30+ Mother-In-Law Moments That Will Make People Long For Singledom

Mothers-in-law are just very special people, aren’t they? You can’t hate them, and you have no other choice but to put up with them. They’re the woman who has birthed the person you’re sharing your life with, after all. Sometimes though, some of them just really make it one of the hardest things on Earth to do. It’s as if they relish in that stereotypical arch-enemy role. They can be mildly irritating at best, but at worst, they might even make you rethink if your union with their kid is all worth it.  To be fair, though, there are plenty of cool MILs out there who can become your partner in crime and who you’d basically want as your own mom. They can team up with you against their child when needed, and they can even be ever supportive grandparents. Sadly, not everyone’s as lucky to get MILs like these. Some even draw the jackpot in the lottery. Check out these horror mother-in-law stories, and let’s see if none of them makes you thankful to be single or want to be single again. 

Thanks But No Thanks

Getting a heartfelt compliment from your mother-in-law feels like getting a present from Santa. Who doesn’t want even the slightest approval of someone your partner cherishes, right? When we say compliments, though, we don’t mean something like the diss below.

This is just blatant disrespect for all the world to see. Nobody offers “compliments” like these without malicious intent. And she was so close to at least being civil, you know? She could have stopped at dresses, but she just chose meanness. 

Top That

We all know it, right? No one tops the bride on her wedding day. That’s what decent people do. We don’t take away the spotlight from someone on their special day. Apparently, this mother-in-law didn’t get the memo. Imagine the rage if you were in the bride’s situation. 

Fortunately, this is not a case of a really evil MIL. According to the bride who told the whole story on Twitter, her MIL is an extremely frugal person growing up in poverty, so when she saw the dress at an incredible bargain price, she really couldn’t pass it up. Her MIL even feels terrible about it looking back on the day, but she has more than made up for it since then. As Pennza said, “She’s frugal. But she’s also incredibly generous. When my twins were newborns, she drove across town every night, slept on the sofa, and did three feedings. For two babies. Every night for months.” How can you not love her after all, right?

At Least Get The Son Right

It’s inevitable. Sometimes, MILs just have a favorite ex. While some have the decency to simply mention them in passing, some actually have the balls to look you in the face and call you by their name. This one here gets a lot weirder though. 

Did she really hate the girl that much to call her by another son’s ex’s name? Or did her son simply have no ex for her to recall on? Either way that is just full of spite, but well, at least it didn’t last forever. We wonder what finally got her right.

Seriously, The Hair?

We know that despite their aversion to the spouse of their kids, a lot of MILs love their grandkids. Unfortunately, they always seem to find ways to blame the said spouse for anything, especially when it comes to the little ones. 

This MIL seemed to have forgotten that we’re in the midst of a pandemic right now, and in the early days, the world was just forced to stop for a bit. And of all things to pay attention to and to be concerned about, she’s really picking hair? How about safety? How about vaccines for the kids? How about anything more important and vital at this moment than hair?

How Motivational

Being passive-aggressive seems to be a skill all MILs have mastered. No matter if it’s talking about your cooking or talking about how you dress your child, they always seem to find something to poke you on. This MIL just took it up a notch. 

She really seemed determined to get both her daughter and daughter-in-law in shape, as it seems. She provided everything, and she even tried to motivate them with that little “you have no excuse” thing. Maybe we have to give her props for caring that much?

Please Say That Again

We get it. Mothers-in-law have been through it all, so yes, they’ll know a thing or two about being spouses and mothers, and, of course, you’d value any great advice they’re able to give. Sometimes though, some MILs just act as if they’re the sole expert on such topics. 

We can just imagine this one saying those words while giving her daughter-in-law a pitying smile and a pat, and we can’t say it doesn’t make our eyebrows go higher. Clearly, her lessons aren’t as effective as she thinks they are. 

Someone’s Salty

You feed someone, you watch them grow, you watch them become their own person, and you watch them return the love you give; of course, it would be hard to let go. A lot of parents understand, though, that at some point, they have to let their kids build their own lives with other people except for this one MIL. 

