it." But the son says that he expects his parents to rent him an apartment in the city and pay for his expenses. The father refused, so now he is enemy number one. © LisOpus / Pikabu

Parenting can be tough, but some people just seem to have a knack for it. Up next, discover stories about 18 amazing parents who have a lot to teach us.