The story of a woman dealing with her mother-in-law’s shocking act unfolds with emotional intensity and unexpected twists. After placing her children in the care of her mother-in-law following the tragic death of a friend, she returns to find that her children have been falsely led to believe that she and her husband are dead. The betrayal and devastation he feels is palpable as he navigates the aftermath and seeks support and guidance from the online community. Amidst the chaos and confusion, she remains determined to protect her children and face the painful reality of her mother-in-law’s actions, considering drastic steps to ensure their safety and well-being.
A woman took to social media to seek help after being deeply disturbed by her mother-in-law’s behavior. After the death of her boyfriend, she had to temporarily leave her children with her mother-in-law. When she returned, she found that her children believed that she and her husband had died. The story takes several unexpected turns, but the culprit is her mother-in-law.
She wrote:
“I am furious. I can still see red. It is unbelievable that she would do such an action. My mother-in-law has her husband’s anger.”
For context, I am 28 and my husband is 30. We have four-year-old triplets and a nine-year-old boy. We both always wanted a big family, but I was emotionally damaged by the terrible birth of the triplets. My MIL basically revealed the pregnancy to the kids when we recently discussed having more kids and she then claimed I must be having reproductive issues.
A close friend of my husband was killed in a car accident not long after. It was obviously somewhat surprising.
There was some travel involved because the guy and his wife lived in two different states.
Not long after we got the news, we rushed to help our friend’s wife and stayed for the funeral several days later.
Since it was very unexpected, my MIL babysat for us. At first, it didn’t seem like a terrible idea. My aunt will be there after my brother-in-law and sister-in-law visit my MIL for a week with their two children, ages six and three.”
“I had to settle with my MIL before we left. She was the only one who could take care of our kids for so long and I didn’t want her taking it out on our kids while we were gone. I said she was upset because she was aware of the stress and fear that the birth of the triplets had caused us all – she was also afraid, she appeared to me in white as a ghost and sobbed as she hugged me and expressed her gratitude that the children and I were safe. Still, she lost her mother after the birth.
She expressed her remorse for everything and said that she was not aware of her selfish behavior. She claimed that the idea of a child just entered her mind, and because she didn’t want to be incorrect, she made something up. She admitted the error of her ways.
In any case, we tell them our love, hug and kiss our son and girls, and head out. The first few days are going wonderfully; the kids are playing with their cousins, my MIL keeps us updated and everything is fine.
My BIL and SIL are flying out five days ahead of schedule.
Turns out they hadn’t seen BIL’s sister in years, even though she lived quite close. They went to assist her as she was also overloaded with a toddler and an infant. That means my MIL will be alone with our kids for five days. That’s when things start to go south.”
“Besides routine, I haven’t heard from my MIL for a week. The kids are doing fantastic things. Even when I heard it, it kind of changed the tone of an otherwise somber gathering at a friend’s wife’s apartment, so I didn’t.” don’t think too much about it.
My aunt calls me three days before I am scheduled to return home and she is beyond furious. She said I had to Skype her right then and there and she couldn’t even begin to explain what happened.
She was sitting in her pulled-over car on the highway with the kids in the back seat when I Skyped her. My children had crimson cheeks and watery eyes. My daughter was sobbing a lot and touching her eyes which resulted in a small rash under her eyes.
My MIL decided to inform the kids that we died after my BIL and SIL left.
She told them, without giving any information, that my husband and I had died that we would not be coming home, and that they would live with her indefinitely.
The kids were still mostly upset when I arrived. They agreed to blame it on them missing us because they believed we had died according to my MIL. After finding out the truth a few days later, my All takes the kids out of the house, assures them everything is fine, and Skypes me to let me know. According to our agreement, she will be babysitting for the next few days.”
“I informed my husband that we were either going to try for a divorce or cut his mother out of our lives. He is totally on board with kicking her out.”
Children thrive. Since we picked them up, my son has not let go of my husband or me. My heart is breaking beneath this seething fury I feel.
I would like some tips on how to break up with her. We’re already considering moving — closer to a friend’s wife, who happens to be my friend anyway — but we have no intention of telling my mother-in-law. They will eventually learn, but not in our current residence.
Plus, I have no idea how to tell the kids that Grandma won’t be living here anymore. I don’t want them to believe she’s dead too.
Now it’s chaos. I’m furious right now. I’m really devastated. My beloved little children and my poor sensitive son must have been in complete shock. I want to spend my whole life cuddling them.”
People in the comments offered guidance on her next steps and encouragement for family struggles:
Your underprivileged children. People don’t always change drastically, and since MIL is acting strangely and inappropriately, I would recommend discussing with everyone the possibility that she has a brain injury.
Your husband needs to tell everyone what MIL did if he wants to stay in touch with his family. Bulk email should work fine. And share events with your kids. Saying something like, “Grandma lied to you and said we were dead, and that was a terrible thing. She’s not allowed to be with us anymore, although we’re not sure why she did that.”
There are no individuals in our lives who intentionally harm us.”
Also, consider getting some family counseling. A few sessions could help you, your spouse, and your children adjust to the new normal as you all need to work through your anger and sadness.
This could perhaps justify the issuance of an injunction. She intentionally hurt your children’s feelings. Call legal counsel.
I would recommend that you tell your children something like, “Grandma made a mistake. We’re not going to be with her anymore because she lied and hurt our parents, okay?
I am really sorry. I think you are a great mother and I applaud you for standing up for your children. Hugs and kisses to you. © Reddit user who is unknown
I’ll tell you the whole truth: Grandma lied to make you sick. He can’t hurt you again.
It’s someone we can’t trust not to lie to or about you. The only way to end this is to cut off communication with her.” Sometimes, to help your kids protect themselves, you have to explain the harsh reality in a language they understand. © Reddit/kaldi_kahve
If you don’t tell the children how horrible what their grandmother did to them, you are effectively inflaming them and belittling what must have been hell for them. There should be no whitewashing, lying, or feigning kindness.
They need to hear and see that you are doing everything in your power to protect them from the person responsible and they need to know that you are upset about what happened to them. They need to believe that it’s okay to express their pain or hate or not love their grandmother.
Family relationships can be very complicated and even relationships with people you should consider close can turn sour quickly. The stepmother was tricked into buying decorations she didn’t want, and as a result, the stepmother didn’t communicate with the woman. The woman said her actions were reasonable, but she thinks they may have been over the top. After reading the article for yourself, share your thoughts with us.
After her mother-in-law’s disturbing ordeal, the woman turned to social media for support and guidance. The situation arose when a woman placed her children in the care of her mother-in-law after the tragic death of a friend, only to find upon her return that her children had been falsely led to believe that she and her husband had died. The community rallied around her, offering advice and encouragement as she dealt with the complexities of confronting her mother-in-law’s actions, protecting her children, and rebuilding trust in her family. Amidst the turmoil, she found solace in the unwavering support of her husband and the love of her children, acknowledging the challenges that lay ahead of her, and at the same time determined to create a safe and nurturing environment for her family.