Disagreements with in-laws is a topic many couples, married or unmarried, are familiar with. In fact, according to a survey published in Newsweek, the average American argues with their in-laws at least once a month. And 16% say they do it a lot more often.

If you think your in-laws might be bad, you probably need to see this list. We’ve scoured the internet to find the wildest and most infuriating posts about in-laws driving couples crazy. For some of these in-laws, the word “boundaries” doesn’t seem to exist. So, check out what these poor people had to deal with, and let us know in the comments the wildest thing your in-laws ever did!

#1 Flashback To When My Mother In Law Wore This To Our Wedding. You Could Also See Her Purple Thong Underwear Through The Material. See Her Hand Reaching Out

This was during the kiss when she grabbed him so she could kiss him. She wore white to one other sister-in-law’s wedding too. The third sister-in-law she approved of so she wore purple. She is no longer in our lives for many reasons.

Image credits: SailorJupiter80

#2 My Mother-In-Law Gave Us All Covid. Tested Positive And Never Told Us

Image credits: Stricky92

#3 Mother In Law “Put Away” The Cookies We Left Out To Cool

Image credits: FullaLead

Most people disagree and fight sometimes; that’s just the nature of human relationships. But, unlike arguing with a friend, conflicts with in-laws have more layers. It’s not just about you and your piece; you can’t just walk away from the relationship if you’re not happy. There’s your partner, for whom the in-laws might be among the most important people in their life.

All unhappy families are unhappy in their own way, as Tolstoy wrote. And the things people disagree with their in-laws about differ from person to person. Still, in the Newsweek survey, most (31%) Americans say they mostly argue with their in-laws about politics. 22% also say they fight about lifestyle choices, and 21% clash when it comes to something concerning their partners.

#4 Mother In Law Won’t Get The Flu Vaccine So She Can Meet Our Newborn Son. Insists She Is An Expert On Vaccines

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#5 Help – Mil Defaced Our Guestbook Photo!

Hi! I got married this last weekend. My mother-in-law decided to write on my fiancé’s neck on our guestbook photo. It’s sharpie on printed canvas. I was told I should try rubbing alcohol to gently remove the sharpie, but when I tried a small area, it also removed the print underneath. I am at a loss of what to do. Does anyone here have any experience painting on a printed canvas? If I remove everything in the area could I try to paint to give it its color back? Or how I can fix this? I’m upset but determined to fix it so we can hang it up in our home.

Image credits: AwNymeria

#6 Choosing Beggar Shames Her Daughter In Law For Using A Gift Card She Gave Her To Make A Blanket For Them

Image credits: queentruty

It also depends on what kind of in-law you are dealing with. Given the anecdotal evidence from popular culture and media, you’d think that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are at each other’s throats all the time. And research shows that DILs feel more in-law-related stress than sons-in-law.

A 2012 study showed another interesting trend. It appears that sons-in-law have it easier, as they report having way better relationships with both their MILs and their FILs. Women rate their relationships with their in-laws at the same level. Men say their relationships with their MIL are three times as good as they are for women. What’s more, they claim to get along with their FILs even better.

#7 In-Laws Leaving Raw Chicken In The Sun For Hours

Staying at my in-laws for the week in Northern CA where it’s 85° today. Got home from running errands at 11AM and noticed this raw chicken left out in the sun for who knows how long. It’s now 2PM and this raw chicken is STILL sitting in the sun. Luckily I’m a vegetarian so I have an excuse not to eat any but this is a regular occurrence in this family. I’m scared to eat anything they make

Image credits: Proper_Following_28

#8 My Mil Tried To Open A Tuna Can With My Favorite Vegetable Knife. Tuna Won

Every time i open the drawer i get mad

Image credits: GiladM

#9 Mother In Law Melted Kettle I’ve Had For 15 Years To The Stove. How Do I Get It Off!

Image credits: Optimal-Chair1146

The situation with MILs and FILs gets even worse when kids come into the picture. As a Gottman Method couples therapist for over 25 years, Dr. Suzanne Burger explained to Fatherly, daughters-in-law are more likely to be the victims of their MILs, as they don’t shy away from telling them how to be better mothers. And research backs this up, as over 30% of moms say they disagree with their MILs about parenting.

