Awkward dates happen to everyone. But it's interesting to be a third party observer, and even more interesting to be in charge of the table upon which the awkward date is happening. And some stories transcend awkward.
u/StittDownAndListen asked:
Here were some of those stories.
Cringe
GiphyI work at a dinner theatre, and we usually do proposals where we set up a 'random draw' where the 'winner' comes up on the stage to win their prize, and are then surprised by their partner who proposes. It's usually sweet and makes everybody in the room all fuzzy and warm.
This one guy wanted to take it further and requested to perform a song — he brought his own music and everything. We're pretty easy going at this job, so we agree to let him do it.
We do the fake draw, the woman comes up on stage in front of a room of 400 people, and the music starts to play. Apparently this guy was a little nervous, and he compensated by having a few drinks. So what follows is a slurred performance of a song written by this guy, that seemed to focus on how he was sorry for cheating on this woman with her sister and at the end of it, he gets down on one knee and proposes. Usually this gets a round of applause, encouraging the person to say yes; but not after that train wreck of a performance. The poor woman was just holding her face the entire time and starts shaking her head and says "No, what's wrong with you?" She storms off and leaves him and our stage manager on stage to a bunch of murmuring from the audience. The only thing our stage manager can think of to say on mic is "Well, that's that."
The guy ended up staying for the rest of the show and had many more drinks. That was years ago and it still remains one of the cringiest things I've ever seen.
A Charade For Safety's Sake
They came in and the first thing I notice is that the woman was noticeably older than the man but I don't really judge about that kind of thing and I also don't assume people are on dates. maybe she is his aunt? or they are just friends?
So I went to go ask about drinks and do the usual peppy greeting and she is super chatty. Basically talks for him and answers questions that were straight for him. Okay, I think, maybe that's just how they are. She proceeds to order them both hard alcohol straight... at 10 am... I figure "eh maybe they are on a vacation together". You never know.
It finally hit me that something wasn't right was when she wouldn't stop making sexual comments about the two (which is how I knew it was kind of a date). I am talking straight up things like "I am 53 but with the amount of work I have had done to my downstairs, he won't be able to tell tonight if I am actually 23" I am watching the mans face and he looks pained.
I watch the table from afar. I realize it kind of looks like a date gone wrong, but they seemed to know each other so I am not really sure what is going on (and servers always chat and theorize about their customers in their free-time) when the man gets up and comes over to me and asks me to chat with him around the corner really discretely. So I do. He looks as me and is talking super fast as he explains that this is his boss and he has to meet with her quarterly and she just has to sign a single form to approve what he has been doing and she insists on going out for a meal and drinking and then trying to sleep with him. Every time. I was horrified for him -- he looked that panicked. He said that he usually gets her to sign it before they leave the restaurant and then makes an excuse to ditch her. We made a code sign (him patting the back of his head three times) so that I could intervene when she would get far too inappropriate but honestly she didn't change much when I would come. He also asked me to bring him fake alcoholic beverages, said I could charge him for the alcohol but to make them water or just soda.
I still think about him sometimes and wish I had gotten his name or something so I could check in and encourage him to report her, but in all honesty she probably owned the company he worked for or something the way she spent money and looked like.
Rightfully Cursing
GiphyLate to the party but I will share my story. Had a couple come in one night and everything seemed to be going fine. We just hired a new sever who was training and I asked her if she had any questions. She was still nervous about greeting tables so I told her she could shadow me and watch what I do. We go over to the couples table and all I hear from the new server is "YOU F*CKING BITCH I KNEW YOU WERE CHEATING ON ME"
Turns out the guy was her bf on a date with his side chick and he didn't know she just got a job there. She didn't get fired for what she said.
Foul Business
When I was bartending this guy came into the bar on a week night, average looking guy, late twenties. He sat down and asked for a drink and told me he was nervous because it was his first date in 3 years and they had met on tinder. He arrived 20 minutes before her expected arrival to get rid of some of his nerves... two hours passed and he waited for her with no text or call explaining she would be late.
This woman walks in, walks up to the guy and I'm thinking, "She really came! " She looks at him and says "Are you Joe?" -- the guy replies yes and gets up to properly greet her looking incredibly excited. She says "no thanks..." and just leaves.
What a foul creature. Joe (not his real name) and I proceeded to get way too drunk for a Tuesday. Poor average Joe.
A Good Tip Can Rectify Most Things
Couple came into the restaurant dressed very goth. I wasn't their server but I was running the cash register just a few feet away. They proclaimed to everyone that they were energy vampires, but not to fear them because they won't hurt us. They said they didn't need our food for sustenance, but enjoyed the taste. After ordering the meal they then politely asked the waitress if she would stick around for a second so they could feed off of her aura so they could have enough energy for the night. The waitress said ok and gave me a side glance over her shoulder that I knew meant "I better get a good tip for this"... The couple clasped each other's hands, closed their eyes, and made sucking sounds for a solid minute before leaning back in the seats and sighing as if they had just had a turkey dinner. The waitress was indeed tipped well for her delicious energy.
Public Fights
GiphyServed a deaf couple having a fight. They went from both of them signing furiously to her crying and signaling to me for a stack of napkins for, I assumed, her tears. She whips out a pen and starts writing paragraph after paragraph angrily. It was awkward because i kept having to come back to the table since they ordered multiple courses and he was just eating and signing while she was hunched over the table writing away while crying. When they finally left they tipped me pretty well though so I guess it wasn't too bad?
Necessary Shots
Date seemed going well, but the guy was nervous and fidgety. He was rocking back on his chair a little as he would talk and eventually flew too close to the sun. Toppled his chair backwards and knocked himself out cold. And peed his pants.
He had to be taken out of the dining room on a stretcher over the span of 20 minutes, while his Tinder date did the honorable thing and immediately went to the bar and ordered shots.
We gave them to her on the house.
The Most Despicable Kind Of Man
Was a cocktail waitress at a bar in a high-end restaurant a couple years ago. This couple comes in right around peak hours, guy looks annoyed, girl looks really excited. The whole time the girl is trying to talk to this guy and he's completely ignoring her.
