People Are Holding Nothing Back When Describing Their Extremely Difficult In-Laws, And I Really, Really Feel For Them
1."We have more money than my MIL, and she is so jealous of my husband's success. She'll make fun of our vacations, say she'd never live in a 'snobby' place, wouldn't work as a corporate exec, or drive cars that weren't made in America. We don't put anything on Facebook or anywhere else. I guess his sister tells her? But she always posts about how her son thinks he is so great. You know what? He fucking is. Sorry, he came from broke ass, miserable people and made a success of himself. You'd think she'd be proud of him. It's all envy disguised as disdain. What mother gets mad when her kid does well in life?"
—kestrelh
2."My MIL? I love her; she's great. My FIL? He cheated on my MIL with her sister, and still sees said sister every week while somehow still remaining married to my MIL. He bought himself and the sister a new car while my MIL drives a 20-year-old F-150. When he's home, all he does is drink Budweiser from 11:00 a.m. on and watch TV. And, he complains about everyone else in the family. He doesn't come to his grandkids' birthday parties, and instead just hands us cash to go buy something and to say it's from him. On several occasions, he's been at nice dinners and gotten drunk and belligerent to the point of embarrassing everyone with him."
—u/Tiberius_Jim
3."The way they travel. They constantly need to overpack, shop for stuff to take home, etc.. It always results in half a dozen overweight suitcases and carry-ons that they then ALWAYS have to reorganize to handle the weight. They ALWAYS expect everyone in the group to pack light to accommodate in case they have to dump their stuff on you. I hate it, and it ticks me off every time."
—u/Sorry-birthday1
4."When we go to my in-laws, we never leave the house. We sit in the den, watch TV 12 hours a day, and listen to my FIL crap on anything and everything he sees on the idiot box. We finally told them that the condition for our coming was to turn off Fox News. It's not just because he's 84 and a grumpy old man. He's been doing this for the past 30 years. Everybody and everything is 'stupid,' except for him. It's just this constant stream of negativity. My MIL isn't much better. She will sit there and talk about everybody else under the sun and how foolish those people are. I've started leaving for a couple of hours for a sanity break. I have to demand that my children go visit them once a year."
—u/AnybodySeeMyKeys
5."My MIL treats her son like a baby. She also says things like, 'No one can love you like I love you,' and seems to assume I'm just using her son for money and childcare…because she was like that when raising her kids. Other than that, she's a super funny and charismatic person. I try to give her the benefit of the doubt, as she's just a protective mom, but I can say I will not be treating my children or in-laws like that."
—u/oo0Lucidity0oo
6."My MIL asked my husband's whole family to wear crosses to our wedding so it wouldn't be 'godless and satanic.' Why? Because my mother was officiating. She stalks my 11-year-old stepdaughter, who is no contact with said MIL due to extreme panic attacks whenever she has to see her grandmother. And...she gave me an individually wrapped dish sponge for Christmas last year."
—elizabeth_pearl_1105
7."My MIL isn't too nice to the kids. Granted, she has 15 grandkids, but you can tell which ones she likes more...and which she likes less. My kids are in the middle."
—u/wclure
8."My in-laws are terrible with money. They filed for bankruptcy and then decided not to make some payments. So my husband and I took over their finances and put them on a budget to make ends meet. Are they grateful? Nope!! When we tell them they don't have money to go out to eat, we get told that we don't care about them. It got so bad that we've told them not to talk to us anymore. We manage the finances, but any communication to us has to go through one of my husband's siblings."
—alley2024
9."Their concept of time. They're all always shamelessly late to everything. And, they act like it's a cardinal sin to be early. They think they're 'early' if they stroll in just in the nick of time. For example, I've told them, 'We have to be there at 7:00, and it's a 20-minute drive, so we should leave by 6:35 at the latest. So, you need to be at our house at 6:30 so we can load the car.' 'Why so early? I'll be at your house at 6:45.' Then, they show up at 6:55 and can't understand why I'm angry. And, we get to where we're supposed to be at 7:15, and they can't understand why everyone there is mad. At least my husband has gotten better about it. He still hates to be anywhere early, but he plans and takes steps to be on time, not late."
