How do I deal with my monster-in-law?

A dear Capital Lifestyle Magazine reader is in a fix and has shared her story. She seeks your advice. Remember, the views expressed are solely the opinion of the reader, and not Capital FM’s.

I swear my life is like a script from a Nigerian movie. I have a mother-in-law from hell! This woman drives me nuts to the point I just want to leave my marriage and forget about everything that has to do with her. I think she is on a mission to extinguish me.

So, a couple of months ago the in-law came to the city to pick up her meds and decided to overstay her visit which meant living with us for as long as she wished. My husband is her only existing child and of course he has to respect her wishes.

From day one this woman has always criticized everything I do. I tried to adjust a couple of things here and there about my life out of respect and to make her feel comfortable. Like I put my visits to my manicurist on hold as I knew well done nails every other week would bother her in many ways. I stopped dressing sexy for my husband because I knew I’d be called names. Out of respect I pulled out the old boring clothes which I have to wear to work and everybody pulls a face because it is so unlike me to wear boring outfits and shoes.

One day the monster told me to send the house help away as having one around meant that I was a lazy wife as I am supposed to cater fully to my husband. She said she would help take care of the kids so off the house help had to go. I had been taking such kind of crap for a while and I took it all as a trying time but little did I know that the worst was yet to come.

A few weeks ago I came home from work one Thursday evening only to find the monster crying and with band aids all over her face. I was shocked to see her in that state so I asked what the matter was. That’s when all hell broke loose…

The next scene was something out of a Jerry Springer show. The monster-in-law started pointing at me accusing me of trying to kill her. She pounced on me and started hitting me until the neighbors came to my aid. I had no idea what she was on about and that was the puzzling bit. Did I try to kill her and not know about it myself?

Apparently while I had been away at work, she went snooping in my room and came across some powder container on my dresser which I had bought for my husband the previous day. Unknown to her that was my husbands facial hair removal powder and she hadn’t bothered to find out exactly what it was for. So she applied some on her entire face and then came the burning sensation.

According to the monster, I had put the powder there as a trap to kill her.

After that incident of course I had to move out for a bit. I now live with my sister and every time I go to check on my kids the monster still looks at me like she has plans for me and is not yet done with me. Plus one of my kids once asked me why grandma keeps saying that mommy is a bad bad bad person.

Well, I don’t know if I’m exaggerating my case by thinking that woman is a monster but it has gotten to a point where even my husband and I are not in good terms. We rarely talk or see each other because he definitely has to take his mothers side and he won’t defend me as he should. I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that she is working on bringing my husband a more “suitable wife”. For now though, I just wish she could go away somewhere far off and never comes back.

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