#10 This Text From My Mil To My Wife While House Sitting For Us While Our Sons In The Hospital

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#11 Father-In-Law Just Massacred My Shrub Garden. Today, Completely Unprompted And Without Asking Me, My Father In Law Decided To “Prune” Almost All Of The Trees In My Shrub Garden

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#12 My Mother In Law Eats One Bite Of A New Banana Every Morning And Leaves The Rest On The Counter “In Case Anyone Wants One”

Image credits: Username_Used

Professor Gretchen Perry, author of “In-Law Relationships in Evolutionary Perspective: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly“, suggests there are historical reasons why mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law generally seem to disagree so much. Back in the day, the married woman would come to live with her husband, to a house where the mother-in-law was in charge of the household.

#13 Brother-In-Law Decided To Cook Up Some Steaks On My Grill But Forgot To Pull Out The Grill

Image credits: Damiencross13

#14 The In-Laws Decided To “Prank” Us By Completely Rearranging Our Kitchen

My (M27) wife (F23) and I just returned from a week-long vacation to find our kitchen literally rearranged. We asked her parents just to drop by and feed our rabbits while we were away. Something they’ve done numerous times and are always paid to do when needed- This vacation was fairly needed as I’m in the middle of attending post-secondary and working part-time while my wife works full time and takes care of the house while I pitch in where I can. And after a 4-hour car ride we are extremely thankful for this break and look forward to preparing for another year of endless work. But lo and behold her parents left us another hour’s worth of work for us to even use the kitchen, as a joke. Wife is more upset than I am but it certainly drew an annoyed snort from me which I believe qualifies as mildly infuriating. Pic is just one of several cupboards. Tldr; needed a break, got a break, immediately unconvinced upon return by people we love and are also paying.

Image credits: 1DiffiCultRiddle

#15 Mother-In-Law Sterilized My Daughter’s Bottles In A Pot Of Boiling Water…

Image credits: SnuffleWumpkins

The daughter-in-law would be in a completely new environment, separated from her family and the people who protect her. The mother-in-law, naturally, would have her son’s and the household’s best interest at heart, perhaps exerting more control than needed. And the criticism, of course, would be directed at the new wife. This might just be the origin of the MIL-DIL relationship trope.

#16 My Christmas Present From My Mil. Meanwhile I Got Her ~$200 Worth Of Jewelry And Cosmetics

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#17 My Grandmother-In-Law Used My Favorite Mug For A Grease Cup And Stuck It In The Back Of The Fridge

Image credits: mobius153

#18 How My Mother In Law Cooks Chicken Dinner When We Visit

boiled chicken (no seasoning other than a pinch of salt in the water), added Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup at the end… and microwaved extra chicken in case we want seconds…

Image credits: EmperorJoker911

In-laws, especially grandparents, often choose to violate the boundaries of a young family. They may come to visit unannounced, guilt-trip when the couple doesn’t come for family events, share personal details about the family’s life with others, criticize their values, and not respect it when they’re told “no”. Experts say that it’s possible to avoid all these if you set firm boundaries, but how can people do that, exactly?

#19 Sister-In-Law Always Throws Leftover Food Directly Into The Sink

My sister-in-law always throws leftover food directly into the sink, leaving it for my brother or my mother to deal with before bed. Everyone else is too polite to say anything, so they just leave it. The edges of uneaten toast soak up grease and water. I tried to passive-aggressively put it in a bag for her to see, but she still throws it into the sink. I’m just visiting my parents.

Image credits: buddhaonacid

#20 17 Yo Half Brother-In-Law Wants To Buy Friends With Cake

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#21 Most Unhinged Mother In Law

Image credits: Asian_Climax_Queen

Therapist Lauren Auwood emphasizes how boundaries without consequences are merely suggestions. For example, if an in-law criticizes a parenting style, the couple needs to present a united front. That reinforces their authority as parents. If they’re visiting or calling too often, decide how often you’ll communicate (whether in person, on the phone, through email, or other) and stick to it. Kindly inform the in-laws that if they drop by unannounced, you will not be opening the door.

