How to Deal with In-Laws – Why “Just Ignore It” Isn’t Helping Her
“Just Ignore It” — The Male Default Setting Let’s set the scene: It’s Sunday lunch. Roast chicken. Your mum’s roast potatoes. Your wife is sitting across from her, smiling like she’s in a hostage video. You, meanwhile, are carving meat like you’re auditioning for MasterChef, thinking: “Great vibes today.” Mate.…
Why “She Didn’t Mean It Like That” Never Helps
When Your Mum’s Words Hit Her Like a Stealth Bomb Picture this: your mum casually says, “Oh, I never used a microwave for baby food,” while eyeing the one your wife just used. You blink, nod, and go back to your Sunday roast. No explosion, no drama, no one flipped…
She Called My Baby “Her” Baby — And I Froze
When It Hit Me: She Doesn’t See Me as the Mom It was a Sunday afternoon, one of those post-church, big lunch kind of days where everyone gathers around and passes the baby like a football. My daughter was five months old, still that warm, sleepy kind of squishy. My…
When “Just Ignore It” Is the Worst Advice Ever
The Invisible Volcano at Sunday Dinner Let’s set the scene. You’re at your mum’s house for the usual Sunday roast. Gravy’s hot, potatoes are crisp, and your mum just *casually* drops, “Oh, you still make pasta from a jar? I suppose that’s fine when you’re *busy*.” You chuckle. Classic Mum.…
“She’s Just Being Friendly” — And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves
Let’s talk about that smile that isn’t a smile You know the one. Your mum leans in, eyes twinkling, and says, “Oh, this is lovely — I never would have thought to put *coriander* in shepherd’s pie. So… brave.” She’s smiling. Your wife is smiling. Everyone’s smiling. So you —…
Navigating Toxic Mother-in-Law Relationships
When Your Mother-in-Law Sees You as the Other Woman It didn’t happen all at once. At first, it was little comments. They went like this: “Oh, he never liked his eggs that way” or “He’s always preferred my pot roast.” Harmless, right? But over time, the subtle digs stacked up…
“She’s Not Overreacting, Your Mum Did Say That… But With a Smile”
Let’s Talk About the ‘Nice’ Comments That Hit Like a Brick You know those Sunday lunches where your mum says something like, “Oh, I never needed store-bought sauce when I was raising my kids…” and then takes a dainty sip of tea? Yeah. That. You smile. She smiles. Your wife?…
When Your MIL Thinks She’s Still the Queen Bee
When Your Mother-in-Law Won’t Step Back—And You’re the One Losing It I never thought I’d be that daughter-in-law. The one who sighs before family visits, cries in the bathroom during holidays, and dreams of moving to Alaska just to avoid her. But here I am, four years into marriage, and…
When Your Mother-in-Law Acts Like She’s Still the Queen Bee
When Your Mother-in-Law Acts Like She’s Still the Queen Bee How to deal with a toxic MIL who won’t stop controlling your household Sometimes, I wish I had a camera crew follow me around during the holidays—not for the cute kids-in-PJs moments, but for the behind-the-scenes family drama that always…
When Your Mum’s “Just Trying to Help” Feels Like a Knife in Her Casserole
Let’s Talk About the Kitchen Cold War Right, lads. We need to talk. Not about the football, not about the pub plans, not even about why there’s a damp towel on the bed (although, maybe sort that too). We need to talk about something you probably think is harmless. Sweet,…