Mothers-in-law can be erratic; at times, they can be your greatest ally, and at other times, they can be your worst enemy. The highs and lows of these complex relationships are shown in these stories.
When a woman’s husband cheated on her while she was pregnant, her life completely collapsed. But in a surprising twist, her mother-in-law—who had never liked her—stepped up. She brought food, offered to help after giving birth, and even gave her a place to live after acknowledging that what her son had done was wrong. Sometimes, family isn’t about who you expect—it’s about who stands by you.
Not all tales end well, though. One grandmother told her granddaughter that her mother was a “witch” who trapped her father. Luckily, the child told her parents, who took the money the mother-in-law gave them—and used it to move far away.
Then came the war of gardening. A couple allows their in-laws to produce on their property, but each year their own crops are sabotaged. After three fruitless seasons, the wife gave up—but her in-laws still didn’t understand why.
Boundary issues are another common struggle. On weekends, one mother-in-law would frequently show up without warning, anticipating to be attended on. When her daughter-in-law stopped hosting and forced her husband to take care of his own mother, it was the tipping point. Suddenly, the visits became much less frequent.
But the most startling instance? A grandmother who ignored her daughter-in-law’s wishes and cut her grandson’s hair without permission. Some folks just refuse to listen.