—u/MrsPottyMouth
10."My former MIL was always on the selfish side and 100% had her favorites. She went out of her way to tell me she took a religious oath a long time ago to prevent her children from marrying people of MY religion, but she was okay with it since I'm not practicing. Fast forward many years, sadly, our only child passed away from childhood cancer, and my mother passed less than a year later. The upcoming Mother's Day was the first for me without either my child or my mother, so I was a wreck. I'm a motherless child and a childless mother, but she had to play it up that SHE was more distraught because of the loss of her grandchild than I was over both, so that she could get my husband's attention. She is a miserable woman who can't stand not being the center of attention."
—mengram76
11."They have four kids, and the only boy is their favorite. They ignore their daughters, which includes my wife. The heartbreak she feels every time they blow her off to go spend more time with their son is gut-wrenching. They took him to Vegas on her birthday two years in a row."
—u/korar67
12."The way they come over to my house unannounced. They just show up, then get mad at me for being in the shower or not at home because I'm running errands. I know I'm a stay-at-home mom, but dang, I still have to go run errands outside the house. I also don't like the way they insist they can have our baby whenever they please, without our permission."
—u/LoveOfTheLee
13."My in-laws are racist, and I'm Mexican. They've never made comments directed towards me specifically, but they have made comments about Mexican immigrants. My parents are immigrants, and my in-laws know this. I stopped going to any event with them, and thankfully, they moved out of state. My partner spends holidays with them, and I stay and enjoy the holidays with my family. I haven't seen them in two years."
—darlingcath
14."My FIL called my wife and her three sisters 'whores' all while standing in MY house. Reason, you ask? They all got married outside of the Catholic faith. We haven't spoken in six years. Best six years of my life."
—u/Patrick2337
15."My MIL is the cheapest woman I have ever met. I have hundreds of stories and examples. Last Christmas, she gave me a can of nuts from Goodwill. She said she didn't feel comfortable getting us a wedding gift. She won a cruise to Alaska and took our son, which was very sweet, but she refused to pay for anything during the trip. They ate sandwiches in the room and spent most days walking around Juneau. He wanted to come home on day two. I have fixed things, helped her move, mowed her lawn, and done a dozen other things. She has never once bought dinner as a thank you or to celebrate a special event. Years ago, we had a bad time and asked if we could live in her house for two months. She insisted on charging us rent. She has missed funerals and weddings because she will not pay for travel or a hotel. I will stop now because I could go on forever."
—u/brt309
16."I'm pretty sure my MIL has never heard the word 'no.' Apparently, I introduced it to her because she thinks she can just announce she wants to visit or say she wants this or that, and expects everyone to comply. Here I came along and was like, NOPE! Safe to say we don't have a great relationship and have moved away from her TWICE!"
—lulu98
17."The gossiping about us to anyone who will listen. And, the guilt trips. Every single guilt trip tactic to get us to drag our family of four across the country to go see them. Also, they were absolute trash parents to my husband. They both allowed physical, mental, and verbal abuse to run rampant, and now have the audacity to expect a relationship with their adult child."
—u/Ninjaher0
18."Where to start? They are racist bigots who, despite only being Christmas Christians who haven't been to church in 40 years, didn't like their son marrying a Jew. We bought their house over 20 years ago, and my MIL has not said anything nice about anything we've changed, as though it should have been kept a shrine to her style. They moved away years ago and have only visited their son maybe three times. They made a trip to the state once without telling him because they were visiting his uncle and didn't visit their son. And when we first bought the house, I, a Jew, did my best to host a festive Christmas for them, only to be told they wouldn't return for Christmas ever again because it 'wasn't what they were expecting.' I could go on for hours with examples."
—jbdnco
19."My MIL still blames me for moving her daughter away and can't believe we moved for better economic opportunities 11 years ago. She will call my wife and cry almost every other night about how she doesn't know how much time she has left, and she refuses to visit, even when we offer to pay the travel expenses. She puts on this poor-me sob story every time we visit. My GOD, just STFU!"
—u/Zantabar
20."How critical they are of my partner. He is loving, kind, smart, and unique. Nothing he ever does will ever be enough for them. As a result, he has major anxiety and perfectionist issues. He's hard on himself and constantly apologizes for minor things. I wish he knew how awesome he is. For this reason, I've chewed out both his dad and mom, but they were clueless. What issues? If things were different, I'd love to be close to them, but I see how dysfunctional they are and am totally okay with zero contact."
