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“She’s On Vacation At Everyone Else’s Expense”: Woman Wants MIL Gone, Husband Interferes
“She’s On Vacation At Everyone Else’s Expense”: Woman Wants MIL Gone, Husband Interferes
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“She’s On Vacation At Everyone Else’s Expense”: Woman Wants MIL Gone, Husband Interferes

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The saying “everything in moderation” applies to a lot in life. Including visits from your in-laws.

And this woman has officially reached her limit. It’s not that she minds her husband’s mom stopping by, but the problem is she keeps arriving without a return ticket… or a plan. What’s meant to be a short stay often turns into months of unannounced living, rising bills, and avoidable drama.

Her husband, on the other hand, doesn’t see the issue.

Scroll down to see how she’s been dealing with it.

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    The woman is fed up with her mother-in-law’s endless visits, so she finally put her foot down

    Image credits: Wavebreakmedia (not the actual photo)

    But her husband isn’t happy about it

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    Image credits: Rawpixel (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: Unusual_Suspect90

    Women and their mothers-in-law are more likely to clash than male family members

    It’s a tale as old as time: we choose our partners, but we don’t choose their families. And sometimes, that leads to awkward dinners, forced smiles, or full-blown family feuds we never signed up for. As much as we might dream of in-laws who feel like lifelong friends, that part of the relationship tends to be more of a lottery, and not everyone hits the jackpot.

    It gets even trickier when your mother-in-law decides that a weekend visit actually means staying for several months, like in this story. Maybe not every situation reaches that level of intensity, but the struggle is common and far more relatable than many would like to admit.

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    According to psychologist Terri Apter, 60% of women say their relationship with a female in-law causes long-term unhappiness and stress. Two-thirds of daughters-in-law believe their husband’s mother often shows a jealous, overly attached kind of love toward her son. And overall, 75% of couples report issues with in-laws, though only 15% of mother-in-law and son-in-law relationships are described as tense.

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    One reason might be the arrival of grandchildren. Grandparents often want to be actively involved in their grandkids’ lives, which is lovely, until it leads to clashing parenting opinions and subtle (or not-so-subtle) power struggles. When both the mother and the mother-in-law are used to being “the mom,” things can get especially complicated.

    Social science researcher Gretchen Perry explains that much of this tension depends on how much families rely on each other over time. Disagreements tend to increase when couples can’t afford to live independently, grandparents step in as primary childcare providers, or aging parents need care from their adult children. “If social constraints and financial shortfall mean that people need to care for each other more, and spend more time in each other’s business, the conflict may increase,” she told BBC.

    On the flip side, couples who are financially stable and have a little more breathing room often find it easier to maintain healthy relationships with extended family. It doesn’t fully eliminate the drama, of course, but it can definitely lighten the load.

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    With more awareness and emotional maturity becoming part of everyday conversations, there’s hope that these tricky family dynamics can change for the better. After all, no one gets married expecting to end up in a lifelong battle with their in-laws. Deep down, we’re all just hoping for the same thing: to get along.

    Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)

    Readers agreed her home isn’t a hotel and said her husband needed a serious reality check

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    Oleksandra Kyryliuk

    Oleksandra Kyryliuk

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication. Having covered everything from education, finance, and marketing to art, pop culture, and memes, she now brings her storytelling skills to Bored Panda. For the past six years, she’s been living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania.

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    Oleksandra Kyryliuk

    Oleksandra Kyryliuk

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Oleksandra is an experienced copywriter from Ukraine with a master’s degree in International Communication. Having covered everything from education, finance, and marketing to art, pop culture, and memes, she now brings her storytelling skills to Bored Panda. For the past six years, she’s been living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania.

    What do you think ?
    Paul C
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Let your son keep his room and put grandma on the couch. I'm sure she won't be staying for months. If hubby objects, he can share the couch with her. Nobody should have to have guests in their house that they aren't happy with. Your home should be a place of relaxation and refuge, not somewhere you feel on edge.

    Vee Lyons
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Makes me sick when people talk about "family being important my culture". Family is important in everybody's culture.

    Katchen
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    100%!!! This and “food is important to my culture” really get under my skin.

    Load More Replies...
    Michael MacKinnon
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The 11 month stay thing surprises me (pretty sure that's violating the terms of a visitor's visa), but even if I hated her, I wouldn't be calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement on her in this day and age.

    Load More Comments
    Paul C
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Let your son keep his room and put grandma on the couch. I'm sure she won't be staying for months. If hubby objects, he can share the couch with her. Nobody should have to have guests in their house that they aren't happy with. Your home should be a place of relaxation and refuge, not somewhere you feel on edge.

    Vee Lyons
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Makes me sick when people talk about "family being important my culture". Family is important in everybody's culture.

    Katchen
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    100%!!! This and “food is important to my culture” really get under my skin.

    Load More Replies...
    Michael MacKinnon
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The 11 month stay thing surprises me (pretty sure that's violating the terms of a visitor's visa), but even if I hated her, I wouldn't be calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement on her in this day and age.

    Load More Comments
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