My MIL Belittled Me for Years—I Finally Got Revenge Without Saying a Word

Having a good relationship with your mother-in-law is never easy, but enjoying the support of your husband can make things much easier. It can even help to come up with a surprising plan to teach a valuable lesson to your MIL.

My MIL didn’t respect me at all.

My husband, Jake, works full-time at a tech company and brings in most of our income, like 80%. I work part-time as a waitress at a little café downtown, which I love.

Now, since I only work part-time, I’ve been handling most of the chores at home. It’s never been a problem for me. Jake and I talked about it and split things in a way that felt fair to both of us. He’s not perfect, but he helps out when he can and never complains.

Enter: my mother-in-law.

My MIL —let’s call her Carol— says my husband works too hard to help at home. Not dishes. Not laundry. Not even taking out the trash. According to her, everything should fall on me.

And she doesn’t just think this quietly — she says it. Loudly. And often.

She’ll come over and hint, “Maybe if someone cooked a proper meal once in a while, he wouldn’t be so tired,” or, “Oh, the floor looks clean today. You must have finally gotten around to it.”

You get the idea.

I used to ignore her. Then I tried politely pushing back. Then I talked to Jake, and he spoke to her, but nothing changed. If anything, she got worse. I finally snapped one night when she said, “You know, if Jake were still living at home, he wouldn’t be so stressed all the time.”

That’s when the plan was born.

A great plan that worked.

I went to Jake, and we hatched a little drama of our own.

The next time Carol said something rude, I didn’t argue. I didn’t defend myself. I decided to just smile and stay quiet. Two days later, Jake showed up at her front door with a suitcase and a dramatic sigh.

He told her we had a huge fight. I “kicked him out.” He didn’t know what to do. He looked so sad and defeated. It was all very soap-opera-worthy.

Carol took him in immediately, looking smug like she had “rescued” her poor baby. I stayed home and waited.

The next seven days were the most peaceful I’ve had in years. I read. I lit candles. I watched movies. I did nothing. Meanwhile, Jake texted me updates every day.

He was living like the world’s neediest houseguest. Leaving his socks on the floor. Asking her to make him snacks. “Forgetting” to wash his dishes. Wandering into the room while she watched her shows and asking, “What’s for dinner?” He even woke her up once at 7 a.m. to ask where the iron was.

By day four, she stopped answering his texts. By day six, she looked like she hadn’t slept. On day seven, she showed up at my door.

Her behavior has completely changed.

She looked completely defeated.

“Can we talk?” she said.

I invited her in. She sat down and, for the first time in ever, she apologized.

She said she never realized how much work Jake wasn’t doing. That she thought I was exaggerating. That she just wanted to protect him because... get this... she was afraid he’d grow distant from her now that he had a wife.

“I just wanted more time with him,” she said. “But... not like this.”

She begged me to take him back.

I smiled sweetly and said, “Only if you promise to never insult me again.”

She agreed. Quickly.

Jake came home that night, grinning like a kid who got away with something. I made popcorn, and we watched a movie while he fluffed the pillows and offered to rub my feet.

To this day, Carol’s been a whole different person. She even brought me flowers last week.

Sometimes, all it takes is a little acting to help someone see the truth.

Risky tactic that worked.

What an impressive story with a happy ending. However, it also carried its own risk, as the MIL could have turned Jake against his wife during his stay. Or she could have become even more hostile towards her, which would have caused more issues for the couple.

So if you’re in a similar situation, try speaking to your MIL first and explain to her how her remarks make you feel. Try to understand the reason behind her behavior, like wanting to spend more time with her son.

Another option is that you, your MIL and your husband sit down together and clear up the situation. If none of them work, you can also ask for the help of a professional therapist, who can hopefully find the solution to have a better relationship with her.

Sometimes, cutting off your toxic MIL can be the only way, though, as you can read in our I Refuse to See My MIL Ever Again — Her Act Is Unforgivable article.