—u/Spletzi
21."Mine used my wedding as their own personal photoshoot, often taking their son/my groom away to snap family pictures. They then posted all the pictures of themselves in the group chat, and only one of me, which was just of my back at the altar. They also managed to get a photo of just the groom cutting the cake alone, without me in the photo, though we were obviously standing close together. I don't think they were malicious; they're just very self-centered people with zero social awareness."
—u/Charming_Foot_495
22."The number one thing is that they are drama vampires. They can't live without it. Everything is about them; if it isn't, it will be soon. They are cartoonishly childish, and it's as ridiculous as it is sad. I feel terrible for my spouse and her siblings. Every family get-together is a mess. Number two is that they can't make a plan without overcomplicating the ever-loving crap out of it, which my wife has inherited."
—u/Studlum
23."I judge my step-MIL because she posts EVERYTHING on Facebook. I swear she can't take a poop without posting."
—u/MalpracticeMatt
24."They are good people, but also the pickiest eaters I have ever met. It has to be genetic. Their entire diet consists of Rice-A-Roni, overcooked, baked chicken, and Ragu pasta. They will not venture out and try anything that they deem too 'exotic' or potentially mildly spicy. For example, chicken tacos sound too wild for them. It has to be Taco Bell-style ground beef."
—u/Tbonejak
25."I get along great with my MIL and FIL as individual people and have close relationships with both, but good god, they have a horrible relationship. It's really awkward sometimes. I have no idea how or why they are still together. They literally hate each other. Early in our relationship, I attempted to gently inquire about what I had observed after getting to know my wife's parents a bit. Before I even finished asking, she casually said, 'Yeah, they should have divorced a long, long time ago. We (her siblings) all think they need to give it up.'"
—u/chillin_trashpanda
26."How fake they are. They just care about their image and how they appear to others. Very little, if anything, is genuine about them."
—u/Unhygienictree
27."I absolutely love my in-laws, but compared to my family, they are REALLY loud. Like, instead of taking turns talking, they just talk louder over each other until someone listens. I leave with a headache, including when I sneak to an empty room for peace."
—u/kannakantplay
28."The constant criticism. I married their only son, and nothing I do is good enough. My house is never clean enough, my 1-year-old doesn't 'behave,' and my cooking sucks. The passive aggressiveness is so overwhelming."
—u/BAM151822
29."My husband's mother and two sisters really went out of their way to make me feel unwanted and disliked early in our marriage. They judged me, gave me the cold shoulder, and criticized everything I did. Joke's on them. My husband and I have been married for 30 years. So, I learned a lesson: Screw the naysayers. Haters gonna hate."
—u/heyjudemarie
30."They are terrible with money and have tried to drag my immediate family down with them. I've had to stop acting like an ATM for them, and they're resentful that we won't support their BS anymore."
—u/Alternative_Let_1599
31."My MIL refuses to discuss anything that bothers her. She just goes dead silent for a moment, then pivots to a different subject."
—u/LaComtesseGonflable
32."My step-MIL could definitely be represented here. She's a piece of work. She's a teacher but literally hates children; all she does is complain about her horrible students, who are kindergarten kids. And often she treats the grandkids like she would rather be anywhere else but with them. She also has some really bizarre hang-ups about my husband's mom. My FIL and MIL divorced almost 30 years ago, and yet, step-MIL felt it necessary to bring up during my recent baby shower that she and FIL had now been married longer than he and MIL. She did this out loud to other people while my saint of a MIL was no more than three feet away. Why would that even matter?! She's an odd bird."
—SFoxy
33."My in-laws are very nice people, but they have two things that really bug me. They have never-ending visits, and they do this with their entire family. I don't want to have house guests for two weeks. Second, they don't help at all when they visit. You used a cup, and you just saw me load the dishwasher? Put the cup in the dishwasher, not the sink. My son is autistic and has been known to get out of the house. Just keep an eye on him if I step away for a minute. Don't tell me he left the house and just sit there. When he was a baby, no one ever offered to feed him, change a diaper, or even give me a break to nap and just play with him. It's exhausting."
—yesitsmissa
34."My wife's dad is a very 'I'm right, you're wrong' kind of person. If he's not right, he refuses to admit it and will just leave and not speak to you for a long time. Then, he'll show back up and act like nothing happened."
