
Narcissistic MIL
TLDR: In my 4 years of marriage, I have very recently realised that my MIL is narcissistic. I have been living with my MiL, from the day I got married. It is a love marriage and my FIL passed away a few years before I got married. From the very first day, my MiL has been imposing a control over everyone. Initially I thought she is like a mother, not letting me go to sleep hungry. Laughing at my innocence. But gradually, I saw the control she was having on everyone and wanted to have the same on me. She did not want me to talk to my people on phone. She wanted to me spend on her and not my parents. She became extremely upset if my husband and I spent time alone or were in our room anytime before night. She wanted us to go out with her everytime and my husband could go out with his friends but she became upset if I left home and she was alone. She slowly started disregarding my parents and saying weird and non respectful things about them. When we shifted to our workplace after Covid ended, she became more toxic. We would quarrel with me if my husband said anything to her in my support. She kept saying hurtful things to me for three consecutive days because my husband got me a piece of jewellery on his promotion. Although he got it for her too, but she kept on torturing us because she liked mine and according to her how can I guy give something better(less expensive than her gift) to his spouse. She says stories about me to her relatives according to her wish. If she is feeling good, she will say good things about me but talk shit about me if she is angry. She makes me feel guilty for quarrelling with her by saying that she takes care of 1 year old child when I am at office . Although she does that only when the nanny is at home. After she is gone, I can’t even leave my child with her to go for a walk. Things like these have been happening with me for the last 4 years and very recently I realised that all this while I have been seeking love from a narcissist who is openly biased for her son. She made me feel horrible when I was doing everything. Staying in a joint family set up, she does what she wants to and leaves whatever she doesn’t want to on me. She has been to multiple places on vacations but I have never told her to not and I have managed my work with my child. So after this realisation, I have taken a step back. She has tried to provoke me by sending toxic reels on DILs, and saying bad things about me to her relatives, instigating my husband but I have told my husband that her constant insinuations have destroyed me mentally. I know she considers me a medium to vent her frustrations and I serve her by indulging with her. I have now respectfully maintained a distance . I do not indulge with her unless absolutely necessary. I feel bad at times that I could not build a loving family but then I realise that anything that is breaking me mentally is not meant to be mine. I choose my peace and myself over everyone and everything.
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Every household has the same story . Mil’s and husband are all same

IKR. But in all of this, the one who is suffering is always the woman who has left her house and come to a strange household in hopes of people treating her at least as a human being.

MILs is too attached with their sons so she can't tolerate if he is taking his spouse's side or spending more time or spending money on her. She wants to be the center. Whatever you have mentioned are traits of a narcissist person. Create some boundaries to save your mental peace because she is not going to change.

Absolutely. She is in a constant competition with me over smallest of things like what I am wearing, if my husband or my BIL appreciate something I cook or if someone praises me. It feels like I am living with ‘the other woman’ and not an MIL

Just for the clarity. MIL is short for mother in law.

From my own experience:
- You can never win an argument against a narcissist.
- It’s better to maintain distance (like you’re doing now).
- They can go to any length to protect their “reputation” and end up hurting the people closest to them to get validation of “chaar log”.
- Get out of the house and move to your own house with your husband as soon as possible.

Ignore as much you can..there is no point to get into any quarrel ...

Baap re
