We’ve all heard the horror stories (and watched the movie) about a mother-in-law who acts like a bat from hell.
She treats her daughter-in-law horribly and tries to keep her claws on her son.
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Thankfully, this isn’t the case for everyone. Some women were blessed enough to have great mothers-in-law .
Wonder what makes them so great? 19 women share it all here.
The breath of fresh air
After dealing with a monster-in-law, one woman is sooo grateful to be loved and accepted by an amazing woman. She treats her like she’s a welcome addition to her family and isn’t critical in the slightest.
The best friend
“She’s just an all-around awesome woman. She loves her kids and their spouses hard. She makes me laugh. She knows when I’m not okay. She calls me just to say hi. We hang out like friends.” – u/ jamnbratt
The second mom
She immediately accepted me and learned to love me just because her son did. She did everything in her power to make me feel welcome and supported, and when the wedding came around found a good balance of offering help without being pushy (as her own MIL had been a horror).” – u/ EwokCafe
She’s nice to everyone
One Redditor’s MIL is just an all-around wonderfully genuine and generous person. She’s nice to everyone she meets whether that’s to the special ed students in her classroom or when she housed a family who went through a natural disaster.
The Switzerland MIL
“She cares about me and doesn’t just take her son’s side on everything. When we first moved into our first apartment she came down and filled up our whole house because we’re struggling I can talk to her about anything.” – u/ PerformerPure7154
The protest
While you might assume that mothers-in-law are cute older ladies who sit at home and knit, that’s not always the case. This Redditor’s MIL is such a badass. When she first started dating her son, he had to cancel a date to go bail his mom out because she chained herself to a stop sign to protest post-Guantanamo Bay.
The M in MIL
“She loved me unconditionally from the moment she realized how much her son loved me. She heaped praise and love on me, never tried to manipulate me or my husband. She was just a heart on two legs. We miss her greatly.” – u/ Fourdogsaretoomany
The helpful grandma
Some mothers-in-law gain points for how well they are with the grandkids. This Redditor’s MIL once drove up six hours from where she lives to their house to let the Redditor and her husband get some sleep and help with their newborn daughter.
The handmade gifts
“Mine is a sweet little Korean lady who sends me handmade gifts and who I can’t really even communicate with in English. She’s full of life and makes food for us when we visit. Our relationship is pretty surface level but I really love her all the same.” – u/ Gentle_Giraffe4
The birthday dinner
One thing a Redditor’s MIL always does is throw her a birthday dinner. She doesn’t do that for either of her brothers-in-law.
When she asked them about it, they said, “we have families here that throw our birthday dinners. Since your family is overseas, MIL throws it for you. She doesn’t want you to feel missed or lonely on your birthday.”
The pre-mother-in-law
“She took me in as a daughter so many years before I married the love of my life. She’s all around the most amazing woman ever! I could not have asked for a better second madre.” – u/deleted
The ex-mother-in-law
Just because a couple separates doesn’t mean that family does, too. So after this Redditor’s ex left her and their daughter, her MIL called and said that she didn’t agree with what he had done and that they would always be family.
It’s been 15 years and she’s still kept her promise by keeping involved in their lives and loving the Redditor’s new husband and children.
The instant chemistry
“She was so nice and funny when I first met her, was flabbergasted when I called her “ma’am”, ordered a huge margarita at Chili’s and went shopping at Marshall’s with us where she told me that red was my color. And she was amazing ever since then.” – u/ rosiestinkie9
The space
Sometimes, the secret ingredient to having a good relationship with your in-laws in space. That’s what this Redditor has with her MIL who lives about 1,000 miles away. She’s there when she needs them and then leaves them alone the rest of the time.
The prayer
“She prays for me. Not the ‘oh honey, bless your heart, I’ll pray for you.’ No. She prays for my peace. My happiness. She genuinely cares for me, my relationship with her son, and my overall happiness and health.” -u/ tsunderemommymilkers
The emotionally available MIL
After growing up with very stoic parents who didn’t know how to handle emotions, this Redditor was so lucky to have a MIL who is open and accepting. Soon, she found herself telling her MIL things that she couldn’t tell her own parents.
The cook
“When she found out that I have to eat gluten-free, she started cooking gluten-free- even her famous Louisiana Gumbo recipe is now gluten-free!”-u/ Aggressive_Hippo9666 . This is true love right here! Cooking around a person’s dietary requirement is a lot of work.
The full acceptance
There are some grandparents who refuse to love children that are not their own blood.
So, this Redditor scored the jackpot by having a mother-in-law who accepted her and her three children from a previous marriage. She chose to love them as though they have always been family.
The cheater
“My MIL was not happy that I was not religious, but I earned her trust over the years. When her son cheated on me, I called her and told her. She said, ‘I will pay for your lawyer.’ Classy woman. We were close for the remainder of her life.” – u/ Positive-Ball-9774
H/T: Reddit
