“My now-husband sat his dad and mom down and told them he wanted to marry me.
We recentlyaskedpeople of theBuzzFeed Communitywhose in-laws ruined their marriage to tell us their stories.
Here are the unbelievable and heartbreaking results:
1.
“My first mother-in-law.
This story was relayed to me by my mother about a month after the wedding.
This was truly a family-only affair.
But I did ban her from my house before we got divorced, at least.”
bloodwynne
2.
“My MIL called me one day and proceeded to tell me how to satisfy my husband sexually.
When I told my husband what she said, he got very silent and left the room.
I followed and asked him if it were true.”
“He walked into the garage…to do an oil change on the car.
I immediately left him.”
70, USA
3.
“My marriage was ruined starting on the wedding day.
Along with all the other drama she caused, my MIL stole our gifts and left.
For the rest of the marriage, I was expected to go with whatever his mom wanted.
Anonymous, USA
4.
She ruined his friendships, too, via manipulation to isolate him and keep him dependent on her.”
36, USA
5.
Throughout our dating relationship, I always felt out of place and uncomfortable anytime we were with his family.
I quickly realized that being around his mom was the hardest part.
Anonymous, USA
6.
“My ex-MIL ruined the marriage between me and my ex-husband.
She constantly told me that I wasn’t good enough for her son.
She later emailed him while he was on deployment about how I didn’t keep house.
I worked 14-hour shifts while in port.
He later got after me for standing up for myself, by kicking his mother out of the apartment.
Cut to when I was at sea, he posted on Facebook that he was going to divorce me.
Of course, his mother defended him.”
42, Texas
7.
“My ex-wife let her parents run our entire lives, including the bank account.
They chose everything for her/us, even when I said no.
She would never defend me and went so far as to suggest to them that I was autistic.”
melissamangone
8.
40, Texas
9.
“I have a sister-in-law who has always acted like a very possessive, jealous, and meddlesome mother-in-law.
She is still single at 72 and was never interested in finding a partner.
In fact, she avoided men and dating completely.
She followed us to different cities and made our lives very stressful.
She is impossible to get along with.
Her other brother was unfortunate enough to have to share a residence for quite a while recently.
He stayed in his bedroom most of the morning to avoid her.”
I tolerated her twice-yearly visits for decades because she is my husbands sister, but it wasnt easy.
… She has many problems outside of our relationship.
I have never met a more fearful and paranoid person.
Extremely scared of the most everyday things.
Imaginary allergies as well.
A true case study with no self-awareness at all!”
70, Canada
10.
They owned a farm where they all lived and worked.
The couple had a house on the property, and the MIL had a house adjoining but separate.
The MIL treated her son like a teenager.
She would come over to clean their house, rearrange furniture, etc., without permission.
He refused and was totally blindsided when she left him one day after 15 years.
None of us blamed her."
scerickson
11.
We also agreed to make no purchases over $100 without consulting the other person.
That only applied until my then-husband wanted something to which I said ‘no.’
All without consulting me."
“The last straw was when my husband wanted to start his own business (purchasing a franchise).
The in-laws wanted to be ‘silent partners’ and front the $20k down payment.
60, Maryland
12.
“My ex-MIL created chaos throughout my entire engagement, wedding, and marriage.
emmab211993
48, Montana
14.
“They didn’t ruin our marriage, but they tried their best.
My FIL and MIL are divorced.
My FIL hated me from the start.
He would make a run at pick fights with me, then ‘tell’ on me to my then-fiance.
“We went no contact with my MIL.
He freaked out and acted like we were withholding custodial rights something he doesn’t have.
Both of them are horrible, abusive people who believe everyone else is the problem.
40, Nevada
15.
“MIL grew up poor and stayed low-income her entire life.
She knew her son would be successful because we worked toward his dreams, which made her incredibly jealous.
My husband set boundaries that MIL constantly crossed, so he went full no contact.
MIL tried to ruin my marriage but ended up ruining her relationship with her son.”
43, Arkansas
16.
“I was a transplant in the Deep South.
My now ex-husband and I started dating.
We dated, and he lived with me and my kids.
We had his kid on the weekends and during the summer.
This was a small town, and his ex still lived there, but no big deal.
We got pregnant and found out it was a girl.
My soon-to-be MIL was over the moon.
She had only had boys, and they only had boys.
This was the first girl in the family.
We even gave the baby her name as a middle name.
What I didnt know was that she hated me.
It got to the point where the kids wouldnt play with mine.
My ex-husband was a mama’s boy and did whatever his mama said, including leaving me.
She even fought us (her OWN son and me) for custody of our daughter.
This was the turning point in our marriage.
He took his mother’s side in everything!
I couldnt take it anymore and returned home.We divorced, and she couldnt have been happier.
I was told she even threw a party.
He and I have low contact and only speak because of the child we share.
His mom ruined our marriage, and he allowed it.”
32, Alabama
And finally…
17.
“My in-laws never accepted me into the family.
I joked about the ex getting HIS family in the divorce.
Fifteen years later, the ex still attends all events, and we are mostly excluded.
I am expected to attend weddings and funerals.
His family hates me.”
We divorced because I never needed a wife-in-law.”
55, Michigan
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
