A mother on r/inlaws said her mother-in-law has repeatedly put her sister-in-law’s children first and described the strain it has caused. Commenters offered both sympathy and criticism.
In the post, shared Nov. 10 by u/Entire_Rub2015, the woman said she has three children, ages 4, 3 and 1. She said her first child was the first grandchild and the only girl among the grandchildren, and that her mother-in-law “took a lot of firsts” from her and overstepped.
She wrote that she experienced postpartum depression during that period and felt like an unfit mother. She said she confronted her husband and mother-in-law about four years ago and that the family had “moved on.”
She said the mother-in-law, who recently turned 50, still buys clothes for her daughter but not for her sons. She said the mother-in-law gives her sister-in-law’s son, who is four months older than her middle child, gifts and takes him out regularly.
She described her nephew’s and her middle son’s birthdays. She said her nephew got multiple costumes, a Power Wheels ride-on toy and a backyard party. At her middle son’s birthday four months later, she said, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law stayed an hour and a half, 30 minutes of which was spent arguing, and brought no gift that day; one arrived later by delivery. She wrote that she cried and that “it hurt so bad” to watch. She said the in-laws asked for a clear bag the next day to take the nephew to a football game, something she said they have done several times for him and never for her sons.
She also described disputes over babysitting. She said her mother-in-law expected the couple to be free to watch the nephew and his siblings on the day of a planned family outing and later reacted with hostility when they asked her to watch their children for a concert and a date night. She said her husband has spoken to his mother several times but, she wrote, “honestly doesn’t understand why I’m so angry.” She wrote that she would go no contact but knows her husband will not.
She wrote that her 3-year-old no longer asks to see his grandmother.
One commenter, who described their own son as the only grandchild in their family, wrote, “This is horrible.” They said their family’s interest in him faded and that they have cut off contact for themselves only. “I can’t imagine how miserable it feels being in your position,” they wrote.
Another commenter wrote, “Unless she’s willing to treat them ALL equally there would be no access or help.”
A third commenter wrote that the poster’s 3-year-old does not care what his cousin got “unless you make him care.” They added, “Your part in the animosity between you and your MIL is as bad as her behavior,” and told her to “step back, stop obsessing over who gets what, and let your husband deal with his mother.”
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the details of this post, which reflect only the account shared by u/Entire_Rub2015 on r/inlaws.