This one really wasted no time at all and jumped right into this little nasty tirade right after she got the materials she needed for it. It seems like the sole reason she even went to the wedding was to gather all this stuff to make the poor bride feel guilty about her own wedding, jeez. 

What A Standard

Once you become a daughter-in-law or a son-in-law, many MILs would think that they now have the right to raise an eyebrow and a comment about everything in your life. The worst part is that they don’t have the decency to do it directly. 

We get it. They’d rather have someone else who meets their standards, but well, they got what they got because it’s not their choice to make. It’s their child’s, so they would have to put up with it as much as their in-laws would with them. 

Just Plain Rude

Everyone is gorgeous, ok? There’s no argument there. A lot of parents, though, still seem to think that it’s all a competition and that there has to be some ranking of some kind and they always make sure that their children are on top. 

This MIL here is a really cunning one. It’s rude, all right, and she knew exactly how to deliver that blow in a very underhanded and sneaky way. We really have no problem with parents playing up their children’s blessings but really, do they have to stoop this low, especially at a wedding?

Being Resourceful

While a lot of MILs out there make it their personal mission to spite their in-laws, others simply want to and are trying to help. Sometimes though, as appreciated as it is, the kind of help they offer isn’t really the kind you need. 

This MIL just wanted to be a good cat lady. Unfortunately, it seems like she has to take some lessons in proper cat care and learn to read the labels on items. Anyhow, we’d take incidents like these any day over those horror MIL stories.

Say What Now?

Parents can’t help but defend their kids. It’s their nature (at least the ones who care for their kids). There is a line, however, and once it’s crossed and the parent still defends their kid, you kind of get a clue why they thought they could get away with it in the first place. 

Most parents would be appalled, embarrassed, ashamed, or even furious about their kid cheating. Apparently, though, this MIL thinks a simple religious video could help heal everything that the cheating has broken. If only the world were as simple as that. 

One Last Warning

To be fair, when parents tell their kids to really think about what they’re doing before marrying someone, it doesn’t always come from a place of spite. Every parent really wants their child to be happy. We can’t say everyone has the same intentions, though. 

This MIL just used the “think about your life decisions” wise advice card to take a hit on her future daughter-in-law, and she even did it via email, both before and after the big day. She took some sage advice and turned it into her vendetta slogan. 

She Really Didn’t Believe

There will always be that MIL who would fervently wish that you won’t end up with their child and who would always have that “Give it a few weeks” statement tickling in the back of her mind. Still, it doesn’t hurt any less when they say it right to your face. 

What does she want her daughter-in-law to say? “Sorry for disappointing your expectations?” “Sorry for working on my marriage and keeping it healthy?” “Sorry for not breaking up with your son?” That statement is absolutely ridiculous, and it should flush itself down the drain.

Let The Child Be Vegetarian!

Mother knows best. That seems to be a recurring motto with MILs. Even when they’re really just the grandmother, they still feel like they have a say in everything about the kids in their family, and while we get their good intentions, there are just some lines you have to draw. 

She should be proud that at such a young age, her granddaughter already has the discipline and understanding of such things, but instead, she chose to go with the “Mother knows best” line. It’s not like she’s the one going vegetarian anyway. Let the child be!

What A Winner

Some MILs might be passive-aggressive terrible, but with them, you just kind of learn how to tune them out or ignore whatever comment they’re making. With openly rude MILs, though, what do you do? Do you punch them? Do you ask your SO to punch them? Honestly, all we’re thinking is punch. 

There is absolutely no good reason for anyone to use someone’s adoption against them. They didn’t ask to lose their birth parents. They didn’t ask to be raised by strangers. And they certainly didn’t ask for any of those nasty opinions of this MIL. 

She Went The Rumor Way

When a MIL doesn’t like you, they’ll make it known one way or another. Whether it’s those condescending smiles, the backhanded comments, or those constant references to old partners, they’ll find a way to rub it in your face like sandpaper. This MIL, though, had no time for subtleties. 

We don’t know what’s more irritating, the fact that she stooped as low as spreading rumors or the fact that she did all this meanness even as she barely tried to get to know the girl. Anyhow, she definitely fits the profile of evil mother-in-law and Karen to the tee. 

