When you marry someone, you aren't just committing to them; it means you are embracing their entire family as yours. Or at least you try to navigate these new relationships with a positive attitude. And sure, there are moments filled with love and laughter, but there are times that make you question what you have gotten yourself into. Whether your in-laws choose to be helpful or just make life difficult depends on a lot of different factors—maybe they adore your personality and are grateful you married their kid, maybe they find you annoying and wish to return the favor - you never know. Today, the team at Bored Panda has gathered pictures of unhinged things that in-laws do to make life chaotic for couples. Keep scrolling and don’t be surprised if these photos test your patience and make you appreciate your own family more.
#1 My Mother-In-Law Gave Us All COVID. Tested Positive And Never Told Us
Image credits: Stricky92
#2 Worst Mother-In-Law I’ve Ever Seen. Wicked Witch Of The Wedding
Image credits: OofDotWav
#3 It Can’t Just Be The Bride’s Big Day, You Know
Image credits: badfish714
Getting married to the love of your life is a dream come true for many. But all it takes is an irritating in-law to bring you back to reality. While there’s a good chance that your partner’s family will be warm and welcoming, there's a possibility that you might have to deal with some annoying characters.
In Asian countries, many people live with their mother and father-in-law after marriage. Building a strong relationship requires time and effort. However, in patriarchal societies, a woman is expected to spend more time with the man’s family than he spends with hers. In some cases, a female might have to live with her husband’s family while he just needs to visit her family occasionally. When this happens, the dynamic between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law becomes very relevant.
#4 Mother-In-Law Hires Someone To Throw Red Paint On Bride's Dress
Image credits: Larilarieh
#5 Choosing Beggar Shames Her Daughter-In-Law For Using A Gift Card She Gave Her To Make A Blanket For Them
Image credits: queentruty
#6 My Friend Has Been With Her Husband For 12 Years, And Her Mother-In-Law Still Does This On A Regular Basis
Image credits: StayPutNik
In a typical patriarchal household, the new bride has less power compared to her mother-in-law. The decision-making authority lies with the senior woman. In Nepal, women reported they would eat food after everyone else finished their meal, and sometimes they didn’t eat anything as their mother-in-law thought it was an apt way to punish them for any small mistake they made. Some of them even needed permission to leave the house.
#7 My Wife's Grandmother Passed Recently. This Is What My Sister-In-Law Allowed Her Son To Wear To The Funeral
Image credits: BuiltToPhil
#8 My Mother-In-Law’s Reaction To Us (Me, Girlfriend, And Daughter) Moving To Vegas. And When She Says "My Daughter" She Really Means Mine
Image credits: iam_rvxiii
#9 I’m A Financially Struggling Terminal Cancer Patient And This Is What My Mother-In-Law Got Us For Christmas
Image credits: Ghostytoastboast
A number of studies have identified that, in some cases, a woman’s maternal health choices are made by her mother-in-laws. For example, if the elder woman in the house had negative attitudes towards delivering in a hospital, her son’s wife might have to opt for a home delivery despite her own beliefs towards traditional birthing practices. In Kenya, new mothers felt the pressure to take breastfeeding advice from their spouse’s mother simply because they were living in the same house.
#10 My Mother-In-Law Cut My Son's Hair Without Asking
Image credits: Whspers12
#11 I Battled Alcoholism For Years. I Quit Drinking 19 Months Ago. Today I Received This At My In-Laws' Christmas Party
Image credits: GetYourDichotomy
#12 Mother-In-Law Won't Get The Flu Vaccine So She Can Meet Our Newborn Son. Insists She Is An Expert On Vaccines
Image credits: rscarson
Studies indicate that many Americans also consider their relationships with their in-laws a significant aspect of their lives. While the connection with your spouse’s mom, dad, sister, or brother can be similar to the bond you share with your own family, it takes a while to form that level of attachment. This is mainly because you don’t share the long history of parent-child ties.
#13 My Mother-In-Law Drives Through My Yard
I live on a corner lot that has 2 driveways. She always pulls in off the busy street to the front driveway. Then she can't be bothered to wait for a break in traffic to back out, so she drives across the lawn to the other driveway.
