Ever since I married my H I have noticed my MIL's odd behavior toward me. She never allows us to bring a thing for any holiday meal....I used to offer each yr and she would always say NO....so I wouldn't bring anything but felt uncomfortable about it. As the yrs have passed she still tells us NO but her other son's girlfriends bring dishes or now that the 2 nieces are older (early 20's) they bring dishes....they are not married only myself (we have been married 22yrs now) we have 3 children who are in there teens all boys....anyway, I stopped offering as she is very insistent we bring nothing....ever. One time a few Easters ago I brought some extra ham (I had posted about what to do her on this forum) and you all told me to bring it....since I have all men to feed they eat lot's of meat and almost none of the side dishes....and my MIL usually doesn't have enough for them...so they are starving on the way home from the meal....we have even polled over to pick up food for them.
Well this yr my husband didn't care what she said and wanted me to make peanut butter cookies....so I made them but wasn't going to take them....he grabbed them and insisted we bring them....I thought this isn't going to go over well.
Well everytime anyone took a cookie to eat she made a comment.....saying they were all for her and stop eating her cookies....she seemed to focus on the bin of cookies and nobody could comment or go near them w/o her commenting on it and saying what are you eating over there! She has all her things out to eat....my husband's other brother's girlfriend's salad was out and her sisters salad and other things...peopel were just grazing around....like you do on a holiday. But she wouldn't comment on anyone eating from the other items....ONLY if they took a cookie. So when the meal was over....she left everything out....and brought out a cake she bought to serve....and started telling everyone she was going to start baking cookies!!
The strangest look came over my BIL's girlfriends face and she said in a loud voice "your going to start baking cookies? We already have cookies right here." My MIL pretended she didn't hear a thing....and got out the toll house bake and eat ones....and started baking cookies. A few people had some of the cake.....but many didn't want it for some reason....I don't like German Chocolate Cake so I didn't have it and neither would my sons eat it...unless it's plain old cake they won't eat it.
She puts her cookies to cool on the counter and comes over and slaps the lid on my cookies and takes them into the back laundry room and puts them on the washing machine. I was seated in the front room thinking why is she doing that? Earlier she had put 3 of them in a bag saying she wanted them all for herself and hid them in a cabinet (which she'll most likely forget they are there and they go bad until my husband finds them on Mother's Day). She didn't want them I can assure you....but she just seemed so fixed on the fact that I made something. It's gotten very uncomfortable to be honest and yes it does offend me.
To be coming there and never bringing any food to contribute at all feels like I am a selfish loafer....I bring my 3 kids to eat and never lift a finger with the food. Yet she allows all the others to bring food....my husband thought she must not like my cooking...but then we remember her eating more then 2 helpings of it in the past the few times she has ever eaten at my home....so I don't think it's that.
She just makes such a scene about anything I bring and ladies I haven't brought a thing to a holiday meal except for 5yrs ago at one Easter I brought some extra ham....all the time I have been in this family (22yrs now)....it's so odd.
In the end as we were leaving....I went in the laundry room to get my cookies....I wasn't going to leave them in that back room to go bad and let her toss them out in the trash.
And no she's not old...she works full time....has all her marbles...totally. I just don't get it and some other odd stuff she does. We give her our son's gradutation pictures in frames so she can just put them out....one of each boy....never are they out...EVER. Just dozens of pictures of the other grandchildren only....it's so rude and the oddest thing is she will tell my husband every once in awhile that she has NO pictures of our kids and to give her some. WTH? I would understand if she had some illness with her memory but she doesn't at all...she must take the framed photo's and stuff them in drawers.....I am glad my son's don't care about this kind of thing (being men) they don't even notice I bet. My husband does...he will say she just has blank's kids pictures out (his brothers kids) and that's it.
I prefer at this point to not offer to bring a thing and never show up with a thing....she seems to want it that way....but it is uncomfortable when everyone else is bringing in dishes to help out and you never do....makes us both feel well like we should be at least doing something small like a tub of cookies LOL!
I know many do a holiday meal and feel they want to do it all and I guess get all the attention/praise for the meal...but she tells the others to bring things....and doesn't hide what they bring in the laundry room....leaves it out with all the other items for people to nibble at....I just don't understand her odd behaivor....and NO I have never had words with her EVER...we get along just fine...it simply makes absolutely nosense at all to me.
Sorry this got long....seemed difficult to explain w/o giving some background.
Anyone else have a MIL that acts odd for no apparent reason?
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