Ellen is over the moon when her daughter, Lisa, accepts a proposal from her boyfriend, Ric. But things quickly turn ugly when Ric's parents prove to be difficult. Will there be wedding bells in the future?

When I found out that my daughter, Lisa, said yes to her boyfriend's proposal, I was over the moon! Ric had always made her feel safe and loved, so naturally, I couldn't wait for them to get married and start their lives together. 

But then I met his parents.

This is how the story went.

Lisa's graduation present from my husband, David, and I was a house. It was a modest house, but it was a place for her to set down her roots. David agreed with me that after Lisa's hard work and dedication throughout medical school, our firstborn deserved this.

Class at graduation. | Source: Pexels

A few months after Lisa moved into the house, she phoned me one evening while making dinner.

"Mom," she said. "Ric is moving in with me, okay? We've been together for a long time, and I think it's the right move."

Naturally, I was excited for her. David thought it was too soon for such a big commitment, but I always thought Lisa was made of smarter stuff. She could smell a rat from a mile away. David and I ended up helping Ric move in. I was a bit concerned at the amount of stuff he brought in. It seemed that he was really committed to this move.

Fast track to the family dinner from hell.

It all started out joyfully enough. Lisa organized a party with Ric and our future in-laws because she wanted us to spend time together before they truly got into the wedding planning. This was fine with me because I felt that I didn't know Ric's family enough at that time.

Food being cooked on a barbecue. | Source: Pexels

Lisa wanted her father to man the barbecue, so the whole thing was outside. I was lounging on one of the outdoor couches when David and our younger daughter went inside to get the chicken and sausages for the fire.

But then, David and Leah came outside and shook their heads at me. They seemed shocked as if they had seen a ghost.

"Ellen," I remember David saying. "We need to go home. Now."

That was it. Just that message. But I didn't want to push it further because David wasn't the type of man to exaggerate anything needlessly. So, if something shocked him, it was most likely warranted. We told Lisa that Leah wasn't feeling well, and we left.

After that, in the car, David and Leah told me what had happened. Apparently, when they were in the kitchen getting everything they needed, they overheard Lisa and her in-laws talking about how they wouldn't invite us to the wedding but that this dinner was to convince us to pay for the entire thing.

I was speechless and thanked my lucky stars that David was driving and not me. I would have crashed the car out of shock.

Steering wheel with hand. | Source: Pexels

David didn't want to say too much about it after that, and I knew it was because I had talked him into allowing Ric to move in with Lisa. 

So, was this all my fault?

I skipped my lectures the next morning, asking my TA to take over. I went straight to Lisa's house and saw her in-law's car in the driveway. I knocked for a while, but they didn't even let me in! But I saw them through the window, lounging in the living room. They were acting like they owned the place. It seemed like Lisa had given them the keys to the kingdom.

I knocked until I knew I was annoying them. Then, Ric's mother came to the door, opening it slightly. She claimed that we were not going to be invited to our child's wedding because we were influencing Lisa too much. She made it seem like we were puppet masters, pulling at Lisa's strings.

And then she took it even further.

"Your family is just too different for us," Ric's mother said. "Lisa is like us now. Let us take over. But we'll send you your part of the bill for the wedding."

Person calculating bills. | Source: Pexels

Before she closed the door, she told me that Lisa had invited them to stay with her and that they had moved in. Now, it was their family home.

I went straight back home. I had gotten a migraine from dealing with Ric's mother. I phoned Lisa and told her that while the house was given to her, it was still in my name. She had to figure out what she would do in the next 10 days — I thought 10 days to pack up and leave was gracious enough.

But here's the kicker — David and I sold the house. The house that Ric's family believed they owned was gone in the blink of an eye.

I just taught our future in-laws a lesson in boundaries. 

Woman giving a lecture. | Source: Pexels

As for Lisa, this was the shakeup she needed. She seems to have come to her senses. She's still engaged to Ric but lives in a tiny apartment near the hospital where she works. I don't know where Ric's family ended up, but I do know that their behavior allowed David and I to use the money from selling the house to buy Leah a car.

Girl driving a car. | Source: Pexels

Now, you tell me: Was I wrong for how I acted?

I’m Jake, a dad to three kids. One day, I decided to let my 8-year-old, Olivia, go to school in her PJs. At first, she was all for it, but halfway through school, she changed her mind. Just when I thought it was a harmless adventure, my wife heard about it. Oh boy, that’s when the real drama unfolded,” Jake shared with us.

Mornings in our house are like attempting to herd cats—completely hectic.

Olivia, 8, my vivacious middle kid, has suddenly declared war on getting dressed for school. It hit new heights when she refused every clothing I laid out the night before. And here I am, standing in the kitchen, coffee in hand, wondering, “Is it too early for this?”.