#Blessed

When we get married, we all want to be blessed with a great future together, right? When we say blessed, though, we mean in an intangible way, not in a literal get drenched in holy water way but as it seems, this MIL was determined to have it both ways.

This is the kind of thing you don’t get furious at, though. It’s just so out there that it is actually hilarious! And as this Redditor has said, her MIL is a pretty great, loving, and supportive person who treats her as her own daughter. She just has a bit too much crazy sometimes. 

Care To Elaborate

We all have those moments when something just pops into our brain, and we just can’t help but say it to whoever we’re with, right? As it seems, MILs occasionally take a break from all the dissing and actually have some of these moments. 

Conversations like these, though, can leave you scratching your head for hours. You have to wonder, was she being passive-aggressive? Was she trying to tell me something? Did you upset her in any way? It can drive you mad with overthinking, alright. 

Boundaries Shattered

Boundaries exist for the sake of our physical health but also, and more importantly, for our sanity. Apparently, some MILs just don’t get this concept, and it can result in some pretty unsavory jokes. Apparently, this MIL didn’t stop there.

According to the Redditor, her overbearing attitude covered everything from her pregnancy and OB appointments to the birth and even to raising the child. Yes, it’s nice that she cares, but it might not matter much when her child and their spouse start going stir-crazy with all her hovering over every single little thing. 

Not You 

We already disappoint our very own expectations on the daily so hearing it from someone else, especially someone whose approval kind of matters to you, just stings. This MIL, in particular, has a knack for delivering the blow in the worst of moments. 

The poor woman has just given birth. She has been through literal hell pushing out that tiny human being who, by the way, has made this MIL a grandmother, and that’s one of the first things she hears? Just wow!

Monster

Anyone who believes that animals don’t have feelings, especially those who think that animals don’t deserve care and respect, clearly doesn’t have feelings themselves. These very animals that they seem to be so disgusted by might even have more than them, and that is just embarrassing.

People like these enrage us to a whole other level. Hilariously enough, they seem to keep forgetting that humans are animals. Does that mean we have to stay outside too? Maybe these people should if they truly believe what they preach. As for us, well, we’re content inside with our furry friends. 

Me Or Her

You know you have won the jackpot of terrible mothers-in-law when they don’t only treat you but their child as well like people beneath them. Needless to say, if she treats her children badly, you know what kind of treatment to expect as well. 

Even the most dramatic of soap operas don’t have mother characters as twisted as this one right here. They can’t because how can you possibly explain that all those wonderful characteristics and ideals are all neatly rolled into just one person?

Still Playing Matchmaker

We admire the efforts some parents put into making sure their child has a good match. Some parents really do go out there scouting and keeping in touch with every prospect they approve of, like they’re searching for a match for royalty. There are times, though, when someone really has to pull them out of their fantasies. 

As it seems, no one has really told this MIL yet that her son has long been married. We think she deliberately wiped the memory of the day that her son said vows to someone wearing a white dress just to continue her fantasy. 

Sharing Is Definitely Not Always Caring

Living with your in-laws is always a huge gamble. It can either bring you closer together, or it can become the nuclear bomb that completely tears you and your SO apart from them. You’re lucky if you have decent in-laws, but if you have someone like this MIL, you might want to quicken up finding that new place. 

This woman knows that living with other people means that she has to do her fair share of work. Not just because she’s living with her in-laws does she have to turn into the family’s personal maid, though. That’s not why you marry. 

Mind Your Own Business Lady

We’re not saying this applies to all of them, but plenty of MILs out there seem to have a knack for butting into people’s lives when it’s clearly unwelcome, especially when it comes to grandchildren or the lack thereof. 

It never ends well when a MIL or any of the parents start pushing for you to have kids. First of all, have they actually forgotten how hard it is actually to raise kids, not to mention how expensive? Second, do they think that the only purpose of this marriage is to make babies for them? We get it, but they’ll get one when they get one. 

Gifts From Hell

In addition to the grandchild trope, another favorite topic that mothers-in-law love sharing their unsolicited opinion on is weight. While some MILs choose backhanded compliments and thinly veiled insults though, other MILs just simply choose to go full-on war charge. 

