As I said previously, I gave up alchohol coffee and inlaws for new years, still going strong! Yes, I am inflatable pool lady. (LPT: Never give your MIL an inflatable pool)
My husband does lip service to supporting my decision, and then he tracks mud all over my nice clean floors.
Yesterday he went to visit his mom, took my kid with him, Super! Fantastic! I get a couple hours of peace and quiet, I give myself a pedicure and catch up with a friend. No problems there. The problem is when he comes home, it goes like this.
Duh: Greetings from mom!
Me: Nice, did you already have dinner?
DuH: (sigh) I didn't eat anything there...
Me: Oh. I have x y z and a b c and p q r, are you hungry?
DuH: (sigh) Well, kiddo also didn't eat anything, except a cup of milk, Mom wasn't interested in her.
Me: Oh. Are you hungry?
DuH: (sigh) I know you don't want to talk about this, but ... Oh never mind.
Me: Ok. Well I'm having some beef stew.
DuH: It's just that... Oh never mind..
Me: Ok. Should I warm some up for you as well?
DuH: She was just complaining and complaining... and I know... well never mind.
Me: Ok, well ... want to watch some Portlandia and go to sleep?
DuH: It's just, if you could only just explain something to me... if it's not too much, it would make things so much easier.
Me: ....
DuH: Never mind.
Me: ok. Carrot sticks and hummus?
DuH: Because she ignored kiddo the whole time, and she was complaining so much... and I understand .. well .. I .. never mind.
Me: OK. Tomato salad with avocado?
DuH: I mean, she's.. she just... she just wants to be respected. She wants to be appreciated for all the help...
Me: ..
DuH: ... ...
Me: Ok. Sheep cheese with dates and walnuts?
DuH: I mean... she did so much after kiddo was born, and now you won't even talk to her...
Me: Goodnight.
DuH: Please. For our relationship. Just explain. I know you have reasons, I just forget them.
Me: Ok. Your mom did not 'help' me, because if you want to 'help' me you need to know what I want and need. She did not know or care about what I wanted and needed, she used stuff and gifts and favors as a way to demand control over me, she caused me massive ammounts of stress and very unnecessary problems for ALL of kiddos life, and she did not give me the one thing I wanted and needed, which is to have my back and give me company and give love to the kid. She gave us obligations, not help.
DuH: But you have to understand, she has more experience than you.. and.. she wants to be respected, that's all, she wants.. respect. You could have shown more gratefullness and respect.
Me: No. I have more experience than her. I had 4 younger siblings. I can run circles around her with child care. She had a baby 35 years before kiddo was born and forgot nearly everything. She didn't need to give me advice, she just needed to sit on a couch, play with kiddo and not say anything mean, that's all she needed to do. Not iron my diapers. Not mend my period panties. Not hem my motherfucking pants. Not call CPS on me for ppd, again for cleanliness, and again for diet. Kiddo was always safe, kiddo was always happy and healthy, MIL was always the biggest threat to my family, and it was her choice to be there.
As for gratefullness? Sure, I did, at first. I say, "thank you for hemming my pants, but I had them long for my boots and I would rather you don't go through my closet" but after that it's like going to a grocery store and she puts stuff in the cart and then I have to pay for it. I am not grateful because I didn't want her to do those things and I said so.
DuH: it's also...
Me: ---
DuH: Never mind.
Me: Ok. Apple dumplings?
DuH: You know, she gave you the appartment...
Me: Ok. No. No she did not give me an appartment because I never lost an appartment and I do not have an appartment. I live in your appartment. I am your wife.
DuH: but .. she did put down a lot towards the downpayment...
Me: Ok. And then we took out a loan to bail them out, and then we took out another loan to bail them out...
DuH: Wait wait wait, that has nothing to do with you, it wasn't your money.
Me: It's not my appartment either.
DuH: But she DID make it possible for you to live here, and you ..
Me: maybe I shouldn't be living here...
DuH: Please. Please don't say that. Please I didn't mean that... Please.. I'm so sorry.
Me: Ok. Fruit? pears, apples, maybe a mandarin or two?
DuH: But if you don't give her a chance? how can things ever get better?
Me: ... Ok. How do you want me to give her a chance?
DuH: Well, you could thank her for everything she's done, then she would feel more welcome.
