Conflicts between married women and their mother-in-laws are quite common. It’s important to maintain a positive relationship with your in-laws while also taking care of your own well-being. Recently, a woman discovered that her mother-in-law had been meddling behind her back in her own home.

The Babysitting Incident

I (33) and my husband (36) had to leave our 18-month-old daughter with my mother-in-law for the first time. We were a bit worried, but we didn’t have any other options for a babysitter that evening, so we asked her for help. She agreed, but wanted to bring her daughter (29) along.

It’s worth mentioning that I am vegan, and my husband became one after marrying me. We decided to raise our daughter as a vegan too. However, my mother-in-law has never been supportive of this lifestyle choice. She often criticizes our dietary preferences and rarely visits our home unless it’s for a family gathering or she needs something from us. Despite my efforts to involve her in our lives and bond with our daughter, she keeps her distance.

Before leaving our daughter with my mother-in-law, I reminded her that our daughter could only have the specific foods we had in the fridge.

The Shocking Discovery

My husband and I have security cameras installed in our house, which are always on when we’re not home. It’s important to note that my mother-in-law is unaware of their presence. When we returned home, I decided to review the footage from the cameras. What I saw on the screen left me completely shocked.

I witnessed my mother-in-law ordering hamburgers for herself and my sister-in-law, and then sharing them with our daughter. As I continued watching the recording, I was heartbroken to hear my mother-in-law belittling me to my sister-in-law the entire evening. She made derogatory remarks and baseless criticisms, without any consideration for my feelings.

To make matters worse, my daughter seemed upset and was searching for me, but my mother-in-law didn’t even comfort her. Instead, she continued her conversation with my sister-in-law, all the while saying things that demeaned me.

I shared this heartbreaking evidence with my husband, and he is just as upset as I am. Now, I’m contemplating cutting off contact with my mother-in-law, but I’m unsure about what steps to take if my husband doesn’t agree.

Any advice on how to navigate this situation would be greatly appreciated.