22 years is an awfully long time to have bad Christmases just because one person can’t be civil. And for what? We’ll never know. We also get the feeling that they get their own twisted form of glee from all this, which makes us wonder, was it all worth it?

Reserving For The Next Wife

We understand that the older generation had a different set of rules and was brought up to have a different set of standards. They had different ways of courting and starting relationships but this one is just overkill most especially because of the MILs’ reasoning. 

As it seems, she is in the stage of denial. She’s probably going to keep hoping that the next wife would come along and still keep trying to prepare him for her, but we all know that at that point, he and his SO would have already done everything his mother is specifically trying to prevent. 

Has She Not Heard About Privacy?

Didn’t you just get even just a little bit peeved when your parents barged into your room without knocking or without permission? They’re your parents but privacy! Now, imagine your MIL doing that when you’re already out of their house, building your life, and married and all. 

If it were us, we’d probably just move the hell out of that town. If she had the gal to make copies of your keys just because she wants to invade your privacy whenever she wants, you can bet she’d be willing to resort to more drastic measures than that to ensure her free reign. Scary. 

Games Destroying Families

Monopoly isn’t the only game that can destroy friendships and family. Just get that one player with passive-aggressive tendencies towards you, and especially if said person is your MIL, any game can turn into the catalyst of a family fallout. 

Kids can give pretty brutal and honest opinions, but apparently, it goes the same way with MILs. If you don’t want to get burned to high heavens, don’t ask your MIL if your shirt looks good on you or if your pants are too tight. It’s just instant regret. 

Betrayal!

A mother-in-law who has never taken the effort to try and be civil towards you is pretty bad, but do you know what’s worse? A mother-in-law who starts off treating you well so that you end up loving her and then turning a complete 180 into a terrible person. 

In this case, it’s the ultimate betrayal. It would have been better if there was nothing to lament, but there were already memories and a great relationship to miss. Who knows? Maybe MIL was abducted and replaced by her evil doppleganger. 

Just Say It

We get it. In the old days, there were just some topics that were taboo to talk about even when they shouldn’t be, like puberty, but this is already the 21st century. Though it might be awkward to talk about, adults should be adults.

This entire tweet is just plain hilarious, though. It’s hard to get over that “she is now a giant cockroach” reply. MIL should really get over it. There’s nothing even remotely scandalous with the word puberty. Now, we’re wondering what other words she has come up with for other taboo topics. 

Not Sure Which Is Worse

While some people hit the jackpot of MILs, this person here got a double whammy. We don’t know what’s worse, her MIL wishing for the daughter-in-law she never got or her failing so bad to sound cultured and open-minded. 

Imagine all the awkward family reunions and clumsy sushi dinners, not to mention all those forced smiles this woman has to go through. It can really make anyone cringe, and it really makes us marvel at all the things we do for love indeed. 

TMI Alert!

It’s great to get to know your in-laws and for them to get to know you on a deep level. It builds the bonds. Do you know what’s not great, though? When your in-law just loses all forms of inhibition and decides that all your embarrassing stories are theirs to tell. 

What’s missing here is tact. This MIL clearly doesn’t understand that although some stories can be pretty funny, they’re not hers to share with the world, and should simply be stored in a closet and left to rot there. 

Lazy Gift Givers

No matter the case and whoever the person is, recycling gifts is just tacky. It became all the worse when the gift was clearly meant for someone else. Unfortunately for this woman right here, she was the victim of the worst kind of regifting.

We’re not even sure if her MIL was just really being mean or if she’s just not up for any holiday shopping, but that has just got to be awkward. It would have been passable if she didn’t know that it was for the ex but nope! There’s just no saving it. 

Sabotage!

More often than not, it can be pretty easy to tell if your MIL is out to get you. You can either sense it by how they act around you, or they can just make it plainly obvious for you. This MIL chose the latter minus the evil laughter. 

A story involving trauma with a pet pig is not something you can easily forget. What’s more, is that this MIL was really willing not only to make her daughter-in-law sick but also probably her whole family as well just to get her petty little sabotage. 