#22 Just A Joyful Conversation With My Sister-In-Law

Image credits: HitchensFanBoy

#23 How My Mother-In-Law Loads The Dishwasher

Image credits: Otsanda_Rhowa

#24 My Parents In Law Keep On Using Our Netflix To Watch He-Man And Christmas Movies, And Change Our Watchlists Because They “Struggle With Tech”

My husband shares both his Netflix and Prime accounts with his parents and pays for it. It first started with his parents using his Netflix instead of their own profile and even trying to charge not-included film to his credit card on Prime . He asked them to stop but they say they cannot figure it out so he added a pin and in brackets that it’s not their profile. We thought the problem was solved, but then I noticed they started using mine instead. I hadn’t looked at Netflix for maybe a week and noticed today they apparently had a watch marathon – my entire history & front page is just He-Man, war films and Christmas movies. The algorithm is completely messed up at this point. Needless to say I got a pin now too and a note in brackets.

Image credits: Aliinga

Boundaries with in-laws can also be very different depending on your culture. Perinatal therapist Dr. Zann explains that for people of color, the word ‘boundaries’ might sound like rejection and disrespect toward their community values.

“Consider not calling it a boundary’. Using psychology/therapy speak may be confusing, especially for those from immigrant backgrounds or non-western cultures,” Dr. Zann points out. “Express your needs, of course, but do it in a way that your family will understand.”

#25 My Future Sister-In-Law Infuriates Me So Much

Image credits: Joanna_Valdes

#26 My Wife And I Went On Vacation And She Asked My Brother-In-Law To Feed The Turtle. He Set The Heat Lamp On Top Of The Steam Deck In It’s Case For Some Reason, And Forgot To Put It Back

Image credits: Blue-vs-Red

#27 When Your Mother-In-Law Makes A Surprise Visit And Stays For A Month

Image credits: _LumpBeefbroth_

All this talk about toxic in-laws might make you think that all in-law relationships are doomed. But there’s research that proves relationships with in-laws can be nice. A 2021 survey of American women revealed that 51% of daughters-in-law are happy with their relationships with the MIL. Three-quarters of mothers-in-law also say they have a very good relationship with their DIL.

#28 Bought A New Car Last Week. Mother-In-Law Takes It For One Drive Last Night

Image credits: BadBadUncleDad

#29 Daughter In Law Tasked With Finding Job For Choosing Beggar Mil

Image credits: NoodleDoodleGirl

#30 Told My In Laws They Need To Be Taking This Virus More Seriously. This Is How The Conversation Started

Image credits: niall_9

What about your relationships with your in-laws, Pandas? Is there any drama happening in your family you think is worth sharing with other Pandas? Let us know in the comments below! And if you’re up for more posts about horrible in-laws, head over here and facepalm at these infuriating pics.

#31 Father-In-Law Ate My Leftovers. It Was A Half A Burger, And My Leftover Cheesecake From My Friend’s Birthday Party Last Night. I Was So Excited To Finish It This Morning

Image credits: hoewaggon

#32 My Sister-In-Law Lives With Us And Uses Our Things. This Is How She Leaves My Peloton After Use Even After I’ve Mentioned It A Few Times

Image credits: JBaNaNaS187

#33 Mother-In-Law Purchases More Hygiene Products When Her Current Ones Are 50 – 75% Empty. She Then Begin Using The New Product Leaving Them All In The Shower Like This

This is also just the guest downstairs bathroom which she sometimes uses. The actual main bathroom is 10 X worse. There are multiple pieces of tiny used bar soaps everywhere, 4 body wash, three loofah, and two shampoo/conditioners.

Image credits: Ambiguous_Karma8

#34 My Mother-In-Law Told Me That She Had A Bottle Of Children’s Tylenol When There Was A Shortage. I Looked At The Package While At Her House Today

Image credits: KazAnna72

#35 Sister In Law Needs To Learn How To Cut A Cake

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#36 In-Laws Turned Off The Pool For A Week (God Knows Why) While I Was Away And Now I Have To Do Damage Control

Image credits: Gone_Mads

#37 Whenever My Mil Cooks

My MIL is visiting from Brazil and whenever she cooks, she leaves a mess all over my stove and counters, then goes shopping with my wife.

