When Nightmare Families Ruin Relationships
You could be dating someone you think is your soulmate—but you can never really know for sure until you've met their family. Could you stay with the person of your dreams if their family was like these?
1. Whip Em Out
While my ex had plenty of issues himself, I really didn't like his dad—for one excruciating reason. His dad had a massive thing for feet. Now, that’s completely OK with me. What made it uncomfortable, though, was how unchecked it was. I would have to wear full coverage shoes at all times whenever I was at his dad's house, otherwise, his dad would go on and on about how attractive my feet were. Many times, he's shown me photos of his favorite female celebrity feet.
I had mentioned to my ex SEVERAL times how uncomfortable I was with his dad's infatuation with my feet, but he would always shrug and say that's how his dad just was. I don't miss that.
2. Double Standards
My ex's parents are strict Christians; so strict that the women only wear long skirts and always have their hair in braids. They also don't use makeup or have any tattoos, piercings, or jewelry.
One time, we were in his room and were just going to get something when his mother rushed in.
She did not know that her son had a partner, so when she saw me and looked at my clothes (which that day happened to be a maxi skirt with the slightest bit of belly visible), she yelled at us in Russian.
We quickly got out and I went home. His mother, however, found out my mother's phone number and complained about me. Apparently, I was the tar who drove her son into sins. Funny, since he had already been cheating on me for about two months.
3. Happily Never After
My first wife’s parents had no concept of boundaries. Her older brother was in and out of rehab all the time, and her sister did shady things to pay for her habit.
We foolishly thought that we'd be able to keep them at arm's length, but she felt guilty and let them pull her back into their dysfunctional messed-up lives. After a while, I couldn't take it anymore and we split.
4. Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth
We were together for 10 years and his mom cried all the time. She made everything about her. For example, one Christmas, her children pooled their money to buy her an expensive TV for Christmas. Her response was chilling. When she opened it, she burst into miserable tears, saying it wouldn't fit in her favorite TV cabinet. She then kept repeating how disappointed she was in the presence of everyone for the rest of the holidays.
She also referred to her daughter-in-law as "the vessel" that provided her grandchildren.
