It recently came to my attention that my mother-in-law (let’s call her Anika) made a Reddit post about me. I’ve never used Reddit before, so I made this new account to share my side of the story.
When Anika found out we were having a baby girl, she was extremely excited. I knew about the tradition she wanted to follow, but I was already set on the name Scarlette. I hadn’t told anyone yet, but I started noticing Anika hinting that she wanted the baby to be named after her. I tried to hint back that I wasn’t going to participate in this tradition, but she kept pushing.
Finally, I told her the name we had chosen. She bit her lip and asked if I knew about the tradition. I told her I did, and she proceeded to explain it anyway. I just smiled, shook my head, and said, “Very nice tradition your family has.”
Then she asked me again if I was going to name the baby after her. I said no. She told me that the name I had chosen was terrible and that she wasn’t happy with my choice. I reminded her that I couldn’t change my mind because I had wanted this name for years. She only said, “Well,” and went downstairs without another word.
That night, I told my husband how much this interaction had bothered me. He wanted to talk to Anika about it, but I asked him not to because I didn’t want any drama—Anika is well known for gossiping, causing drama, and bringing up old stories to play the victim. He insisted, saying he had to for me, so I agreed.
The next day, after he spoke with her, she called me early in the morning. She demanded that I name the baby after her, and no matter how many times I said, “No, sorry,” she wouldn’t accept it. I eventually told her politely that she couldn’t make me name the baby after her. At that point, she started breathing heavily into the phone, like she had just run a marathon across Canada. Then she told me that if I didn’t follow the tradition, I would go to hell and she would go no contact with me. I was floored. I told her she was being unreasonable, and she accused me of being the unreasonable one.
About a month later, she called again, scolding me for “gossiping” because apparently that’s a sin, then hung up before I could respond. I told my husband, and he was even more upset, giving me a hug and apologizing for his mom. I love that man so much.
I asked him if he told anyone about the interactions, and he said only his brother. The next day, I called Anika to tell her this and explain that I had told nobody else, but she accused me of gossiping again. Then she said I should never have married into this family and that our future children would inherit “big noses” because of my genetics.
At this point, I honestly feel unwelcome in the family. All I wanted was to be part of a loving family, but instead, I got a MIL from hell. The stress caused me spotting and cramping, and my doctor put me on bed rest. I’m genuinely scared about my baby because of her behavior.
And no, don’t believe anything she’s saying about me. I’ve said nothing negative about Anika, and I’m not sure why she’s telling everyone otherwise—maybe to make herself look better? Honestly, I don’t know, but she is absolutely crazy.
A few days later, she texted me around 3–4 a.m. to apologize and asked if she could come over at 8 a.m. My husband and I decided to keep her at a distance once the baby arrives, so I said no. She also asked if she could baptize the baby, and I said yes—even though I’m Jewish—because my husband really wanted it, and I’m not very connected to my religion. She seemed happy that I agreed on at least one thing.
That’s my side of the story. I hope she sees this. Hi, Anika!
Edit 1: We are giving Scarlette my MIL’s name as her middle name. Anika apparently saw this post and is threatening to go no contact again. She often threatens things but never follows through. She even didn’t keep her word when she promised to buy the crib, which has been a financial strain for us.
Edit 2: After reading advice from everyone here, we’ve decided not to use my mother-in-law’s name as the baby’s middle name.