Nobody wants to fight with their in-laws. But when they keep acting out, you have to draw the line somewhere. For Reddit user Suspicious-Paper1186, it was a fake report to Child Protective Services (CPS).
Her husband’s mother has always disapproved of her and has gone out of her way to sabotage their relationship. However, when she learned that the lady grossly lied to the authorities about her son being neglected to the point where it endangers his life, she realized that something needed to change.
The meddling, overbearing mother-in-law is often just a stereotype
Image credits: Prostock-studio/Envato (not the actual photo)
But for this woman, it has become an infuriating reality
Image credits: bialasiewicz/Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Suspicious-Paper1186
Soon after sharing her story, the woman made an update on the following developments
Image credits: stockbusters/Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Suspicious-Paper1186
Mothers of men may unconsciously discourage long-term relationships
There might be some biologically predetermined reasons why women may feel an urge to sabotage their sons’ long-term commitments.
Madeleine A. Fugère, Ph.D., who is a professor of social psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University, says that according to evolutionary theory, men and women have differing optimal mating strategies to ensure that their genes are perpetuated through future generations.
“Strictly evolutionarily speaking, a man’s best mating strategy may be a series of short-term relationships with different women in order to ensure that his genes will be passed on,” Fugère explains. “However, women would not necessarily benefit from the same strategy; a woman’s best strategy may be to find a mate who will provide for her over the long term and help to raise and care for future offspring.”
The interference of a mother-in-law in her son and daughter-in-law’s relationship might reflect a mother’s unconscious desire to help her son “spread his seed.”
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Similarly, a mother-in-law to a daughter and son-in-law should try to facilitate their marriage so that her son-in-law will remain committed over the long term. “In fact, mothers-in-law rate their relationships with their sons-in-law more favorably than their relationships with their daughters-in-law,” the social psychologist adds.
But of course, experiencing these impulses and acting on them are two different things.
Fugère says that research suggests you can overcome these barriers by convincing your in-laws that you are a good mate, primarily by showing how much you care for your spouse. However, “if in-law conflict persists, you must put your marriage first: individuals who feel supported by their spouses in their conflicts with their in-laws experience more satisfying marriages.” So, it seems that the Redditor and her husband are on the right path.
People were horrified by this particular MIL’s actions