Violence Won’t Solve Your Problems

We got to say; this story here has us pretty shocked. MILs tend to go over the top with their passive-aggressive antics, but most of them won’t really get rid of the passive portion. This MIL, however, just went full-on raging bull on her daughter-in-law, and for what?

What’s not surprising is the fact that she won’t even admit to her wrongdoing. And really, she pretty much ruined her child’s honeymoon just because she thought that they were drinking too much at their wedding reception? Sounds like a truly awful way to start a life together if you ask us. 

The Real Grinch

Giving Christmas gifts can be pretty nerve-wracking, especially if you want to impress someone as relevant to your SO’s life as their mom, and it can be pretty crushing if it turns out that they don’t like the gift you gave. For this MIL, it was more than just not liking it. 

This MIL is exactly the type of person who’s just never happy with anything. Give her the moon, and she’ll still probably be asking for a star from another galaxy. Well, she can kiss any decent future Christmas presents goodbye. 

Maybe Too Much Approval?

Getting your MIL to like you is probably one of the best achievements in the world. Shockingly though, there are MILs that seem to go beyond just liking their new in-law, and they take that one step closer towards obsession. 

We want to say that it’s a little flattering to know that your MIL thinks of you so highly to copy you, but no, that is just creepy. Add that to the fact that you’re married to their son, and it all just goes into a spiral of wrongness. 

Hey You!

There are a lot of more important things in life that you can be indecisive about other than what your in-law calls you. As long as they don’t call you anything demeaning, you’re good, right? Wrong. Apparently, this whole name thing is one of the most serious matters in her life for this MIL. 

“Hey you!” is a perfect name for her indeed. We haven’t met her and we hope we never will meet anyone like her but “hey you!” truly does speak to who she is, doesn’t it? In the end, it still worked out!

Now I Want More

This MIL has a point. Sometimes, when we do watch shows like MasterChef or The Great British Bake Off, we’re motivated to do our own little thing even though we know we will never come close to the people on the show. But violence? Come on now. 

Have you ever seen someone watch a Marvel movie or a John Wick film and afterward say, “Now, I want to go beat up someone?” Sure, some people might feel angry if they don’t like the ending, but that’s usually about it. And if that’s the logic she’s going by, does that mean we also want to be haunted by an evil doll after watching Annabelle or being hunted by our fellow humans if we watch Hunger Games?

Snooping Gets You Nowhere

Some people hate snooping, while others consider it a perfectly acceptable way to get a hint of the person they’re getting to know by preparing themselves with a little inside info. What this MIL didn’t realize, though, is that if you do decide to snoop, you have to deal with the consequences. 

To give more background to this story, this Redditor’s blog contained things about dating, sex, and even weed. What really irked the MIL is the Redditor’s open relationship with her husband. According to MIL, she was “extremely promiscuous” and would infect my husband with diseases, that DH would go to prison and get abused.

No Filter

We admit it, sometimes some of us need the good old honesty of MILs. However, the keyword there is “sometimes” and, more importantly, only in conversations or topics that we agreed to partake in. It’s definitely not like this one. 

Fine, she has a favorite in-law, and she has some issues with her children but does she really need to bombard the poor woman with those? It’s also hard to feel even the least bit honored to be entrusted with that information when you know that the woman simply has no filter. 

Accurate Impression

Even if you don’t really like them, you don’t want your in-laws to make a bad impression on your own family. Who needs the extra drama, right? Unfortunately, in-laws are like wild cards. They may arrive at the rehearsal dinner as completely wonderful people and arrive at your wedding the very opposite. 

While the poster doesn’t think it’s that bad in the grand scheme of things, we beg to disagree. That first impression has been branded onto everyone’s brains and it will become part of the classic family lore that will be told for generations to come. 

Details!!!

Sorry to disappoint you, but this poster just left us all high and dry in the air. Obviously, we want to know all the juicy details of how one situation led to another and resulted in a Thor MIL throwing that hammer. Sadly, we’re not going to get it. 

In truth, though, we’re pretty terrified of this MIL. She freaking hit her husband with a hammer for Pete’s sake. That’s not a normal crazy MIL thing. That’s off the charts and deserves reporting. That’s also why we need the whole story! How did it all eventually end?