Image credits: Ajax_IX
#14 My Sister-In-Law, Who Lives With My Wife And I, Regularly Finishes My Liquor Bottles And Doesn’t Replace Them
My sister-in-law regularly helps herself with my whisky. I don’t mind sharing, but I brought it up several times that if she’s going to drink more than me and finish the bottles, she needs to replace them.
The last time I brought it up, she flat-out lied to my face and said she didn’t do it. (My wife rarely drinks and doesn’t drink whisky). Now, I’m just going to hide my bottles.
Image credits: Blk_Rick_Dalton
#15 My Brother-In-Law Is Living With Us, This Is His Room
Image credits: 6Emo6Witch6
For instance, you have known your siblings since childhood and are comfortable around them. You might not think twice before farting in the living room while watching TV with them. In fact, you might even tease them about it. But it might take you a while to show such quirks in front of your brother-in-law.
#16 This Mother-In-Law Was A Control Freak
Image credits: aita-wedding12345
#17 Mother-In-Law Leaves The Refrigerator Door Open The Whole Time She Cooks
Image credits: tredeh
#18 When Your Grown Brother-In-Law Doesn’t Want To Clean His Dishes
Image credits: CitronFantastique
Your relationship with your in-laws depends a lot on the initial interactions you have with them. If an individual is able to create a good impression in the days before marriage, the chances are they will have a good relationship moving forward as well.
For instance, if your future sister-in-law sees you as a warm soul, she might take initiatives to get to know you better. But if, for some reason, there’s a negative vibe from the start, chances are the relationship could be strained even further in the future. Your in-laws should know that you are open to the idea of building a healthy connection with them. It’s best for everyone if their partner gets along with the rest of their family.
#19 My Sister-In-Law Lives With Us And Uses Our Things. This Is How She Leaves My Peloton After Use. She’s Not A Child She’s In Her 30s And Conversations Go In One Ear And Out The Other
Image credits: JBaNaNaS187
#20 I'm Finally Ready To Laugh At This Story, So I Figured I Would Share. Mother-In-Law Wore The Dress I Wanted As My Wedding Dress To My Wedding
Image credits: reddit.com
#21 My In-Laws Who Use A Little Off Every Single Roll Of Toilet Paper Instead Of One At A Time
Image credits: jewell1306
For a woman, when their husband puts in the effort to get to know her family, she considers it a welcoming gesture. Dr. Terri Orbuch, a popular relationship expert, said that women see this as "your family is important to me because you're important to me. I want to feel closer to them because I want to be closer to you." Wives love it when their family and spouse get along.
#22 That's Weird. My Car Comes With These Attached To Little Straps
Image credits: _codez
#23 My Sister Got Married And Her Mother-In-Law Decided To Get A Bigger Wedding Cake Than Our Mom's Self-Made. It's Not The Biggest Drama, But It Overshadowed The Ceremony
Image credits: ilostmysocks66
#24 Mother-In-Law Is Against Letting Us Get Milk For Her Grandchild. We Live With Her And She Set Schedules For Us To Use The Kitchen
Image credits: TotallySpiffing
Similarly, it’s crucial that the man’s family and his wife get acquainted with each other. Having your in-laws by your side is always beneficial and helpful. Your partner’s family will spend quality time with the grandchildren as well. They might be involved in financial matters for your family. When in-laws are part of your important decision-making process, you should openly communicate with them, no matter how annoying they are sometimes.
#25 My Mother-In-Law Told Me That She Had A Bottle Of Children’s Tylenol When There Was A Shortage. I Looked At The Package While At Her House Today. It Expired 22 Years Ago
Image credits: KazAnna72
#26 My Mother-In-Law Parked On My Rain-Soaked Grass, Then Spun Tires Relentlessly Trying To Get Out. What The Hell
Image credits: Link-Remote
#27 Mother-In-Law Steals Hair Stylist, So The Bride Has To Do Her Own
Image credits: seapeople1420
And, in case you are unable to form a bond with your spouse’s family, you should simply set healthy boundaries. Try to have one-on-one time with your in-laws and talk to them honestly. Communicate your feelings while trying to understand what they need from you. Every time you meet for holidays and family functions, you can try to create some happy memories with them.
