When our kids first arrived in this country about 19 months ago, we were smothered by DH's family. They were of the opinion that they should raise our kids, and not us. How could I ever be expected to raise a child properly??? I have no Italian blood running through my veins. 
In January 2002, my SIL sent me an email telling me that I am a despicable person and that I don't deserve her brother or the kids. Other nastiness... blah, blah, blah. My DH didn't try to put a stop to her behavior because he is non-confrontational and though it would blow over. Other nasty emails were sent by her (I have never responded to any of them.) She called our house so many times each day to attempt to talk to the kids that I put a block on our line for all of the numbers that she would use (excluding her mother's.)
To this day, she goes out of her way to drive up and down our street to see what we're up to.
So, fast-forward to this past weekend. My other SIL was married and I told my DH that I wanted for him to make sure she stays away from our kids and me. I was not going to cause a scene to ruin his sister's wedding, and I was not about to be caught in the middle of one of her scenes. He refused to cause any trouble by telling her this, but her mother must have told her to behave. She ignored us all day and evening. It was actually bearable for me to be around the rest of his family....
Until yesterday... I received an email from her telling me that I should was my hair before I go to any parties, weddings, showers, etc. It tells me that I need psychological help because I obviously can't handle things on my own; that I'm using our kids as weapons, and that I'm very jealous of her. When we finally caught up with one another last night and I told my DH about the latest letter in the saga, he finally got mad. Whoo Hoo! He called his mother and told her to fix this situation. He told her that he can't understand why she continues to harass me without provocation and that he doesn't appreciate that she's stalked us for the past 17 months. He told his mother that if I'm willing to be around her and ignore her, then she should be adult enough to do the same. (MIL is SIL's clone, and she feels pretty much the same about me.)
OK, so you're thinking, "why didn't he call his sister directly?" Well, I was the last straw yesterday. My DH is a loan officer and is working with her husband on a deal to start a new business. No one has told my BIL that he can't have the money, they are just going through the normal process to cross every t and dot every i. She thought she was going to get the check yesterday. When her husband came home from talking to my DH, she freaked out and has been bad-mouthing the bank and it's lending practices. He probably would have let everything pass again, if it wasn't for her email to me. He told his mother that if the harassing doesn't stop, if the badmouthing doesn't stop, he will tell them to go somewhere else to get their loan.
Ahh, families... and we get to do everything all over again at my DH's brother's wedding in 2-1/2 weeks. And, if you're wondering, I will be wearing my hair the same way... long and straight, with bangs, tucked behind my ears. It'll be washed, just the same as it was for SIL's wedding.
Sorry this is long. I needed to vent and praise my DH's long-overdue actions. Thanks for listening, er, I mean reading....
In January 2002, my SIL sent me an email telling me that I am a despicable person and that I don't deserve her brother or the kids. Other nastiness... blah, blah, blah. My DH didn't try to put a stop to her behavior because he is non-confrontational and though it would blow over. Other nasty emails were sent by her (I have never responded to any of them.) She called our house so many times each day to attempt to talk to the kids that I put a block on our line for all of the numbers that she would use (excluding her mother's.)
To this day, she goes out of her way to drive up and down our street to see what we're up to.
So, fast-forward to this past weekend. My other SIL was married and I told my DH that I wanted for him to make sure she stays away from our kids and me. I was not going to cause a scene to ruin his sister's wedding, and I was not about to be caught in the middle of one of her scenes. He refused to cause any trouble by telling her this, but her mother must have told her to behave. She ignored us all day and evening. It was actually bearable for me to be around the rest of his family....
Until yesterday... I received an email from her telling me that I should was my hair before I go to any parties, weddings, showers, etc. It tells me that I need psychological help because I obviously can't handle things on my own; that I'm using our kids as weapons, and that I'm very jealous of her. When we finally caught up with one another last night and I told my DH about the latest letter in the saga, he finally got mad. Whoo Hoo! He called his mother and told her to fix this situation. He told her that he can't understand why she continues to harass me without provocation and that he doesn't appreciate that she's stalked us for the past 17 months. He told his mother that if I'm willing to be around her and ignore her, then she should be adult enough to do the same. (MIL is SIL's clone, and she feels pretty much the same about me.)
OK, so you're thinking, "why didn't he call his sister directly?" Well, I was the last straw yesterday. My DH is a loan officer and is working with her husband on a deal to start a new business. No one has told my BIL that he can't have the money, they are just going through the normal process to cross every t and dot every i. She thought she was going to get the check yesterday. When her husband came home from talking to my DH, she freaked out and has been bad-mouthing the bank and it's lending practices. He probably would have let everything pass again, if it wasn't for her email to me. He told his mother that if the harassing doesn't stop, if the badmouthing doesn't stop, he will tell them to go somewhere else to get their loan.
Ahh, families... and we get to do everything all over again at my DH's brother's wedding in 2-1/2 weeks. And, if you're wondering, I will be wearing my hair the same way... long and straight, with bangs, tucked behind my ears. It'll be washed, just the same as it was for SIL's wedding.
Sorry this is long. I needed to vent and praise my DH's long-overdue actions. Thanks for listening, er, I mean reading....
Then they didn't seem to want to see him again. I brought the baby over briefly the day before we moved so that they could see him one last time. There is no love lost though.