He gets a call and talks on the phone for a good 10 minutes, hangs up and starts talking to anyone around him but her. He's getting more and more drunk and starts hitting on the female bartender and eventually the cocktail waitresses (myself included) telling us he could get us all much better jobs in Atlanta. The girl he's on a date with has started crying at this point and once he actually notices he yells at the bartender because it was obviously restaurant's fault for her being upset.
She yells at him to stop yelling at the bartender because he's been such an awful date and he goes off, tells her he didn't even want to eat here, she should've picked a better place, and he isn't paying for her food and drinks. He then tells her that she didn't look fat in her picture and he wouldn't have asked her out if he'd known she was that big (probably met online kind of thing). She retreats to the bathroom and the guy continues to make a scene. Another girl at the bar and I go to check on her while the bartenders and manager try to deal with him.
The girl is super upset and I tell her there's a back door she can leave through and I can get her tab from the bartender. I go back out and the guy had already stormed out and refused to pay, leaving his date with a nearly $200 check. She didn't have the money to pay so a couple of the bar regulars covered it. Made the whole night super awkward and stressful. Definitely one of the more memorable experiences of that place.
I Made Bank
GiphyOne of my first jobs in New York was managing a lounge/cocktail bar in a high end hotel. At around 3 or 4 o clock, a guy that looked pretty cheesy (slicked back hair, bad suit etc.) came up to me and demanded that he get that window table tonight for his date (he had a reservation for 8pm). I explained to him that I can't guarantee it etc etc and he slipped me $400 with the "How about now" look in which I eventually caved in and told him that I'd take care of it.
He then pulled another stack of hundreds and started counting them in front of me while asking if I could go a little extra by coming over to the table when he was there with the date and pretend that I knew him from a movie. At this point, if I've gone this far, why not?
Sure enough he rolled around later in the evening with a blonde bimbo and after they'd had a glass of champagne I approached the tables around them, checked on how they were doing before going over to him and did the whole "How are you enjoying your evening?" And before walking off I did an Oscar worthy double take with a "are.. are you... by any chance..? You must be.." at which point he had this douchy smile lapping up the "recognition" he was getting from this young dude he'd just paid off. Most importantly for him though, it worked - she was loving it - and they left shortly after and he slipped me another $600 on the way out.
A Rock And A Hard Place
Not exactly a date- but I served a couple one time who had met up to discuss the terms of their divorce at the fancy-ish restaurant I worked at at the time. They came before the dinner rush so they were pretty much my only table, and every-time I'd check in on them the wife was extremely angry/tearful and they were bickering about holiday schedules for their daughter/timeshares etc. it wasn't the end of the world but it was extremely awkward to butt in to change out their forks or refill drinks while they were so emotionally charged.
The Cringe-y-est Place On Earth
Not something I saw, but a co-worker of mine saw.
I work at a very prominent theme park. You've all heard of it. There's one restaurant that is arguably the most difficult reservation to book on property. People literally call six months in advance to book it.
While dining in this restaurant, a middle aged man stood up, and requested the attention of everyone in the establishment. He then told everyone about how much he loves his wife and family, who are seated beside him.
Then, he announces to the entire restaurant that he is aware his wife has been having an affair, and he is leaving her. Gets up and walks out on his wife and kids.
Rock Lobster
GiphyI work at a Red Lobster. One time I was serving a table of two who had clearly met up for a first or second date. Both of them seemed very wealthy, but the gentlemen specifically seemed a little odd.
...long story short, the gentlemen began coughing and went to the restroom for a second to get himself together, but ended up taking around 30 minutes. The lady requested we go in and look for him, so we did. Turns out he had a massive heart attack and we found him dead on the bathroom floor. We didn't quite know how to tell the lady, or even what to do really (besides call the police), but by the time we went to look for her she had taken all of his things and she had left. Not so much awkward as much as just a weird, f*cked up scenario...
Ogre Couture
Just last night, I was ordering for my SO because she asked me to since she's never had a burrito before, I got her a small and me a regular. She had to talk through me because she can't understand the local Yorkshire accent, which honestly took me a good year when I first came here. When we paid at the end we needed her ID for the student rate, but when we left the house she'd asked me to carry her purse since it's been falling out her pocket. The server was giving me dirty looks and confirming with my gf for every item, which confused her since she'd already said she was having the same as me.
I explained to her it looks like I am an absolute ogre and the ultimate controlling boyfriend, which she thought was absolutely hilarious. We were laughing about it all night.
I Am The Cause
I had a couple with a 1y/o skip out on a $30 bill after being very pleasant all lunch. I worked at a restaurant that punished you for walk-outs, so I ate the cost of their dinner out of my own tips.
They came in maybe two weeks later, and got sat with me, again. They immediately recognized who I was, and I greeted them with a big "welcome back". I stood next to them almost all dinner. Like, right next to them, over their shoulder, glaring. Lucky for me, it was a slow night.
So they had a pretty awkward date, yeah.
Nobody Deserves To Be Stood Up
GiphySo this was a few years ago when I was still in college. I tended bar for some time, and we had this one girl come in and sit down. She ordered a drink and we talked to her and apparently she was waiting on her date to arrive.
Now, it's important to know that it was a very casual place and she was very much so dressed up. She was also......strange. Well, one drink later her date hasn't showed up. Two drinks later same thing. Three drinks later she just goes ahead and orders food. By the time she finished her 4th drink it's obvious that she is getting stood up and is starting to get drunk to cover her problems.
It's worth noting that we did end up trying to keep her spirits up, but she finished her night off with a double long Island iced tea. Don't know what's in that drink? Vodka, rum, gin and tequila......with mixers of course.
She was officially toast at this point and fell asleep at our bar. At one point she stumbled to the bathroom and puked and came back to sleep at the bar.
To be fair, it's our fault that we over served her. But man, it was a hot awkward mess the whole time she kept saying how he must be running behind or something. Slowly watching her get more and more depressed with every drink waiting for him.
I hope she found a good person to be with.
