Many women have shared the same story; namely, they struggle to get along with their mother-in-law. As for the woman in the following story, she found herself planning a two-week getaway with just her husband. But when she got to the airport with her hubby, she saw her mother-in-law was packed and ready to go with them too.
**This article is based on material obtained from sources pertaining to social media, news, and psychology websites, which is referenced within the narrative**
In her Reddit post, a thirty-year-old woman recalled the time when she and her husband chose to take a two-week break from their jobs to travel outside of the country. According to her, she was accountable for paying for and organizing the vacation, while her husband was responsible for booking the tickets.
She also mentioned that her mother-in-law wanted to tag along on the trip with them, but the thing is that their relationship is far from ideal. The touchy dynamic between them is reminiscent of the findings in a recent Evolutionary Psychological Science study that shows more people face problems with their spouse's mom than they do with their own mother - 44% versus 39%, respectively.
She explained:
My husband's mom wanted to come along and threw temper tantrums when I said no. She called, texted, sent people to talk to me into letting her come, even threatened to call the police and make some complaint up to get us to stay if she can't come.
In the meantime, her husband insisted that his mother join them, presenting a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum to his wife; that is, if his mom can't go, then he won't go either. In response, his wife took him up on his challenge by calling his bluff, which made him change his mind.
He said:
FINE! I will tell her to stop it because we won't take her.
When the day of the trip arrived, and the couple was at the airport, the husband seemed to be unusually quiet.
She explained:
My husband was walking ahead of me and was looking left and right like he was looking for someone. I asked him but he didn't respond. He lead me to the waiting area and first thing I saw was his mom standing there with her luggage.
Upon seeing her mother-in-law in the airport, the woman stood still with a chill running down her spine as she felt an icy wave of anger swell within her. And when her husband went to greet and hug his mom, the flight-or-flight response seemed to be in full effect as she silently pivoted and made her way to the exit. Her husband noticed what was happening and yelled to get her to come back, but his wife let him have it.
In her own words:
He tried to say I was overreacting and that his mom was there 'anyway' and I should let it go and not mess the trip up for us. I told him he and his mom could still go and that I was going home.
She ended up going home in tears, and later on, she realized that her husband had arranged for his mom to join them behind her back. Eventually, the husband came home, and he started shouting at her and accusing her of being "pathetic" and vengeful for ruining the vacation. But his wife gave it right back at him and blamed him for what happened.
In the end, the husband reached out to his wife's side of the family to let them know that their trip was canceled because it was all her fault. And as it turns out, the family took the husband's side and told her that she should have just accepted what happened and tried to make the best of the circumstances.
What do you think?
Did she overreact by leaving the airport?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to share this article with your friends and family.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
Sources
Fugère, Madeleine A. Ph.D. "Why Getting Along with a Mother-in-Law Is So Difficult." Psychology Today
Diaz, Adriana. "It’s not your fault your mother-in-law hates you, study says." New York Post
u/RoadIsland123. "AITA for walking out of the Airport when I saw my husband's mom standing there with her luggage?" Reddit
Tsaousides, Theo Ph.D. "Fight or Flight: Which Is a Better Choice?" Psychology Today
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