Are you close to your partner’s family? Or do you find them annoying? Don’t forget to share your thoughts about this and upvote your favorite posts.
#28 When Your Mother-In-Law Makes A Surprise Visit And Stays For A Month
Image credits: _LumpBeefbroth_
#29 My Brother-In-Law Decided To Cook Up Some Steaks On My Grill But Forgot To Pull It Out
Image credits: Damiencross13
#30 My Mother-In-Law Always Adjusts All Our Hanging Pictures When She Visits. Always Makes Them Crooked
Image credits: Wonderful_Minute31
#31 My Mother-In-Law Started The Dishwasher For Us When We Were Away. She Used Dish Soap
Image credits: themodernmanhustle
#32 This Is How My Brother-In-Law Left The Kitchen Sink When I Got Home
Image credits: ankingaming
#33 My In-Laws Are Monsters
Image credits: snuggletoast
#34 The Way My Girlfriend’s Brother And Sister-In-Law Maintain Their Tube Of Toothpaste
Image credits: Swirvin5
#35 Oh God, Why? My In-Laws Do This With Every Carton Of Milk
Image credits: ActionOcelot
#36 Mother-In-Law Melted Kettle I’ve Had For 15 Years To The Stove. How Do I Get It Off?
Image credits: Optimal-Chair1146
#37 Mother-In-Law Sterilized My Daughter’s Bottles In A Pot Of Boiling Water... And Forgot About It
Image credits: SnuffleWumpkins
#38 Strange Things My Mother-In-Law Do
Someone posted a few days ago about passive-aggressive things in-laws do while at your house. So I thought I’d share the life-sized fireplace my Mother-in-law stuck to our wall where she thinks something is lacking. Excuse the brown wallpaper, it came with the house!
Image credits: LizStar
#39 Apparently The Stove Is So Dirty It's Going To Give My Mother-In-Law A Staph Infection
Just before anyone asks, I did not touch or clean the stove from the point when she said it was so dirty it might kill her, I'm just so done with this woman y'all.
Image credits: e_tenebris
#40 A Friend's Father-In-Law Got Heated After Attempting To Initiate An Argument On Facebook. After Trying To Be Civil And Avoid Participating, He Got Even More Frustrated And Sent This
The argument was about US politics. Differing opinions on political correctness. But there was no argument, there were just one-sided insults directed at my friend.
Image credits: _Skum
#41 My Wonderful Mother-In-Law, Karen
Image credits: immahufflepuff
#42 My Mother-In-Law Picked My First Strawberry
I have been very carefully watching my first ever strawberry that I grew from seed. My mother-in-law was watching my kiddo this afternoon and picked it early and ate it. I am irrationally upset. I know there will be others soon but I had really been looking forward to enjoying the literal fruits of my labor.
Image credits: MegglesRuth
#43 How My Mother-In-Law Loads The Dishwasher
Image credits: Otsanda_Rhowa
#44 My Sister-In-Law Cuts From The Middle Of Dishes
Image credits: Kreech300
#45 My Infuriating In-Laws (Those Were Clean Dishes)
Image credits: threwnawayed
#46 Twinning Bride And Mother-In-Law
It’s been said you can’t outshine an Indian bride (true) but there are SOME rules to follow like maybe, don’t wear a bridal lehenga like your new daughter-in-law.
Image credits: questions905
#47 Where My Mother-In-Law Left My Toddler’s Uneaten Banana
Image credits: FootsieMcDingus
#48 My Sister-In-Law Put My Electric Moka On The Stove
Image credits: Enrichman
#49 My Almost Mother-In-Law Just Showed Me The Dress She Will Be Wearing To My Wedding In Two Months
Image credits: UniSquirrel13
#50 Stuck In A Parking Space Because My Brother-In-Law Set His Tesla To Do A Software Update At 10:30 PM
Image credits: mgmcotton