Irrational Yet Real
I had a young (early 20s) couple come in on what had to have been a first date. You could tell the guy was into her because of the level of eye contact and focus he was putting into listening to her.
So I'm wiping down the table next to them, and she asks him, "have you done anything fun this summer?"
He says, "yeah I just got back from a cruise"
She responds, "Oh I could never go on a cruise I'm too afraid of pirates."
I glance at her to see if maybe it was a joke, but she's dead serious. He's got a confused look on his face but eventually says, "oh yeah I get that."
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You can choose your spouse, but unfortunately, you can't choose your spouse's family. From mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers-in-law, we’ve rounded up the wildest in-law experiences the unluckiest people of the internet have to offer. These stories prove that in-laws can become outlaws in a snap.
1. The Last Straw
Unfortunately, my brother endured a lot of drama in his first marriage. My mother always tried to be supportive of his ex-wife but she was a daughter-in-law straight out of a nightmare. The marriage eventually fell apart when she abandoned their son at daycare and ran away to start a new life. The silver lining is my brother ended up with full custody of my nephew.
The straw that broke the camel's back for my mom was when the estranged daughter-in-law tried to take their son as well as my brother's car. My mom was there to witness the whole thing, including frantically crashing the car into a light pole. Luckily nobody was hurt. My mother never forgave her for that and was active in making sure she never got custody of her son.
2. I Can’t Take It Anymore
My mother-in-law and I have a good relationship but she doesn’t get along with her other daughter-in-law. They tried to go to lunch a couple of times, but the conversation continued to come back to the daughter-in-law telling my mother-in-law how she could change her personality to be less annoying. Seriously. This lasted for a couple of months.
Finally, the daughter-in-law lost her temper and started screaming at our mother-in-law how she could no longer be part of this ruse. She said all her attempts at being friendly were pointless because our mother-in-law was too stupid. To this day they don't get along and family gatherings are always super uncomfortable.
3. Mind Your Manners
stainless steel fork on white ceramic platePhoto by Shayna Douglas on UnsplashMy mother-in-law is a self-proclaimed expert on etiquette. If they come over for dinner her first comments are critiques on the place settings. She tells my wife that she “should have Carly (her sister) teach you how to set a table". She stresses out everyone at the table and makes every dinner a formal affair with her instructions.It doesn't upset my wife as much as it does me, but it makes me furious.
She visibly gives preferential treatment to her other daughter more than my wife. Carly is divorced and working a loser job, yet her mom reminds us that she’s "leaving my antiques to Carly, she knows how to appreciate things like that". I know it hurts my wife, but she never admits it.
4. Wrapped In Anxiety
My mother-in-law has anxiety over giving gifts. She asks several times what to get anyone, then asks where to buy it, how much is it, and are they sure they want it. This isn't her just being cautious or detail-oriented, she just hasn't taken the time to know what people like and can’t be bothered to think for herself. I told her for several years to buy something that you think they might like, and it was always odd gift cards or once, a pair of men’s slippers for my eight-year-old son.
Now it's easier telling her exactly what to get. However, she then constantly messages the gift receiver to see if it has been delivered, did they open it, and did they like it. She will start messaging before the birthday or celebration and then continue until it’s verified that they like or dislike the gift. If they dislike it, then the gift receipt is in the wrapping and this is how much it cost.
I spent years suggesting lovely presents for her grandchildren—then she would take all the credit!
5. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
My brother and I started a successful event photography business. He was the photographer and I managed administration, marketing, accounting, bookings, and web management. Even though he was the main photographer I went to every shoot as secondary and did the leg work of holding lights and running around to take photos of the guests.
I never complained because my brother was the one who invested in equipment and we split everything fifty/fifty. This business was my sole income and after two years all of my bills relied on it. Eventually, I made a terrifying decision. I decided to drop out of university and focus on it full-time. I was close to my brother’s wife and we worked out together three times a week.
I had opened up to her about my mental health struggles and how they were the first people to make me feel safe and understood. I had never opened up like that to anyone else before, and the two of them got to see me at my most vulnerable. One evening, she broke down crying over the fact that my brother spent so much time on the business that she no longer felt secure.
She said that she felt safe when he had a salary job and they were thinking about their future. Now, everything was uncertain and he was always irritable and focused on work. He was having mood swings and getting angry for no reason. With my struggle, I immediately understood! I told her to forget about the workout and to go home and have a talk with him.
I told her to be honest about her feelings and to have a true heart to heart without pride. I told her that my brother loves her more than anything and that if they decide for him to leave the business, I would accept their decision. I told her not to think about me and only see it as a matter that involves the two of them and no one else.
Later that night she texted me that they talked, and everything is good. I told her I was glad and asked what they'd decided regarding the business. She was avoiding the subject and kept saying things like "I'm lucky to have a sister-in-law that worries about me". I let it go and just decided to wait for the business decision. After three days, I asked her again but she still deflected.
I told her, "I do have to know what's happening with work. I have clients waiting to hear back from me". At that point, seemingly out of nowhere, she simply texted back, "I don't know what is going on, but you clearly have unresolved issues and I just can't deal with it. Sorry". I was totally stunned—but this was just the beginning. After a hurtful, pointless back and forth she told me to ask my brother to drop off my stuff from their house.
An hour later, my brother e-mailed me asking for all of the leftover client information that I hadn’t had a chance to update in our software. I seriously couldn't understand what was happening. My other brother went to pick up my stuff, and my sister-in-law told him I told her to break up with my brother and come live with me.
She also said I was salty at my oldest brother for yelling at me when we did business and tried to manipulate her into leaving him. She told this story to everyone, including my mom. They locked me out of the website and all of the software we shared with all the client information. My brother had all the equipment. I had absolutely no qualifications or savings.
I ended up getting checked into the hospital for stress and my older brother came to visit. I was excited he wanted to repair the relationship but all he wanted was tips on how I managed administration and certain high-end clients. Even now as I’m writing, he and his wife have continued the business. They ruined a lot of the relationships I built but are somewhat successful.
