Just for a laugh

Visiting my MIL once she offered me a free sample that she had been given. It was Tena Lady! I was only 30 and thank goodness I have never had any trouble that way.

Just remembered this one: after we’d booked our Reg office wedding, I found what I thought was a lovely dress in a Brides magazine, bought the pattern and pretty floral material and made it - all hand sewn, I had no sewing machine then.

When I showed it to my mother, she said, ‘Hmm, it looks like an old-fashioned nightie.’

Which of course put me right off it, but to be fair, she was largely right - it was in a sort of Laura Ashley milkmaid style IYKWIM, square neck, Empire line, and really did nothing for my (then!) size 10 figure.

I eventually found something much more fitted and flattering, but the ‘nightie’ dress did have its moment of glory after all. I joined dh in Oman a month after the wedding and took the dress anyway, and it wasn’t long before a woman I knew slightly came to ask whether I had anything she could possibly borrow to wear to a big do at the palace with the Sultan - it had to be long, with long sleeves. Bingo!

I later also wore it at a similar sort of do when about 6 months pregnant!

Looking through photos with my lovely late MIL, my OH said "you look just like xxx [someone famous] in that photo". MIL's response was "oh, but xxx is beautiful"!!!
We teased her for years and she took it in good grace!

Was it the sense of humour, somewhat different back in the day?

Am I saying that as a MIL?

When I first met my MiL in the 1970s I had a pink outfit from M&S which nowadays would be regarded as lounge wear. She remarked, “I had a siren suit like that during the war.” Her gaffs were innumerable and legendary, some becoming family mantras. I wish I could recount them but it would out her.
As a MiL I know I’ve made ill-judged remarks on occasion, in fact I still wince about one in particular. It goes with the territory!
How lovely to have a light-hearted thread. Let’s not overthink, overanalyse or police it.

I only had a MIL for the very short time in my mid 20s when I was married. We detested one another and made no secret of it.

At our first meeting she asked "Who are your people? What do they do?" in a sickly tone.

My response was "Why is this important to you?"

Oh Yammy, you made me laugh out loud.

My much loved MiL told me several years down the line that she had decided to love whoever her precious only son married. I don’t think she meant “even you”! I certainly never saw DH’s love as something to be competed for. She too was a blunt Yorkshire woman who was often less than tactful but took the resulting teasing in good part.

My MiL was the best and I’ve tried to remember that with my DiL (who is also the best). I was very gratified when she messaged me one day from work to say that everyone was slagging off their MiLs and she couldn’t join in! How fortunate am I. And truly grateful.

I love my MIL. She's lovely, although fading now, with dementia and is in a care home.

One of the first times I met her, we were at their house for the weekend (they live about 200 miles away).

Just before serving dinner, she said to me "I hope you don't mind a bit of good old Yorkshire bluntness, but I've got "good" dinner china, but I'm not getting it out for you".

I realised that I was being accepted as family, and not someone they had to put airs on for.

Another time she made me smile was when I was serving dinner to my children. I had made the food into a funny face on the plate.

MIL took one look, and said in an incredulous tone - "aren't you a good mother " 😆 🤣

I couldn't take offence as I knew what she meant.

I do miss the person she was 😞

My husband's aunt, a good Spanish Catholic, was most surprised when I explained that, although I was brought up in the Cof E, I did in fact know all about the Trinity etc. I got the feeling she thought any non Catholic was a Satanist but was too polite to say

My MIL ( who has sadly not been around since 1988) was a terror to buy for, she was rather a large lady, so buying her clothes was out of the question, but if I gave her money to buy what she wanted, I knew it wouldn't be spent on clothes, as she was rather a BINGO fanatic, going every night if she could!!
If you bought her flowers the response was " I'm not ill" if you bought her perfume the response was "do I smell" nothing she was bought was suitable in her eyes. We once bought her a lovely little brass carriage clock, she loved anything brass, the house was full of it, but did she like this clock, no she didn't......it as if everything I bought for her, (husband's in those days left the present buying to wives ! still do some of them I'm sure) she dismissed. I got used to her in the end, but can't for the life of me, all these years later think of one present she was bought, by other 3 DIL's as well as me, that she appreciated. She had 4 sons, perhaps it was because we had stolen them away from her that she behaved this way to us.

