My in-laws are...

[Serena]

There are in between okay and great.

 

[believe]

My MIL did not like me at first (I am Baptist...she is Catholic. I came from a city with a bad reputation...she is 'country'), but I fought to make the relationship what it is. Now she tells people I am the daughter she never had. We get a long really well now.

 

[RUDisney]

My BIL learned from his first marriage that his mother and sisters wouldn't be supportive of anyone he married. My SIL actually sat behind me at his first wedding praying OUT LOUD that his wife-to-be either fall and break her leg so as not to get to the altar, or that she'd change her mind and run from the church. They put so much pressure on them, and wife #1 was such a weak personality that the marriage lasted 6 months. My DH and I were the only 2 who supported him before, during and after the wedding.

For his second marriage, they decided not to invite anyone, so his mother couldn't ruin anything. It was too bad, because that meant that she had to not invite her parents or siblings, too, to be fair about the whole thing. Finally, the night before their wedding, they told their parents and siblings that they could show up at the church on Saturday night at 7:30 for their wedding service. The priest had convinced them that they'd regret not having anyone but their 2 witnesses there. At the last minute, they asked for me to be their photographer, since I have done a couple of weddings in the past. It was lovely and my MIL kept to herself.

After the wedding, she decided to treat SIL as poorly as she treats me.

Her major issues are that we are both from Slavic backgrounds and they are Italian. A non-Italian woman is not good enough for her sons. We actually make them happy and we make them fetch their own drinks when they are thirsty. I know, perish the thought.

So, in my case, I know that it's not just me. My DH has told me countless times that he likes living with me much more than he ever liked living with his mother. Her goal is to try to keep her kids unhappy and close to her. She has even convinced one of her daughters to sleep at her house more often than she sleeps at her own house with her husband.

In-laws... UGH!