6. Love Lock Out
smiling womanPhoto by Katy Ward on UnsplashMy daughter-in-law decided, after years of manipulating my son, to walk out on him and their two kids. A few hours later she changed her mind and sent him multiple demands to make the marriage work for a week. When he wouldn’t budge, she broke into the house while he was out and changed the locks causing him and their two young kids to be homeless.
7. Full-Time Divide
This story is from one of my mom’s friends. Her son was studying to be an engineer until he met his future spouse. She was very up front that she wanted to be a full-time mom and not work. He ended up dropping out of his degree when she got pregnant and now works at a bad job. She doesn’t let him speak to his family anymore, and my mom’s friend says it feels like she lost her son.
8. An Irish Goodbye
This is about my cousins’ wife, so my aunt’s daughter-in-law. They are both really alike and like to party. The first time I met her was at my grandfather’s funeral. Unfortunate circumstances but you could spot her a mile away. She was dressed like Betty Boop; too much makeup and a sheer, black tube dress. I know everyone processes grief differently but this was unique.
After the funeral, we held a sort of Irish wake at my uncle's house, whereupon my cousin's wife approached every male cousin, asking them to do shots with her. I avoided her, so I was last. She got to me when I was on the driveway with two other cousins. One she had already approached inside. The other cousin, through grinding teeth responded, "The Mother. Of. My. Newborn. Child. Is. Inside".
I'm less creative, so I tried to ignore her hoping she would get bored and leave me alone. At first, she tried to chat. Then she tried to dance. There was no music and I was getting increasingly uncomfortable. She moved around to my back and in a final attempt for attention, bit me! I let out the weirdest yelp and hopped away from her.
Eventually, she got the hint and left. When I checked my backside later, I had a dental impression turning into a purple bruise. I tried to actively avoid her at family functions and heard a rumor that on the morning of their wedding, my aunt offered to pay for 100% of the wedding if my cousin ran away! Neither one of them will confirm or deny.
9. Tell Us What You Need!
woman in black turtleneck topPhoto by Andrey Zvyagintsev on UnsplashMy sister-in-law does everything in her power to be negative about my mom. Her reasons range from my mom selling her and my brother a truck instead of giving it to them for free, and feeding her on a real plate instead of a paper plate. She’ll get mad if my mother doesn’t make her soup the same day she gets sick and also furious if my mom texts or calls.
We’ve never been able to understand her mentality but my brother tried his best to keep the peace. Unfortunately, he passed last April, and my sister-in-law made everything about her instead of letting our family grieve. We’re still trying to figure out how to communicate and keep her happy to see our nieces and nephews.
10. Mother-In-Law Detective
Our neighbor became a grandmother and was next-level excited. She began showing us pictures and planning how quickly she could get to her son and his family. She was constantly talking about how hard her daughter-in-law is trying to be a good first-time mom and how stressed out she is. They decide she should fly down two months later, and she secures the time off work.
We were really surprised when she was back home two weeks later and very unhappy. We didn’t want to pry but the whole story came out a couple of days later. When she finally told me, my jaw hit the floor. She had taken the baby out for a walk and realized she forgot baby wipes. She figures she’ll head home a little early and can leave again if the mom wants her to.
As soon as she arrives back in the house she, unfortunately, hears her daughter-in-law screaming a man’s name that was not her son’s from their bedroom. She decides to call her son at work, and he comes home two hours early from work, with the other man stumbling down the sidewalk half-dressed, and the daughter-in-law crying.
She tried to convince her husband it wasn’t what it looked like but our neighbor convinced her son to get a paternity test. She returned home furious and disappointed and her son began divorce proceedings. If she had never gone for the trip who knows how long her daughter-in-law would have kept the secret!
11. Fuel The Fire
Each family has its issues but my in-laws favor my sister-in-law over my husband and it's very obvious. They ignore our phone calls and texts and then act as if we isolate ourselves. When my husband moved out, they didn’t talk to him for a year. When my sister-in-law moved out they bought her a car and paid for her insurance and gas to make sure she came home for visits.
12. Beep Boop Success
woman laughing on flower fieldPhoto by Allef Vinicius on UnsplashMy ex-in-laws always told me I needed a real job. I worked in IT security but that’s not a "real" job to them. My father-in-law was a store clerk before a Sheriff's office dispatch supervisor, and my mother-in-law was unemployed. Their son worked a lot of part-time roles and none of their three daughters have ever worked.
This irritated me, and I was always shunned and talked about negatively. Their friends always looked at me weirdly and wondered why I didn't have a job. I would explain what I did, and when people found out the truth, it was different. I still never felt good enough. My ex-wife always questioned my career choice and it eventually was emotionally damaging, hence the divorce.
At least I got the last laugh, though. Leaving that marriage was the best decision I ever made. I'm doing great in my career. I love the work, and I love what I do. I love my education, my certificates, and my experiences. I'm proud of myself and keep going further every year constantly expanding my knowledge. Plus, I make good money doing it!
13. What’s In A Name?
My mother-in-law called my husband today and told him she had a list of potential baby names for us to choose from. We had already picked a name and told her our choice. She was shocked and surprised we hadn’t consulted her. She then insisted we should change it to one of her suggestions. My husband quickly shut that down, but I imagine it’s just the beginning.
14. Save Your Breath & Bets
My father-in-law has no filter. On my wedding day, during our dinner, I overheard him say, "We'll see how long this lasts". He is also super inconsiderate with other people's time and is constantly hypocritical. I'm not a big fan of his. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, is great and I love her to pieces. I don’t know what she sees in him.
15. Day One Debt
woman with black hair smilingPhoto by engin akyurt on UnsplashMy brother’s ex-wife has always caused drama. Before they got their own house they moved in with our family. We have a large age gap so when she moved in I was a teenager. My mom had no problem with me bringing friends back to our house as long as we kept the noise down. My sister-in-law completely took advantage of this, sending my brother down to yell at us when no one else complained.