So there I was, a father hoping for a morning victory. I walked into Olivia’s room, saw her collection of weird pajamas, and thought, “Why not?” The next morning, I calmly dropped the bombshell: “Hey, Liv, what if we shake things up a bit and go to school in those snazzy PJs of yours?”

Her eyes lit up, and just like that, we had a morning pact.

But here’s the twist: things didn’t go exactly as planned. Olivia, dressed in unicorn-themed pajamas, got into the car and we drove away. The customary morning conversation was replaced by an unsettling hush. I could see the wheels turning in her little head, wondering if she had entered the twilight zone of parenting.

When we arrived at the school, reality hit us hard. Olivia was now unsure about her fashion statement. “Dad, can we go back?” I want to change!” she cried, seeming to stress out. I stood firm, determined to teach her a lesson about options. “Sorry, kiddo, we’re committed to the PJs today.”

My wife found out about it. I could see it coming, but I was expecting for a more positive reply.

Fast forward to the nighttime, and play the dramatic music. My wife, Emily, walked in, took one look at Olivia, and the temperature in the room fell. Later, in the peaceful sanctuary of our living room, Emily let out her thoughts. “Really, Jake?” PJs for school? We look like parents who have given up.”

I put up my best case, saying that it was a one-day experiment and a real-world lesson in decision-making. But Emily wouldn’t have it. “You embarrassed her,” she stated. As the conversation progressed, I began to wonder the wisdom of my morning brilliance.

Now, here’s the kicker. What’s your take, fellow parents? Have you ever thrown caution to the wind in the name of a morning win? Was I a genius or a total dad fail? Share your stories, because, let’s be real, parenting is a wild ride, and sometimes, you just need to compare notes on the real-world chaos we navigate daily.

 

A woman's future mother-in-law gave her an offer she couldn't refuse, or so she thought. Thirty years later, the woman didn't tell her husband what the older woman had done and has since lived happily.

After a woman and her friend got their nursing qualifications, they moved to another town. They decided to move after learning that the city has some of the most eligible bachelors in the area, based on a publication they had read.

When the woman moved, she met her future husband and began dating. However, their relationship was complicated because the man's mother had a problem with her son dating the nurse.

The nurse's future mother-in-law made it clear that she didn't think the nurse was good enough for their family and tried many times to dissuade her son from dating or marrying the nurse. The man didn't know the lengths his mother would go to to try and end the relationship.

What Was the Nurse's Relationship with Her Mother-In-Law?

When the couple got engaged, the man's mother was horrified and tried to break them up for a few months. She told the nurse to return to the city she came from and let her son know she didn't believe the nurse was good enough for him.

The nurse's mother-in-law was horrible to her privately "but hides it well to other people, always making sure she's super (fake) sweet to everyone when others are around." This led people to believe the pair had a friendly relationship.

After months of trying to break the couple up, she did not succeed. After the couple confirmed their wedding plans, the older woman became desperate. She decided to offer the nurse something she felt the nurse couldn't resist.

What Did the Mother-In-Law Offer the Nurse?

The older woman knew the wedding was imminent, and she had run out of ways to break the couple up, so she took drastic measures. She told the nurse that if she left her fiancé, she would give her $10,000.

The nurse was horrified that her mother-in-law would make such an offer but used it to her advantage. She remained calm and told her mother-in-law she would take the money she was offering. According to a reader's comment, the amount equated to over $20,000 as of 2017.

Although she accepted the money, the nurse still married her husband and did not tell anybody what her mother-in-law had offered her. The nurse's mother-in-law also could not say anything without exposing herself.

The nurse and her husband have been married for over 35 years, have welcomed children, and lived happily, all while the nurse's mother-in-law has suffered in silence as she does not want to expose herself.

After the nurse's story was shared online, many commented that the sum would be worth nearly $80,000 in 2017 if the nurse had invested the money. One person said they wanted to high-five the nurse. The same person advised others always to take the money offered and make the person who had offered it choke on it.

Some people thought the nurse's mother-in-law could have told people that she had asked for $10,000 compensation in exchange for leaving her fiancé, but others agreed it would still have made her look bad.

Although some questioned why the nurse's mother-in-law would not blame it on the nurse because it would mean she paid the woman to break her son's heart, others said the older woman had never cared about her son's heart in the first place.

Many others talked about what they would have done with the money, with one person saying they would have put it in a joint account and told their husband that his mother had given it to them as a wedding present.

The nurse's story gained much attention, and many people shared their opinions on the woman's mother-in-law and applauded her for having handled the situation so calmly and keeping the secret for so many years.

Unfortunately, many women experience issues with their mothers-in-law and have to depend on their partners to set the women straight.