Me: Goodnight.
DuH: Ok. I'm hungry.
My husband does lip service to supporting my decision, and then he tracks mud all over my nice clean floors.
Yesterday he went to visit his mom, took my kid with him, Super! Fantastic! I get a couple hours of peace and quiet, I give myself a pedicure and catch up with a friend. No problems there. The problem is when he comes home, it goes like this.
Duh: Greetings from mom!
Me: Nice, did you already have dinner?
DuH: (sigh) I didn't eat anything there...
Me: Oh. I have x y z and a b c and p q r, are you hungry?
DuH: (sigh) Well, kiddo also didn't eat anything, except a cup of milk, Mom wasn't interested in her.
Me: Oh. Are you hungry?
DuH: (sigh) I know you don't want to talk about this, but ... Oh never mind.
Me: Ok. Well I'm having some beef stew.
DuH: It's just that... Oh never mind..
Me: Ok. Should I warm some up for you as well?
DuH: She was just complaining and complaining... and I know... well never mind.
Me: Ok, well ... want to watch some Portlandia and go to sleep?
DuH: It's just, if you could only just explain something to me... if it's not too much, it would make things so much easier.
Me: ....
DuH: Never mind.
Me: ok. Carrot sticks and hummus?
DuH: Because she ignored kiddo the whole time, and she was complaining so much... and I understand .. well .. I .. never mind.
Me: OK. Tomato salad with avocado?
DuH: I mean, she's.. she just... she just wants to be respected. She wants to be appreciated for all the help...
Me: ..
DuH: ... ...
Me: Ok. Sheep cheese with dates and walnuts?
DuH: I mean... she did so much after kiddo was born, and now you won't even talk to her...
Me: Goodnight.
DuH: Please. For our relationship. Just explain. I know you have reasons, I just forget them.
Me: Ok. Your mom did not 'help' me, because if you want to 'help' me you need to know what I want and need. She did not know or care about what I wanted and needed, she used stuff and gifts and favors as a way to demand control over me, she caused me massive ammounts of stress and very unnecessary problems for ALL of kiddos life, and she did not give me the one thing I wanted and needed, which is to have my back and give me company and give love to the kid. She gave us obligations, not help.
DuH: But you have to understand, she has more experience than you.. and.. she wants to be respected, that's all, she wants.. respect. You could have shown more gratefullness and respect.
Me: No. I have more experience than her. I had 4 younger siblings. I can run circles around her with child care. She had a baby 35 years before kiddo was born and forgot nearly everything. She didn't need to give me advice, she just needed to sit on a couch, play with kiddo and not say anything mean, that's all she needed to do. Not iron my diapers. Not mend my period panties. Not hem my motherfucking pants. Not call CPS on me for ppd, again for cleanliness, and again for diet. Kiddo was always safe, kiddo was always happy and healthy, MIL was always the biggest threat to my family, and it was her choice to be there.
As for gratefullness? Sure, I did, at first. I say, "thank you for hemming my pants, but I had them long for my boots and I would rather you don't go through my closet" but after that it's like going to a grocery store and she puts stuff in the cart and then I have to pay for it. I am not grateful because I didn't want her to do those things and I said so.
DuH: it's also...
Me: ---
DuH: Never mind.
Me: Ok. Apple dumplings?
DuH: You know, she gave you the appartment...
Me: Ok. No. No she did not give me an appartment because I never lost an appartment and I do not have an appartment. I live in your appartment. I am your wife.
DuH: but .. she did put down a lot towards the downpayment...
Me: Ok. And then we took out a loan to bail them out, and then we took out another loan to bail them out...
DuH: Wait wait wait, that has nothing to do with you, it wasn't your money.
Me: It's not my appartment either.
DuH: But she DID make it possible for you to live here, and you ..
Me: maybe I shouldn't be living here...
DuH: Please. Please don't say that. Please I didn't mean that... Please.. I'm so sorry.
Me: Ok. Fruit? pears, apples, maybe a mandarin or two?
DuH: But if you don't give her a chance? how can things ever get better?
Me: ... Ok. How do you want me to give her a chance?
DuH: Well, you could thank her for everything she's done, then she would feel more welcome.
Me: Goodnight.
DuH: Ok. I'm hungry.