It made my brother so uncomfortable he would try to leave the house if I had friends over to avoid an argument. One time, he came downstairs to tell us we were being too loud, and my mom overheard. She was in disbelief and blew up. She shouted at my brother before going upstairs and giving my sister-in-law a piece of her mind.
My sister-in-law moved out for a bit but came back eventually and made sure that my brother spent all his time and attention on her. She makes him pay for trips to New York and England because she needs tattoos from Instagram famous artists. We barely hear or see my brother anymore because she’s still holding a grudge from that one night years ago.
In the previous year when they couldn’t travel and had to stay home, she found out how bad my brother’s debt was from funding their lifestyle and she left him. My brother was so embarrassed we didn’t find out for weeks. Even though she left him to pay off everything, the future is bright and we can’t wait to forget she was ever in our lives.
16. Spectrum Of Love
I helped my husband and mother-in-law realize they were on the autism spectrum. As someone on the spectrum who also has ADHD, I’m still the awkward daughter-in-law who has no clue how to connect with people. She accepts me and she’s more of a mum than I’ve ever had and I’m so thankful but I don’t know how to tell her!
17. Supporting Their Granddaughter
I'm the horrible daughter-in-law. One of our kids asked to change pronouns and begin living as a girl, which we fully supported. It wasn't a surprise to us, we've seen it coming for a long time, and had gone so far as to let some family members know that it seemed like our child was on that path. Well, my father-in-law told my husband that I was forcing our child to do this since "I hate men".
We decided that our children would no longer be going to their house unsupervised because we weren't going to subject them to that attitude. Then Covid hit which meant they couldn't see the kids at all. Mother-in-law threw a fit about how unfair all of this was to her. They've both decided I hate them. I have very little sympathy for the corner they've backed themselves into.
18. Presents From Mom
person showing brown gift boxPhoto by Kira auf der Heide on UnsplashMy sister-in-law hasn't worked in ten years, while my brother works sixty hours a week. Even though she gets an allowance for being a stay-at-home mom, she spends it frivolously. My brother went years without a birthday/Christmas/fathers day card or gift from her. My mom used to come down for weeks at a time whenever my sister-in-law was under the weather.
Last year, my mom bought my brother a big, expensive, birthday present. He's worth it, we always try and remind him what he's worth. Well, my sister-in-law threw a temper tantrum. Mum looked her point-blank in the face and said, "You want to argue with me because I treat your husband better than you?"
19. Three Sides To Every Story
From my previous mother-in-law, I’m the villain daughter-in-law, and she's not wrong. My ex-husband only told half of the story. When we first started dating, he lied and said I got mad and broke up with him because he had a female friend. He also said I said if he wants to get back together, he could never see his friend again.
The problem is he was going out until the early hours of the morning with his friend, forgetting about me completely or the plans we had. I chose to end things, and then he begged for me to take him back. At the time I told him he lacks boundaries and I don't think this will work. He offered to stop seeing his friend which I didn’t need or want.
Throughout our marriage, anytime we had a disagreement he'd go to her with his half-truths and she'd eat them up. So to her, I was controlling, evil, and manipulative. He told me she didn’t like me and she treated me horribly because of what he was telling her. I could never understand what I had done wrong but eventually stopped trying.
20. Sparkle & Shine
My first mother-in-law was over the top. She lived five minutes from our apartment, and she came to clean five days a week. She was always telling me to clean more, or how to clean better. All our conversations were about cleaning. She would come over unannounced on my days off when I was laying in bed, and yell at me for being lazy. It was exhausting.
While I was trying to fall back asleep she would tell me what and how she was cleaning, screaming advice from the other rooms. Before I moved in with my ex-husband I cleaned my house three times a week. I left home at fourteen years old and valued my own space. When we moved in together he was twenty-seven and I was twenty-four.
Eventually, I had enough and couldn’t live with it anymore. I was tired of feeling lazy because he wouldn't stand up to his mother. When we broke up, she texted me and asked why I broke up with him. I told her in a kind manner that I thought he had a lot of growing up to do, and that it would be helpful if she would let him do this on his own!
21. Generational Curse
blue and white wooden house surrounded by green trees during night timePhoto by Stephen Ellis on UnsplashI am writing this on behalf of my grandmother. Unfortunately, my uncle and his wife constantly take from her. My grandparents gave my uncle and his wife everything. They lived on the farm that my grandpa grew up on. My grandparents moved into the ranch next door that my great-grandparents built, and my aunt and uncle moved into the farmhouse.
My grandparents owned it all up until my grandpa passed and my uncle convinced my grieving grandma to sign it away to him. He and my aunt auctioned off the farm equipment before my grandpa’s body was even cold, and now they lock up all the sheds and garages. My grandma needs to ask permission now for anything on her property.
When I visit my grandma, I hear the outside basement door creak open and I know it’s my aunt sneaking downstairs to go look for something. My grandma can’t hear that door from the living room so my aunt takes advantage to go unseen. My mom and the rest of my aunts even bought my grandma a fridge and freezer with a lock on it because her food would go missing.
22. Call Me By Your Name
I have three daughters so I have three sons-in-law. I don’t like my middle daughter’s husband but I have a pretty funny story about him. My husband and I own a construction company and had hired him to help us. We were working on remodeling a 1922 house. I had surgery on my right foot so I couldn't drive, but was getting driven around by my daughters or husband.
One day, my sister drove me over to the construction site and my middle son-in-law was there. I accidentally left my cellphone at the site. In my cell, I have my husband saved as his pet name which is Mr. Snowflake. I tried calling my cell to find it but my son-in-law sees Mr. Snowflake on the caller display & goes home to tell my daughter that he thinks that I am having an affair.
My daughter thought it was hilarious and asked him if he was serious. She told him there was no way I was capable of having an affair. The next day hubby and I go back over to the site and I see my cellphone. I am so relieved and call my husband his pet name in front of my daughter and son-in-law, who starts laughing. He then tells us his suspicions and now refers to me as Mrs. Snow.
23. Set The Bar Low
My boyfriends’ sister-in-law sets the bar low for anyone else joining the family. She was already needy before the wedding two years ago, but her insecurities ramped up after the ceremony. They just fight constantly because she says he must be having an affair and he works too much. Meanwhile, he’s only working overtime because she refuses to get a job.
