While we generally can pick the folks we marry or date, the reality is that this also often means dealing with their family, which can be quite the wildcard. As cliche as it can sound, in-laws are often annoying, nosey, demanding and just unpleasant to be around. The only salvation is that, hopefully, they don’t live with you.

A netizen shared their bit of skullduggery when they decided to outbid their in-laws who wanted to move in nearby. We reached out to the person who made the post via private message and will update the article when they get back to us.

Having annoying in-laws living in the neighborhood is a nightmare

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

Which is why one netizen decided to take drastic measures to keep them out

Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)

Later they shared a few clarifications

Image credits: OkMine9845

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

In-law relationships are complicated

While the stories about “nightmare in-laws” are old as time, research suggests that these days most folks are more optimistic about their partner’s family. After all, many people have come to recognize that the norms and “jokes” that get thrown around all the time don’t often reflect reality. Plus, most people also prefer optimism and are willing to give their newfound family a chance.

However, this doesn’t mean that things are easy. One immediate difficulty is that developing a relationship with your in-laws often means braving uncharted waters. In this day and age, cross-cultural relationships are quite normal and people might live in other continents from where they were born.

Every family has their own expectations, but, as humans often do, there can be difficulties actually communicating these things. Some parents insist on being near their kids even when they are adults, despite the fact that often enough this is what drives their offspring to move further away.

There can also be difficulties when it comes to personal space, money or even things like showing up uninvited. After all, in some cultures, you can just waltz on over to your child’s home, walk in and join them for dinner. It is not at all hard to see how this could annoy a person to no end. Boundaries are different in every family, which is a common source of drama.

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

There is some merit in the idea of keeping distance

One issue is just acting on assumptions and not realizing that your uncommunicated preferences don’t, in the grand scheme of things, matter at all. These are the sorts of pitfalls that do, ultimately, spark a good degree of family drama. It’s important to note that this isn’t even always a conflict between a person and their in-laws, it’s sadly common enough for someone to not have a great relationship with their own parents.

This is one of the main reasons why most couples prefer some distance, as it cuts down on “surprises”. At the very least, visits have to be planned and there is always the possibility of “escaping” if things get too uncomfortable. So if you had this arrangement and suddenly learned your in-laws would be moving in nearby, it’s not hard to see why it would cause some concern.

However, it’s fair to say that most people would probably not be able to pull off this strategy. The real issue isn’t if this person was wrong to outbid their in-laws, that’s their prerogative, it’s that they should ultimately talk to their wife about it. Secrets, even if well intentioned, don’t really help strengthen a relationship.

There is research to suggest that distance is ultimately healthy for families, but deception is not. How they choose to tell their wife is their own business, but it’s worth pointing out that she is probably not going to be happy to learn that her spouse’s brother knew before her.

Most readers saw their side of things

Some were more on the fence about their methods

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