Remember I said I’m still wincing about something I once said to my son and DiL?
I’ve just recalled us being offered a drink in their house. DiL, without thinking, advised, “Oh, Husband, don’t use my best glasses.” She blushed and apologised but I laughed heartily, pointing out it was a wise move as I have form with long-stemmed glasses!
It still makes me chuckle.

Not a MiL but my Granny. I paraded in front of her in my new outfit. She thought for a bit then said, '
Well at least you've got one good leg'.
She wouldn't tell me which one either!!

Why are MIL’s so thoughtless I wonder?
I do think there may be some element of ‘you have stolen my boy’ about it.I also think there is nothing funny about a great deal of these remembered sayings, sadly.
My own MIL a very long time deceased, didn’t say much but was the master of the ‘sniff’ !

TillyWhiz

Oh Yammy, you made me laugh out loud.

I could go on for hours. She would not let me hang the baby's nappies on her line because they were pink DH her son had thrown a sports top in with them and not told.
She gave chocolate eggs to our little DDs and then said not to let them eat them as they might choke, I lost my rag and threw them up her street and they bounced off all the neighbour's cars.
We once travelled 200 miles to stay with her and she told us on arrival we couldn't as the bed was in pieces, she had decorators in and never told us.
Unfortunately, I was expecting a kind generous woman like my paternal gran was to my mum and at first too young to do or say anything.
I'm sorry in a way to see other people have suffered the same.
I have had a good laugh at all the other MIL antics.

Oh crikey! I am a three times MiL,and I sometimes say things that I wish I hadn’t. Brain and mouth don’t always act together.
I love them all though and have told them so.

My mil told me on my wedding day that the photographer thought she was the bride.
Even though she had a bright blue dress on.😂. Took about 30 years before she got better to me.

My own Mother was far worse!
One memorable Christmas I bought her a red jumper as she had asked for something bright and “Christmassy” to cheer her up. After lunch she obviously got confused over who gave it to her as when my sister left the room she said “why on earth did she buy me such an awful jumper, where does she think I’ll wear that? Bet she got it from the jumble or somewhere!”
I told her I’d bought it new from M&S and she said “oh good at least you can take it back!!”
I did and got something for myself instead.
It’s become a bit of a family joke now when giving a present - you can always take it back!

I once bought some useful 'things' from an Oxfam catalogue. The rest of the family were happy to know that I'd bought goats or hens for poor people in Africa in their names. I bought my mother a row of toilets. I thought she'd find it funny but sensible. No such luck. She was most disparaging about 'charities' and 'do gooders'. Back to soap the next Christmas.

When we were planning on getting married, second time round for both of us, and I was yet to meet his mum, he said " don't expect a better class of MIL this time round"! He knew my ex and his family well.
Sure enough, before I'd even met her, she phoned to tell me that his ex " hadn't got a bad word to say about you"! I'd never met his ex, and they had been split up 8 years when we met. And then phoned 3 days before our wedding day to say they wouldn't be able to come as they were in Blackpool, on February, and we wouldn't mind, eh !??. They came for the service, ate, drank and off.
But then my ex's mum, in meeting his new wife to be and her kids, called me specifically to tell me how lovely she was, and how she was thrilled to have 2 new grandchildren. She never bothered with the ones she already had! And it meant they wouldn't be able to give my kids pocket money any more, ( 50p when we did see them), as they couldn't afford to give them all the same. If I ever marry again, I'll vet the in laws first!

My mother in law was awful …..so….I am a perfectly wonderful mother in law …..and my son in law says so.

My first MIL staying at her-house I heard tell her neighbour she wasn’t going to let any more of her sons join the army as they all married bloody foreigner I was from Newcastle he was from Bognor Regis and other DIL was from Northern Ireland and this was in the 70’s

After my D was born my MIL told me I should wear thicker knickers because I would be more open. I still have not thought of a suitable reply.

My DM adored all her S & DiLs. She made a point of saying how much nicer they were than her own DC!
Apparently, she had once asked her cousin, mother of sons, how she seemed to get on so well with their wives and loved her back.
"Oh" she replied" I am just so grateful to them for loving my sons"

What I would fear was having my sons back home with me if their wives threw them out.

My in-laws are great and my DC are all very lucky.