She’s done everything she can to catch him in the act, including calling his parents in the middle of the night screaming about being abandoned, and one time barging into his parents’ house accusing them of hiding him and his mistress. With the pandemic last year he was laid off and now he’s home all the time. Now she’s mad because he’s home too much!
24. Family Values
woman in black scoop neck shirtPhoto by TRAVIS NESBITT on UnsplashI have two brothers, and unfortunately, they share the same terrible taste in women. My younger brother met his current fiance while she was dating our older brother. The relationship was horrible from the beginning but continues to get worse every year. In the beginning, she would spread rumors at family gatherings or make a big deal to get invited and then not show up.
She finally chose which brother she wanted to date full time, but doesn’t trust him because of how their relationship started. So she’ll play power games to see if he will always choose her. She’s organized a family dinner in a restaurant and then called after we’ve been waiting that they weren’t coming. She’s canceled weekend trips after they were booked and non-refundable.
While my sister was in university they tried to guilt her into cat-sitting for them every weekend and called her selfish for saying no. Then she jacked up the crazy to 11. She asked my sister to choose between them and our parents, telling her she couldn’t speak to one anymore. She brought it up in a group situation and my sister-in-law made a huge scene.
When our grandmother passed they sulked because my brother didn’t “get enough” from her will. Then they decided to move over 200 miles away from our parents and then got angry that no one helped them move or decorate. My father broke his leg right before they moved and they accused him of doing it on purpose to avoid them.
At one point they had a dog that bit me, my partner, and my dad on various occasions. They refused to train it or engage in any kind of dog lessons. They decided instead to tell the family not to come over to their house or our parents’ house if they were there as they wouldn’t be able to relax. They've given the dog away now.
When they got engaged, they didn't invite my stepdaughters to the wedding, just my partner, our daughter, and myself. They said my stepdaughters "aren't really their family"—then couldn't understand why our family declined their invitation to go to their destination wedding. It was scheduled for summer 2020, so we’re still not sure if it happened or not.
25. Mother-In-Law Guidelines
My mother-in-law has not met her six-month-old granddaughter yet because she refuses to listen. Every time we schedule a visit she seems to want to push her agenda on us. My husband is the only child currently with a grandchild, so her excitement is understandable, but we are holding firm. This was happening during the pandemic, and we were stressed about our families’ health.
The first time she tried to schedule a visit was right after I had delivered. We said we’re not comfortable with visitors. She said she would follow CDC guidelines and that she will come over after two weeks of quarantine and a negative COVID test. We still said no and she wanted to know if my family was allowed to visit or if we were targeting only her.
She calls again and my husband told her we would be comfortable with her visiting in a month. She said a month was too long and set a date for three weeks. Then she planned what time she would be there without asking about our newborn schedule. She called back later to tell us she would be wearing a mask and gloves. The visit came and went. Unfortunately, the nightmare wasn't over.
The next visit was scheduled for when they get their COVID shots. We schedule a date to go to their house and then she ends up being scheduled to work while we were there. I asked my husband if we should reschedule and he said his dad will take care of any attitude and we’re still going. She calls to schedule another visit for a month later.
She calls my husband and says she can come down on a day I was at work since I seem to be the one that is preventing her from seeing her granddaughter and “she doesn’t need to see me she just wants to see her granddaughter and son". My husband told her that was not a good idea as I was not home so she will have to wait.
She texts him the next day and says the visit is too far away, can we make it earlier? My husband asks me if that is ok and I told him I have too many things on my schedule at the time. He tells her this and his dad calls the next day to ask what we were so busy with that we can’t carve out the time to let them see their granddaughter.
His dad also says that they would like to sit down and discuss their lack of visitation. They were under the impression that as grandparents they could come over whenever they wanted and are upset with constantly being told no. I told my husband we are canceling the next visit because I feel like it will be an ambush of their agenda.
My father-in-law told my husband that he should be trying to make his mother happy, but my husband said he was going to continue making his wife happy. We told them we will not set any future visit dates until we are comfortable. He was stressed about the strain this would put on their relationship, but he is standing by my side. We have listened to them all of our marriage and I am done now that daughter is born.
26. Chef’s Kiss
I’m learning the hard way not to mix business with family. After my wife and I took a year-long honeymoon in Taiwan we came home to help take care of her grandmother. While we were away my father-in-law was pleading with us to come home because he couldn’t handle the task. As soon as we started helping he disappeared entirely.
Fast forward 6 months and he adamantly starts pursuing buying and opening a restaurant. My wife and I have both been chefs for over a decade and each had dreams to own a restaurant. This felt like an amazing opportunity, and we found a place that's a potential gold mine after a full remodel. After a month of swinging a sledgehammer, he starts treating me differently.
Little things at first but it eventually develops into him insinuating I don’t have the ability to work in his restaurant. When he said that, I told him I disagreed and he scoffed at me. Then he decided I'm "out". Even though the four of us are in the licensing contract as equal partners, with bylaws that state that decisions must be unanimous.
27. Fridge Freeze-Out
silver French-door refrigeratorPhoto by nrd on UnsplashMy friend’s brother married a girl he met in college. They’re a happy couple and had a baby girl. His father passed so his mother moved in. At first, everyone got along but after a month, the daughter-in-law put a lock on the fridge and pantry doors and minimized the portion of food the mother-in-law ate. My friend removed her from the house but her brother never confronted his wife.
28. It All Started At The Wedding
I’m getting ready for my wedding and get a call from my stepmother asking about the caterer. My mother-in-law had worked with the company before so I called her for the answer. After we hung up, she stormed in and yelled at me, that I “shouldn’t be worrying about stuff like that!!” Then during photos with parents when I motioned for my stepmother to join, I was told, “No, just your real parents".
29. Mother-In-Law Hide’N Seek
My sister has the worst mother-in-law. She refuses to talk to our mother because she is divorced. When our mom enters the room, mother-in-law leaves. After a while it just got ridiculous and mom would enter a room just for fun. No one feels strongly enough to put their foot down and stop the game.
