[Star]

that is a great article!

the problems i had with my mother in law weren't too bad. After hubby's dad died, i used to go see her every single night when she got home from work. we'd watch a movie, talk and eat muchies together. kassandra was just a newborn then. she'd stop in after work to spend time with my kids daily then i'd go with her to her place.

then she met her recent husband. things changed big time! she became distant with me. then we had hubby's brother's 2 little girls living with us (we took them out of children's aid and they lived with us for a bit). well all hell broke loose because I wasn't breaking any rules that children's aid was setting. one of them being that their dad not be left with the kids under no circumstances alone. he had to be supervised at all times. they didn't like that i followed the rules. but if i didn't, i would've lost those girls! then what would've been the point in keeping them?

so I gave them to my mother in law since she was telling people behind my back that she would take them just so she can turn around and give them back to children's aid a couple months later. I was really really mad! I stopped talking to the whole lot of them for years after that! a good 5 years.

Things simmered down with time, hurt healed a bit and hubby and the kids were missing that side of the family so I swallowed my pride and went to a family get together. I felt out of place until everyone gave me hugs and told me that it hasn't been the same without me there. so it's been good since.

this is just one incident. there are a ton more that have to do with hubby's loser brother. I took a lot of crap from that family in the past. they do know now though that i don't take that crap and i won't take any crap anymore so they're very nice with me now.

I'm not the only one they picked on. my other sis in law (married hubby's other brother) was put through a lot more hell than i ever was. she's pulled herself completely away from that family. it's been about 6 years now for her.

in laws can be deadly but you have to be civil and swallow your pride, bite your tongue. all for the kids sakes.