Wedding Woes

Vintage Prudie: Next time you want to complain about your in-laws...

Dear Prudence,
My mother-in-law hates me and makes no bones about it when she and I are alone. My husband doesn’t believe me, and she even gloats about that. We have to attend family functions at her home about once a month. (It used to be more frequent, but after I put my foot down, my husband agreed that monthly would be sufficient.) The problem is that after each visit, I wind up with a bad case of diarrhea; my husband does not. I don’t know if the other in-laws are affected, because if I asked, it would get back to her. I suspect that my mother-in-law is putting something in my food or drink. Last time, I barely made it home before being struck down. Now I am considering getting some “adult undergarments” to make sure I don’t ruin the car’s upholstery on the ride home from her place. Do you have any other advice?

Follow-up:

Dear Prudence,
A couple of months ago you answered my letter asking for advice regarding a situation involving my hateful mother-in-law, whom I suspected of tainting my food or drink at family functions at her home. You had suggested swapping plates with my husband to see if my mother-in-law would react. However, as you noted, that would have required bringing my husband into my confidence. I did not feel it was wise to do that, because he already didn’t believe that his mother treated me badly. But the next function was at Easter. She provided a traditional prime rib dinner, set up buffet style, and I could see no way that could be problematic. However, when we arrived at her home, the dinner table was set with place cards and in front of each was a ramekin of horseradish sauce and a small pitcher of au jus. When nobody was looking, I switched the ramekin and pitcher between my husband’s place and mine. After my husband and I returned home, he became wracked with diarrhea, but I was not ill at all. In the morning I told him that I had switched the horseradish and au jus. He looked at me with such hatred in his eyes that I knew he had known all along what his mother was up to. His only words were to accuse me of poisoning him! I quickly packed a couple of bags and raced out of there. I have hired a divorce lawyer and I won’t be looking back. Thank you and your commenters for your advice and concern.

Re: Vintage Prudie: Next time you want to complain about your in-laws...

  • This is WAY worse than putting the basil label on the tarragon!

    Good luck with that attorney.  Don't get anything edible in the divorce and have it all checked for spy equipment before you get it in the house.  
  • HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY shit. 

    Remind me of this the next time I come here wanting to punch my MIL in the face. 
    Image result for someecard betting someone half your shit youll love them forever
  • HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY shit. 

    Remind me of this the next time I come here wanting to punch my MIL in the face. 
    Or my husband!  

    It's one thing to roll your eyes at your mom's antics but it's another to KNOW that this is her shit (pun intended) and to hope that it's fine for your wife to go through her bowel shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse every 4 weeks. 
  • Oh my god!! I was hoping for MIL to freak out when she watched LW switch the things but that was so much worse!!
  • ei34ei34 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Just said "WHAATT THEE F*&(%$%" audibly enough from my office that two students poked their heads in.  Jeez vintage LW, you're lucky to have gotten out of that marriage alive.
  • This is up there with that old Knottie cinnamon story.  Also, WTF does this sort of thing to anyone?  

    I'm glad she ran and divorced his ass.  I'm glad she got out safely, TBH.
  • The update is everything!  Such a twist ending.  I was expecting the H to finally realize how wretched his mother was.  But then to find out that he knew all along!  GTFO.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I remember this letter when it was originally published.  I think LW should have switched out the ramekins with MILs ramekins!  Give her a taste of her own medicine!

    Then I would have called her on the phone and recorded her.  I would have asked how she felt after dinner last night and if she enjoyed her time in the bathroom.  Then I would have said that I switched my ramekins with hers.  Then I would have played the response back to my H.

    I don't think I could have switched them unknowingly with my H.  I would have preferred the poisoner to get the after effects, rather than the person I supposedly loved more than anyone else.  Though if H was doubting everything that was happening to me, as being caused by MIL, maybe I would want to poison H instead!

  • HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY shit. 

    Remind me of this the next time I come here wanting to punch my MIL in the face. 
    I was literally about to type the exact same thing. 
  • As much as I enjoyed the shock of reading it, am I the only one wondering if someone sent Prudie a fake letter?