30. Spouse Tourism
man taking selfie wearing white dress shirtPhoto by Samanta Barba Alcalá on UnsplashThe first time I met my in-laws, who live in a different country, I incidentally became blind and paralyzed. Turned out I had a disease called NMO, similar to multiple sclerosis. We lived with them for three years before my father-in-law let it all out. It honestly broke my heart. He thought my illness was too timely and that I was scamming insurance for medical tourism.
He also thought I was taking advantage of his daughter for money since I was newly disabled. I was shocked and hurt because I looked up to him. I wasn’t close with my dad growing up and was excited for a close male role model. My mother-in-law visibly disliked me from the start. Learning her language made her begrudgingly respect me but they don’t call more than strictly necessary.
31. Spray The Love Away
When we were engaged, my future mother-in-law used to go around the house and spray a can of pesticide on every bug she saw. This gave me panic attacks because it felt like I couldn't breathe in between all the pesticide fumes. When that happened I would retreat to a space I felt safe. This happened even though I kept telling her I can't breathe and to please stop.
One day my fiance came to check on me and I told him what bothered me. Future mother-in-law overheard and started crying. She accused me of being jealous of her relationship with her son, and that I wanted to split them up. The argument broke off our engagement. We are still together but will probably never get married.
32. Secret Spatula Storage
I wish my mother-in-law would stay out of my kitchen. Every time she comes over she rearranges it to her liking. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t completely clueless on how to organize a kitchen. She also cooks solely with a fork and has ruined countless nonstick frying pans to the point I hide them when she visits.
33. Electric Connection
five electric meters on wallPhoto by ABDURREHMAN on UnsplashMy in-laws love telling me what to do with our money when they are in so much debt and won't take any advice themselves. I’ve been working since I was fifteen and consider my frugal skills top-notch. I suggested they should switch electric companies since they are paying almost five cents more per kWh, or $1,200 more a year.
34. Only The RSVP Is Free
My mother-in-law constantly tries to plan family vacations that require me to waste my time and money to attend. Without asking, she'll reserve hotel rooms six months in advance and then tell us she planned a week-long vacation for everyone. If we protest, she immediately guilts us with "but I already booked the rooms".
35. For The Love Of Odin
My in-laws walk into our house when they arrive without knocking, especially when they didn't tell us what time they were coming over. Obviously, this has led to some...awkward situations. We’ve been in the middle of intimacy when my father-in-law announces his arrival. It’s been a mad dash to get dressed and completely unnecessary. Knock, for the love of Odin. It's not that hard to be polite.
36. Got Room For One More?
woman in purple crew-neck topPhoto by Curology on UnsplashOne morning, my mother-in-law shows up at our door. "I am tired of taking care of myself so I am moving in with my son". My husband was at work so I responded, "Half this house is mine. I don’t think so". Cue massive temper tantrums and husband having to leave work for the day. The authorities helped us explain you cannot just show up at anyone's door and expect to move in.
37. One Great Husband—Two Terrible Parents
My mother-in-law knows exactly how to get under my skin. She is condescending. She's rude. She called my daughter the name she wanted us to name her for several months until I finally snapped at my husband to sort her out. My father-in-law is absent at best. He’s been divorced from her since my husband was a baby and we only met at the wedding.
38. With This Will I Thee Wed
My father-in-law passed this summer, which prompted the family to take out the will for my mother-in-law to get it redone. It was also a nice chance for the family to get together. The will had been the same for thirty years. Due to the large age gap between siblings, my husband’s oldest sister had a six-year-old when he was born.
My mother-in-law looked at her daughter and said, “It says you should get custody of your brother. Do you want me to change that or leave that part in?” After a comical debate, a consensus was reached. No one wanted the responsibility. I was informed that he is now my legal responsibility. Fingers crossed we don’t get a divorce.
39. Life Un-Filtered
woman riding on the car holding smartphone taking a picturePhoto by Ivana Cajina on UnsplashMy mother-in-law is lovely but her one bad habit is taking unflattering pictures of people and posting them on her Facebook. She doesn’t ask if she can post them and she doesn’t tag you. She’ll also go through your old Facebook albums, download them, and use them to create collages which she’ll post randomly with a caption like “look at my beautiful daughter-in-law!”
40. The Future Is Bland
My future mother-in-law believes in a lot of trendy homeopathic cures and tends to repeat herself incessantly during meals. My future father-in-law loves to micromanage and state the obvious. His worst feature is his cooking. His steak goes from the freezer straight into boiling water until it reaches a hockey puck texture, and it is then slathered with ketchup.
41. What Are The Facts?
My in-laws are very into conspiracy theories. They study everything from anti-mask to anti-vax, the earth being flat, and anything else. They shove their beliefs down our throats anytime we visit, even though my husband and I have clearly told them we aren't interested. We ignore all of their messages directing us to website proof and re-routing most conversations.
42. Everyone’s Got One
selective focus photography of baby holding wooden cubePhoto by Colin Maynard on UnsplashMy mother-in-law is beyond opinionated. I used to ignore it, but now with our son, it’s beyond irritating. I’ll explode on my husband constantly just so I don’t explode at her. I’m never feeding him enough or dressing him for the weather correctly. My sister-in-law just had a baby and she’s hearing the same critiques. The difference is she can talk back, while I can’t.
43. Wholesome Hug
My husband and his mom had a strained relationship due to politics, which impacted our marriage in the beginning. Everything changed a little over a year ago when I got into legal trouble and my husband called his mom to watch our kids. At the time, I was angry he didn’t call my mom but I had already caused enough trouble and didn’t want to argue.
I’ll never forget coming home at 4 am feeling so embarrassed and overwhelmed and she was there, arms wide open to accept and comfort me. This diminutive church-going Southern mama grabbed me and held me for what seemed like an eternity, but in a good way. We may not agree on most things, but I’ll never forget how loved she made me feel at my lowest, without judgment or pretense.