Image credits: Plastic_Top5413

#38 “How Dare They Use The Same Venue As Us”

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#39 My Mother-In-Law Started The Dishwasher For Us When We Were Away. She Used Dish Soap

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#40 Let Brother-In-Law Stay With Us While He Got Back On His Feet, And Came Home To Every Glass Piece In My House Broken

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#41 My In-Laws Who Use A Little Off Every Single Roll Of Toilet Paper Instead Of One At A Time

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#42 Mother-In-Law Decided To Undress The Christmas Tree And Drag It 25ft Towards The Front Door By Herself

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#43 The Way My Mother In Law Opened The Pack Of Tortillas

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#44 Mil Trying To Access Our Email. Not The First Time And Yes We Called To Confirm It Was Her. Yes She’s Crazy

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#45 Mil’s Comment On My Instagram

Husband and I are child free by choice. No picture that I posted looked remotely like I was pregnant/holding my stomach.

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#46 My Father In Law And The Remnants Of His Weekly Visit

Image credits: HolyzombieBatman

#47 In-Laws Wasted Enough Extra Brisket For A Whole Sandwich

It’s the last of the best brisket I’ve ever made.

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#48 The Op’s Mil Lets The Op Borrow Her Car For Free. Op Wants The Mil To Pay To Fix A Dent In Said Car Because Driving A Dented Car Is Embarrassing

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#49 The Most Recent In-Law Repair Job

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#50 A “Shelf” My Brother-In-Law Made. Complete With 4 Different Types Of Screws Holding It On Above A Toddlers Bed

Image credits: SharpBladeB

#51 Mil Painted Mailbox

Woke up from a nap the other day to my wife telling me her mom painted our mailbox. I looked and saw yellow paint all over our porch column. Then the next day saw yellow paint on our front door. I was not happy to say the least.

Image credits: emessea

#52 Entitled Dil Wants In-Laws To Sell Her Their $1,000,000 House For 0% Intrest Because “It Was Worth $40k When They Bought It During Ww2, So Anything Paid Above That Is Pure Profit”

Image credits: SeveralBollocks_67

#53 My Sil Future Mil Decided To Redo Sil Arbor….after Sil Fixed It The Way She Wanted Yesterday

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#54 Mother-In-Law Tells My Boyfriend She Doesn’t Like Me

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#55 My Brother In Law Unironically Sharing This In The Family Chat After Everyone Shared Their Kids Halloween Photos

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#56 Wants To Live Free With Mil And Gets This Offended Being Asked To Clean Up After Herself

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#57 My Brother-In-Law Wanted To Taste A Piece Of My Chocolate. He Opened It In The Middle And Broke Of One Piece, Not At One Of The Ends

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#58 Text Was My Ex-Fiancé Telling His Mother That We Had Lost Our Second Pregnancy. The Pregnancy Was Planned And She Was Very Excited When We Had Announced It To Her

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#59 Mil Can Be Very Controlling, We Were Wondering How Long It Would Take Her To Start Trying To Interfere In Wedding Planning… (Our Theme Is Violet And Blue…)

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#60 Stuck In A Parking Space Because My Brother-In-Law Set His Tesla Do A Software Update At 10:30pm

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#61 The Toilet Paper My Mother In Law Insists On Stocking

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#62 Brother In Law Wanted A Specific Thing Made And His GF Gets The Leftovers (Neither Of These People Are Me)

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#63 My Brother In Law Flicked His Cigarette Ash Inside The Car

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#64 My Toxic Stepmother In Law Decided To Break 1 Year Of No Contact And This Is How She Did It

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#65 Mil Leaves The Edges When Cutting Cornbread

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#66 Mother-In-Laws DIY Job

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#67 In-Laws Wanted Cheese

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#68 That One Time My Father In-Law Tried Searching For His Son’s Ex

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