Getting along with your in-laws can be a nightmare. What matters here, like in any other relationship, is proper communication, privacy, and healthy boundaries. But that’s easier said than done. Sometimes, your in-laws can be needlessly cruel and maliciously manipulative.

Redditor u/thrwitawy4g3tystrday recently went viral after sharing how her mother-in-law did the unthinkable: she told the OP’s 4-year-old daughter that Santa Claus isn’t real. However, things soon escalated way beyond that, to a scary extent, turning into every parent’s worst nightmare. You’ll find the full story as you read on. Bored Panda has reached out to the author via Reddit and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.

Oh, and just for the record, we believe that Santa is real. Anyone telling you otherwise is likely working for the Grinch.

Many families have beautiful Christmas traditions at home, whether or not they’re religious

Image credits: Jonathan Borba (not the actual photo)

One mom shared how her mother-in-law completely crossed the line when it came to Santa Claus

Image credits: Zinkevych_D (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/thrwitawy4g3tystrday

Here’s how some internet users reacted to the author’s story

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

The author later shared a very important update about how the situation with her MIL escalated

Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)

The entire situation went from bad to worse

Image credits: Anete Lusina (not the actual photo)

The author of the story, Reddit user u/thrwitawy4g3tystrday, explained how she threw her extremely religious mother-in-law out of the house after the stunt she pulled. She then cut off all contact between them.

“I think she crossed an uncrossable line and that I’m justified in not letting her have a future relationship with my daughter or any other children we might have later,” the OP explained her reasoning to the r/JUSTNOMIL online community.

However, the story didn’t end just there, with some healthy boundaries getting established. Unfortunately, the OP’s mother-in-law went further and frightened the entire family. She started contacting her granddaughter by sending her gifts. She then planned to pick her up from school without the parents’ consent, for a “surprise adventure.”

The OP learned about her plans from the school office. Things moved very quickly from that moment onward. The girl’s mom informed the school not to let anyone take her daughter. She then rushed to the school with her husband. The police arrested the MIL before she could kidnap the child.

“My husband’s siblings have reached out to us and are completely horrified by what happened, and all said in their own way that they never expected things to escalate like this. While it was annoying to have it come to this before having their support, it is refreshing to have everyone on the same page about this finally,” u/thrwitawy4g3tystrday wrote.

Most abductions are carried out by family members or someone that the child knows

Image credits: Yan Krukau (not the actual photo)

The majority of children who are abducted are targeted by their relatives or people they know. According to the Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center, family kidnappings make up half of all reported abductions in the United States. Most children who are targeted are under the age of 6.

Meanwhile, the other half of all abductions are carried out by acquaintances and strangers. The former comprise 27% of all abductions.

‘Child Find of America’ notes that of the abductions carried out by family members, 78% of the abductors are non-custodial parents while 21% are other relatives.

In-laws need to understand that they cannot do whatever they want, without consequences

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)

As we’ve covered before, sometimes, in-laws sometimes force their involvement in a couple’s relationship and their future. This can make the couple quite uncomfortable because the in-laws are always present in their lives. Always criticizing their decisions. Always trying to tell them how to do things.

In some cases, all of this comes from a place of love and caring: the in-laws want their kids and grandkids to be healthy and happy. However, they might not have the self-awareness that they’re being too pushy.

For some in-laws, however, it’s all about exercising control. They might not like who their child married, so they find ways, both subtle and overt, to put them down. In this case, you need to sit down with them and have a friendly but firm conversation about how their behavior is making you feel.

Set some simple ground rules for your relationship going forward. For instance, you could explain to them that even though you respect their religious choices, you feel uncomfortable that they’re pushing their faith on you. Or that you don’t like it when they show up unannounced. Whatever the issue might be, actively listen to their perspective. Show that you respect their choices, but stress the importance of your boundaries going forward.

Many readers were shocked by how the mother-in-law behaved

Games

View all games

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!