44. Sugar Is Sweet
Overall, I've got it pretty good, and my mother-in-law is sweet and well-meaning. However, we recently took her in after a bad car accident. She's healing well and only using the walker some of the time, but she'll never be strong enough to go back to her old home. We’ve made all the necessary adaptions and are prepared to have her live with us long-term.
What gets under my skin is her diet. My family is 80% vegetarian and loves half the meal to be lightly cooked or raw vegetables. My kids are adventurous eaters that love a wide variety of spices from all over the world. We have dessert once or twice a week, usually to celebrate something special,l and don't keep juice or soda in the house.
We planted a massive garden to eat real, organic food. Unfortunately, she believes everything is healthier if it's boiled due to living during WWII. Now my kitchen has white bread and soda in the fridge. At my son's birthday, we all had ice cream cake, and she went inside and ate half a jelly donut. I can’t believe how long she’s lived eating this way.
45. Father Knows Best
man in blue button up shirtPhoto by engin akyurt on UnsplashIt’s petty, but my soon-to-be father-in-law always knows best. He's right more often than not but it can be super irritating when I'm in the middle of doing something and he comes in unannounced, "You should be doing it this way instead!” I wish he was wrong more but otherwise, I love my in-laws and genuinely enjoy hanging out with them.
46. Let Me Count The Ways
Both of my in-laws have serious flaws. My father-in-law is in denial about how much he drinks and hides it when possible. He also genuinely believes that the government wants to spy on him and is horrible with money. When he was about to lose his house, we drove ten hours in a moving truck and did all the work for his house to be sold.
We then drove ten hours back and he lived with us for three months. That's when his secret came out. His habit started in the morning, which meant I got yelled at in the morning. He was supposed to stay for a year but I was seven months pregnant and the stress became unbearable. We found him a new place to live, and he is banned from our property.
My mother-in-law is wild and manipulative. When we were planning our wedding, I asked her to help plan the decorative details and she refused. The day before the ceremony and she’s walking around and tearing things down because we hadn’t done it right. My mom also caught her stuffing her purse with all the gift bag items in the bathroom.
Even though we asked for no wedding photos to be posted on social media, she did, with full public settings. She thought she was being helpful and found every single person online to tag them in her album. She threw an epic tantrum when we asked her to take it down and didn’t speak to us for weeks. Now she messages us too much scheduling time with her new grandchild.
Last month, she called us six times to update us on restrictions and give us a timeline plus itinerary for her future planned visit. We still haven’t agreed to this and are waiting to see what happens. Her husband is a great guy, but an awkward conversationalist. He’s a super-smart man but can be very particular, and sometimes I compare him to Sheldon Cooper.
However, the worse of the bunch by a mile is my sister-in-law. She is shallow, entitled, and snarky. She was furious after our child was born. She was enraged because people didn't hold the door for her anymore like they did when she was pregnant. This lasted for a few years. She was also annoyed that she no longer got to use the "pregnant or new mother" parking spots at the local mall.
She became hyper passive aggressive when she realized she no longer had the only grandchild. Personal favorite moment was when she got super offended and blocked her mom for three months because she didn't want to quit her job and become her full-time nanny. Apparently, her mom should have been honored by the request!
47. Daughter-In-Law-Disguise
I wish my son never met her. We lived on the other side of the country from them so we didn't have many visits but managed one or two a year. When we visited, the house was clean, the kids were cared for, and our daughter-in-law was fun to be around. However, once we left, life went back to "normal" for my son and grandkids.
She would say she was going to the store and would not come home for a few days. She did not clean, or cook. My son traveled for business and when he was gone she had many visitors in the house. He would come home to a trashed house, trashed car, trashed everything. She would put the kids to bed, then leave to party.
She kept the two oldest kids home from school when he traveled since she was too busy sleeping from partying all night to take them to school. As he was making plans to leave her and take the kids, our worst nightmare happened. She fatally injured the youngest child and is now awaiting trial. We had no idea how bad it was until it was too late.
48. Powerpoint Perfectionist
pen near black lined paper and eyeglassesPhoto by Jess Bailey on UnsplashThis is my sister’s experience after living with our brother and his wife. Our sister-in-law has a very particular way of doing things. She told my sister to not do any cleaning because of her schedule and approach. My sister felt guilty for not helping but listened to our sister-in-law. Lo and behold, she gets upset that my sister is messy. My sister was confused—but it was about to get so much worse.
Sister-in-law made a PowerPoint presentation on everything my sister did wrong. These presentations would range from twenty minutes to an hour. When my sister did help, she was told she was doing it wrong and to stop. Now that she had stopped, she was getting in trouble for not helping. It was a lose-lose situation and my sister sat through multiple presentations while living there.
49. On The Road To Recovery
In our marriage, I’m incredibly lucky because my partner’s family has welcomed me with open arms. Unfortunately, my family is from rural Alabama, southern baptists, and stuck in their ways. The first question my grandparents asked when we started dating “Is he Catholic?” because they loathe catholicism. They also had choice words on his skin color.
Their exact quote on if his skin color wasn’t right, they would have “been very sad and couldn’t allow that in the family". The environment growing up wasn’t great and I have similar mental health issues from my parents. The first time my partner met my parents it ended with yelling and tears. I always feel guilty because I kept my family away from him while his is so welcoming.
I hope they don’t think I avoid contact frequently because I dislike them. I try to message them daily and let them know I appreciate things that they do for us. I know they wish we saw each other more often. I’m trying to be better about it but first and foremost I have to work on being the best human I can be, before wife and daughter-in-law.
50. Two For The Price Of One
This is a story about my brother's ex-wife. She did many terrible things during their marriage including instigating a fight with him over the phone, recording him getting mad, and then reporting him to the local authorities. At the end of the marriage, she stopped making payments on their house, and eventually, it was repossessed. They finally got divorced—but what she did next was the worst of all.
We were all shocked to learn she began dating our younger brother. They lasted for two years and we found out she would have secret dates at my mom’s house. Our brother told us after they broke up that she began giving him attention as young as sixteen years old. Our whole family is disgusted with her.
