When I got engaged, my MIL-to-be pulled me aside and told me flat out, ‘You’ll never be good enough for my son. He deserves better.’ I smiled and stayed quiet — but I never forgot it.
Over the years, she kept making little digs. She’d insult my cooking, say I was ‘lucky’ he chose me, and constantly criticize the way I did things. I didn’t fight back, but I kept track of the worst comments in my head, down to the day she said them. My husband thought I was being oversensitive, but I told him I just had a good memory.
Fast-forward to our baby shower. In front of everyone, she made another jab — this time about how my ‘genes’ were going to ‘water down’ her family. I snapped. Calmly, I looked at her and said, ‘Funny, you said almost the same thing during our wedding, when you told me I’d never be good enough. You’ve been repeating yourself for years.’
The room went silent. She froze, tried to deny it, but too many people remembered her saying those exact things before. My husband finally saw the pattern clearly and said, ‘If she’s not good enough for you, then neither am I. Don’t contact us until you can respect my wife.’
She tried to play me — but I played the long game.