    There is just a lot here that sounds outside of normal human behavior.  Especially the H.  And the whole "'switching of the ramekins", though usually wine glasses lol, is a tired plot line in a gazillion drama/spy/mystery movies.  Though maybe that's where the LW got the idea if this real, lol.  I just have a large dose of skepticism.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I remember this letter when it was originally published.  I think LW should have switched out the ramekins with MILs ramekins!  Give her a taste of her own medicine!

    Then I would have called her on the phone and recorded her.  I would have asked how she felt after dinner last night and if she enjoyed her time in the bathroom.  Then I would have said that I switched my ramekins with hers.  Then I would have played the response back to my H.

    I don't think I could have switched them unknowingly with my H.  I would have preferred the poisoner to get the after effects, rather than the person I supposedly loved more than anyone else.  Though if H was doubting everything that was happening to me, as being caused by MIL, maybe I would want to poison H instead!

    This is where I am. She went to her H with her concerns, and he didn't believe her. 
  • As much as I enjoyed the shock of reading it, am I the only one wondering if someone sent Prudie a fake letter?

    There is just a lot here that sounds outside of normal human behavior.  Especially the H.  And the whole "'switching of the ramekins", though usually wine glasses lol, is a tired plot line in a gazillion drama/spy/mystery movies.  Though maybe that's where the LW got the idea if this real, lol.  I just have a large dose of skepticism.
    I think a lot of Prudie letters are contrived.   But I love a good drama llama. 
  • banana468 said:
    As much as I enjoyed the shock of reading it, am I the only one wondering if someone sent Prudie a fake letter?

    There is just a lot here that sounds outside of normal human behavior.  Especially the H.  And the whole "'switching of the ramekins", though usually wine glasses lol, is a tired plot line in a gazillion drama/spy/mystery movies.  Though maybe that's where the LW got the idea if this real, lol.  I just have a large dose of skepticism.
    I think a lot of Prudie letters are contrived.   But I love a good drama llama. 
    This.


  • I just can't.

    Those letters could be fake, but if not, she saved her life (literally) by getting the F out of there.
  • VarunaTT said:
    This is up there with that old Knottie cinnamon story.  Also, WTF does this sort of thing to anyone?  

    I'm glad she ran and divorced his ass.  I'm glad she got out safely, TBH.
    Dare I ask about the cinnamon story?
  • VarunaTT said:
    This is up there with that old Knottie cinnamon story.  Also, WTF does this sort of thing to anyone?  

    I'm glad she ran and divorced his ass.  I'm glad she got out safely, TBH.
    Dare I ask about the cinnamon story?
    Heck - I've been around here for eternity and don't remember that one... Now the fisting one that's another story...
  • MesmrEwe said:
    VarunaTT said:
    This is up there with that old Knottie cinnamon story.  Also, WTF does this sort of thing to anyone?  

    I'm glad she ran and divorced his ass.  I'm glad she got out safely, TBH.
    Dare I ask about the cinnamon story?
    Heck - I've been around here for eternity and don't remember that one... Now the fisting one that's another story...
    I don't have the time now, but I will see if I can dig it up soon.  I'm behind on work at the moment and I have therapy in a little bit, so I need to catch up. ;)   Where is Hmo when we need her? 
  • I'm no even sure I could find the post now, it's so old.  And I think we lost the site where we had all the links to this stuff.  But basically it was a bb who was allergic to cinnamon and her STB MIL was hiding cinnamon in all of the dishes she ever cooked for the couple.  IIRC, FI did get involved in a positive way for the bride.
  • VarunaTT said:
    I'm no even sure I could find the post now, it's so old.  And I think we lost the site where we had all the links to this stuff.  But basically it was a bb who was allergic to cinnamon and her STB MIL was hiding cinnamon in all of the dishes she ever cooked for the couple.  IIRC, FI did get involved in a positive way for the bride.
    OMG, I was thinking it was a CS/WW story about HER MIL.  LOL  I did go find the site where some of her stories are (I think HMO saved them) and started reading the one about the wedding cake.  ;) I still miss her so much. 
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