—u/SaiyanGodKing
35."I adore my FIL and step-MIL. They are supportive, welcoming, and fun. They are both really Type A and 'super planners,' which can sometimes be a little irritating, but we have a huge family, and their organization makes for seamless and enjoyable family gatherings. I love my MIL, but she is not the most pleasant person to be around. She is very passive-aggressive and is one of those people who always wants to be miserable. When we get together, she spends most of the time complaining about how her sons never want to see her. She also recruits them to do things for her (which they would happily do) by implying that they owe her because 'I gave birth to you!' It's just exhausting."
"Everyone would probably make more of an effort to spend time with her if every time wasn't a passive-aggressive guilt trip. She is better one-on-one, so I try to find ways to hang out with her alone because we get along well. I just wish she would let everyone relax and enjoy the time together."
—la0912
36.And: "There's nothing I really hate about my in-laws, but my MIL occasionally says some things that give me pause when she's in the room. For example, she wished me a happy birthday recently, to which I casually replied, 'Just another trip around the sun.' My comment resulted in a 20-minute lecture about how the sun actually orbits the Earth, based on her visual observation of it rising in the east and setting in the west every day. I often wonder how much of my partner's childhood trauma is a direct result of her mother's 'unusual' beliefs."
—u/officehelpermonkey
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But she sees that being more of a consideration in lesbian relationships like her own. 'Men don't think about this,' Grace says. Olive agrees that dating someone significantly older comes with a power imbalance, but it's one she's equipped to handle. 'You have to be extremely aware, self-embodied, smart, understand the power dynamics, advocate for yourself and have control of what's going on,' she says. 'I think a lot of people can get swept up in the fantasy of an established man who has a nice house and pays for everything and will take care of you. But you have to be an active participant in the relationship and be fighting to have an equitable power dynamic.' A no-go Tanya, 33, hasn't been in a relationship with anyone more than three or four years apart in age from her, which she doesn't really consider an age gap. Her dating app filters have more range, however; she's open to meeting anyone between 30 and 43. Like Christine, she considers anyone under 25 a hard pass. 'That's a very young, mostly uncooked brain,' she says. 'We all think we're so mature and capable of so much at that age, and now that we're older, we realize, Oh, no, that was just the usual 20s arrogance and disillusionment.' Kanika, 27, thinks that a lot of the hand-wringing around people in age-gap relationships is overblown, so long as both parties are above the age of consent. 'I think age-gap relationships are pretty normal in everyday life,' she says. 'Lots of people have an eight-year distance between them and their partner and acknowledge that.' Kanika's last situationship was a year younger than her, but she typically dates people marginally older — usually men between the ages of 30 and 41 (her dating profile is currently set between 26 and 41). 'Even though men tend to be idiots regardless of their age, [older men] at least know what a date should be, aka asking me out properly and getting to the point,' she says. Sharon, 26, prefers to date someone her own age. 'I just think being in a relationship with a large age gap basically takes away what I think is the best part of being with someone, which is going through life and figuring things out together as a joint effort,' she says. Facing the future That's something that Olive has struggled with. On the one hand, being with older men has allowed her to experience some of the life milestones she sees in her future — things like raising kids, owning property and having financial security. Prior to her last relationship, she spent four years with a man 20 years older than her. 'He had two kids and was very freshly separated from his wife of 10 years,' she says. 'During COVID, having a giant apartment to go to was quite the respite. Not having to think about paying for anything we did together. He had a car. It all felt very indulgent. And [because he was] a parent, he was so, so patient with me, and I was able to work through a lot of personal developments and grow a lot as a partner.' But he wasn't able to prioritize Olive over his ex, and she felt as though she was constantly fighting to be included more in his life. She enjoyed spending time with his children and felt shut out whenever she was barred from going to basketball games, dance recitals or birthday parties. Their mother refused to acknowledge Olive's existence. 'It often felt like I was hiding or in secret — I termed it 'mistress mode' in our relationship,' she says. Ultimately, the relationship ended when he agreed to move to another country with his ex-wife without telling her. 'That was just the universe's last kick in the butt for me to get out of there.' Despite that experience, Olive says she doesn't feel as cherished by a man her own age. She'd rather not date someone less settled — a guy with roommates, say, or anyone she has to 'teach ... everything.' At the same time, she knows that younger guys might be more willing to go through important life milestones alongside her, which is why she's been making an active effort to 'close the gap.' It's been a struggle, since she still finds herself swiping left on everyone whenever she lowers her age range on dating apps. 'I love men in their 40s, what can I say?' she laughs. 'But I want kids, so I have been trying to date younger.' Solve the daily Crossword
