Can I have a swift rant? Currently living with MIL until our buyers and sellers get their acts together (which is another rant in itself!). Was supposed to be for less than a month but now looks like we’ll be here ’til mid-December (if our buyers finally complete!).
MIL flat out dislikes me. That’s fine, I can live with that but the problem is, she can’t keep it to herself. The second she’s through the door, she finds something to pick a fight about. I’m currently doing all the housework and 90% of childcare before and after school – this will stop soon as I have job interviews lined up (Asda tomorrow, oh joy).
She’s just so **** rude – treats my wife and I like children, constantly undermines our parenting in front of our four year old and can’t ask for anything in a normal, civilised fashion. All requests / complaints are either a full on attack, or made in a VERY loud voice from another room, speaking to herself (“I DON’T ASK FOR MUCH BUT IT’D BE NICE TO SEE THE PATTERN ON MY CARPET UNDER ALL THIS DOG HAIR” for instance, despite hoovering very thoroughly, just before she comes home).
I *get* that it’s her home and she’s had wife and son staying since February and now me for two weeks, upsetting her routines but we are bending over backwards to please her and I’m slowly realising that’s an impossibility. She wouldn’t hear of us renting and insisted on us coming to stay.
The tension and deeply unpleasant atmosphere are rubbing off on the wee man too – his behaviour has nosedived. Wife and I are enforcing strict manners, tidiness etc but MIL can’t help butting in. When he apologises for minor infractions, he gets, “Weel, ye dinnae SOUND very sorry to me – no story at bedtime! (I do the bedtime story)”.
My lip is literally painful from biting it so I’ve decided that as soon as the first pay cheque comes in, I’m renting a room in a shared flat – it’s either that or there’s going to be an almighty argument – I don’t mind falling out with her but am keeping myself in check for the sake of future familial relations. Currently kneeling on our bedroom floor, working on the computer without a desk because she claims the computer will get hot and burn her table – I was getting it out at 9am and putting it away before she came home at 1pm so she never even sees the bloody thing. She really is going out of her way to make life unpleasant 🙁
Just as an example…
MIL – “How’s the washing coming on?”
Me – “Oh, I’ve brought in the stuff that was dry and left some damp stuff on the line for a bit”
“Aye, but how’s it coming on?”
(confused) “Er, I’ve brought some in and left some out”
“Aye but it cannae be dry”
“Well, I only brought the dry stuff in (smiling nervously)”
“Aye but it’s NAE DRY – IT CANNAE BE!”
“I did check it prett…”
“IT’S NAE DRY – THAT’D BE IMPOSSIBLE. I’M NAE ARGUIN’ ABOOT THIS!”
It’s all at about this level of nonsense.
Anyway, rant over, sorry! There is probably light at the end of the tunnel but if our buyers drop out, we’re royally ****!