Re: She makes me so angry
You’re not getting it Nadz. Being nice and looking like a doormat is the best revenge you can have against your MIL! Complaining about her and saying negative stuff about her to your husband will not win you any brownie points with him. Its going to be difficult for your husband to choose a side when BOTH sides are behaving the same way!
Sooo…you need to stop caring about your MIL so much. Truly disliking someone doesn’t mean you hate them…it means you’re indifferent towards their existence. Whether she’s complimenting you or saying the most disgusting thing about you…you should not actually care either way. Just smile and be polite. Shut down all your emotions when it comes to her.
Stop making decisions based on your emotions and think with your brain. Making your marriage stronger should be your primary goal & you should stop allowing your MIL to distract you from that. In front of your husband, treat your MIL with total respect. It’s not about what you feel….it’s about what your husband PERCEIVES your feelings to be . So learn to act!
You need to make him believe that despite all the past drama, no matter what your MIL currently does…you will treat her with respect and care for her. So next time your husband is around and you’re making chai for him, make a cup for MIL and offer it to her IN FRONT of him. If you guys are eating dinner and you see your MIL’s water or anything else (roti, sabzi whatever) running low…ask her nicely if she’s like some more. In front of him, offer to help her clear the table, help with dishes, cook whatever. If she complains of not feeling well, when he’s there, ask about her health and if there’s anything you can do to make her comfortable. Kill her with kindness while he’s watching/listening. And when he’s not around, be totally indifferent. Stay away from her as much as possible and ignore any jabs she throws at you.
Before leaving for UK, you must make sure your husband has very positive memories of you. Not memories of you bashing his mother and creating drama when he comes home. Unless you’re actually being physically abused…given the fact that you have tickets booked for UK…stay quiet about all the drama your MIL is causing. When your husband is with you, make his time pleasant. If your MIL wants to continue to bash you to him…let her. If your husband mentions that your MIL is upset b/c you did or said something…then you should say something like “I feel bad that I hurt her feelings. If you think it will make her feel better, I have no problem apologizing to her.” Allow your MIL to provide all the negativity/stress/complaints/nagging etc in your husband’s life. When he’s with you…give him nothing but love and peace. You’d be amazed as to what difference this can make to a man after a while .
Absolutely wonderful and well written advice.
Nadz..I certainly hope you do not push your husband to the point where he will have to choose between you, his wife, or his mother. He could if push comes to shove, cut you AND his mother out of his life.
A few more weeks remain before you leave for the UK. Do you have other family in the UK? Does your husband have family in the UK? Will he feel he had to leave/abandon his family for you?
His mother is his mother, and will always have that status. There are MIL and DIL who do not get along, and will never get along. For your sake and for the sake of your marriage, keep the peace from YOUR end.
I don’t know too much about your history, but I saw my own Mom with her in laws. Your daily commentary pales in comparison to what I saw and what I remember. Kids remember things too, you do not want your children to remember that all our Mom does is complain to Dad about Dadi all day long.