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How to Quit Ruining Your Knives and Keep Them Razor Sharp
If you cook at home regularly, you probably rely on a favorite kitchen knife to make meal prep smoother. But even the best blades can lose their edge faster than you'd think if you're unknowingly mishandling them. A few common habits can dull or even permanently damage your knives, no matter how much you paid for them. Dragging the blade sideways to scrape chopped ingredients off a cutting board, storing knives loose in a drawer, or sharpening too often can all take a toll. Even rinsing them and letting them air-dry instead of drying them by hand can lead to rust or corrosion over time. These missteps might seem minor, but they can shave years off your knife's life. The good news? Avoiding these habits doesn't take much effort. A few small changes in how you use, store and clean your knives can make a huge difference. With just a bit of care, your blades can stay sharper longer and keep performing like new. If you're in search of a fantastic new knife, we've got great news. We've tried out more than 10 different options and put together a list of the best chef's knives for 2025. If you already have a knife that's your No. 1, continue reading to find out the most common mistakes people make that can ruin even the most high-quality knife. Read more: Want Your Kitchen Knives to Stay Sharp for Longer? This Simple Trick Will Help 7 easy ways to ruin your favorite kitchen knife 1. Scrape it sideways on a board Using your knife as a scraper is a hard habit to break, but the blade will thank you. David Watsky/CNET Knives are made to cut in only two directions, back and forth and not side to side, so try not to use your good knives in a scraping manner. It may be instinct to move and gather all that chopped food on the board with the blade of the knife but it will damage the edge over time. If you can't break the habit completely, at least try and do it gently and without much downward force. 2. Use it on anything other than wood or plastic Even one slice on a glass or marble surface can do irreparable damage to your chef's knife. David Watsky/CNET There are boards and blocks made from all sorts of materials but many of them are not knife-friendly. Stone or marble boards and glass surfaces should be reserved for serving food, not preparing it (at least not with a knife) since they will dull your blade faster than almost anything else. Bamboo and plastic are the softest -- and often cheapest -- cutting board materials and will be gentle on your blades. Most other types of wood cutting boards, however, have enough give not to damage the blade. 3. Store it freely in a drawer Not only will this setup ruin your knife, but you're bound to hurt yourself eventually. David Watsky/CNET This is probably the biggest mistake folks make with their kitchen knives. I've seen it more times than I can count and it hurts every time. Letting your knives clink around in a drawer with other knives and metal tools will dull or chip them over time. It's understandable to not want a clumsy knife block on the counter, but there are some pretty sleek options these days like this and this You can also buy in-drawer wooden knife racks or sheath your knives in plastic cases. The coolest option may be to store the knives on one of these magnetic knife racks and show off your shiny blades to dinner guests. Just be gentle when placing knives on and removing them from the magnet so as not to scrape the blade. 4. Let it soak in the sink or (*gasps*) put it in the dishwasher Try to get that chef's knife out of the sink and dry it off before you sit down to eat. David Watsky/CNET For several reasons, your knives should never be put in the dishwasher. It'll likely damage the handles, and the blades should never be exposed to water for that long. Speaking of which, never let a knife sit wet in the sink or anywhere else, for that matter. That means no soaking, ever. When you've finished washing it by hand, dry it immediately, or the metal will become susceptible to rust and corrosion. 5. Cut nonfood items or use it as a general tool Don't use a good chef's knife to open your Amazon boxes. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images Good knives may seem like a multipurpose tool but they should only be used for food prep. Try not to cut any nonfood items like plastic, cardboard or other packaging. And don't even think about employing your knife as a screwdriver or lever to pry open something stuck. 6. Use a metal scrubber to clean it Steel wool is great for some dishwashing jobs but will ruin your knife's edge in seconds. mikroman6/Getty It shouldn't come as a surprise that using metal or another rough material to clean your knife blade could lead to big problems. Instead, use hot water and a soft sponge or cloth. Your knives should never be so dirty that those aren't enough to get them clean. 7. Oversharpen the blade Sharpening is good. Oversharpening is bad. David Watsky/CNET There comes a point at which a knife blade can't be sharpened anymore, and if you continue to pound it on a steel or whetstone, you'll only be shaving off the blade itself and shortening the knife's life span. Here's a guide to sharpening your kitchen knives.
