Hello, darling readers! It’s your favorite sassy and witty commentator, Roger, diving deep into the trenches of Reddit to bring you a story that’s bound to curl more than just your toes. Straight from the diary of a real person, we’ve stumbled upon a tale that reeks of familial overstepping, burger snobbery, and the perplexing case of the bathroom hair. So, buckle up, buttercups, because you’re in for a wild ride with Roger’s Hot Take on this soap opera-esque drama.
Once upon a serene Sunday, our protagonist, a charming 27-year-old damsel, finds herself entangled in the latest episode of ‘FIL’s Follies.’ Married to her dear husband for three blissful years, life should be peaches and cream, right? Wrong. Enter the villain of our story: The Father-In-Law (64, and apparently, a culinary critic and part-time detective).
In the grand tradition of in-laws crossing boundaries since the dawn of time, FIL doesn’t disappoint. From commandeering their newly purchased, scarcely furnished home for an engagement party (plot twist: without our heroine’s consent) to criticizing the menu of every gathering with the finesse of a disgruntled Gordon Ramsay, he’s done it all. But dear readers, it’s the baffling incident of this Sunday past that takes the proverbial cake.
Imagine, if you will, returning home to find a cryptic pile of hair on your bathroom counter. Not in the trash, oh no, but delicately placed as though it were a twisted treasure left by a follicle-obsessed pirate. This isn’t just a boundary crossed; it’s the boundary obliterated, with a side of ‘Yikes!’
As our heroine grapples with her FIL’s bizarre behavior, we can’t help but ask: What drives a man to comment on burger shapes, demand beef over chicken, inspect refrigerators, and—most hauntingly—leave hair nests as calling cards? Is it a critique veiled as OCD, or perhaps a misguided attempt at bonding? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a power play, a territorial marking of the most hair-raising kind.
Now, as we sit amidst the wreckage of our dropped jaws, it’s time for Roger’s Hot Take. To our dear protagonist: No, you’re not overreacting. Navigating the murky waters of in-law dynamics is akin to disarming a bomb while blindfolded. But here’s the twist: Your home is your castle, sweetie, and you’re the reigning queen. It’s time to raise the drawbridge against any and all overbearing FILs.
Advice? Encourage DH to define those boundaries with a neon marker. And perhaps invest in a lock for that comb…or consider a hairless home. Jokes aside, communication is key. A heart-to-heart with DH about the importance of a united front might just turn the tide. And remember, though the FIL may bluster and inspect, it’s the courage to stand firm in your comfort zone that truly makes you ‘upper middle class.’
So, brave readers, what’s the moral of this hair-raising saga? Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. Oh, and maybe keep a vacuum cleaner handy for any unexpected hair deposits. Until next time, keep it sassy, savvy, and always a bit scintillating. Roger, over and out.
Original story
Hey y’all! Listener and long time lurker here. I’ve never really made a post like this before, but I’m hoping for some solid advice with this situation. Sorry it’s kinda long!
I (27F) have been married to my DH (dear husband, 26M) for 3 years now. We both come from very different household backgrounds, so I knew the melding process would be a little difficult (e.g. I have one sibling and come from a more reserved, quieter household while DH is from a boisterous house of 9 siblings).
But my relationship with my ILs became strained quickly after lots of boundary crossing. Admittedly, it took me awhile and a few therapy sessions to learn that I have boundaries and how to identify them to enforce them.
One of the biggest and earliest examples of boundary crossing occurred four months before our wedding. My SIL was planning to elope for her wedding, but threw an engagement party with family and friends beforehand. The IL’s were going to host it at their house (they have a huge yard), but the weather was iffy. DH (at that time, fiancé) and I had just bought our house, literally the week before, so there was nothing in it but a table and a mattress. But MIL convinced DH to host the party there without discussing it with me first. I found out about the venue change at the same time as the guests!! Ever since that incident, I’ve been uncomfortable with the ILs in my house. But onto the main issue.
This past Sunday DH wanted to host some of his siblings for a game day. FIL was also going to stay and play. This is part of my main issue with FIL (64M): he seems a little “possessive” (?) of our house. The first time we had hosted some of them at our house for a game day, FIL commented on the quality of our food. We had bought pre-shaped hamburgers from Walmart since we were hosting 5+ people that time. Then he went on a rant about food quality from stores, which was very awkward, especially since they shop at discount food stores since there are 8 of them still at home. The second time I was making chicken burritos and FIL commented that he was disappointed it was chicken and not beef. And that we should buy chicken from the farmers market (honestly I would if it wasn’t so expensive!).
Because of these comments and a myriad of other incidents, I decided to be out of the house this time around and let my husband deal with his FIL (he ordered pizza so the food comments wouldn’t be directed at us). DH later told me that FIL decided “to be nosy” (he literally said that) and scoped out our fridge. He also told my husband that we are “upper middle class” because my husband was using a mechanical pencil (we’re comfortable, but I don’t thing we qualify as upper middle class at all). But the WEIRDEST thing that has left me so perturbed and uncomfortable was that, after they had left and I was home, I found a pile of hair on the clean bathroom counter, halfway hidden under the lotion bottle. My husband’s comb was nearby, and you could clearly see that the hair pile was pulled from the comb and placed on the counter! Why the counter?? The trash can was right below it! And why go pull hair out of someone else’s comb?!
I’m so confused, and so is my husband. I’m 95% sure it was FIL who did it and not one of DH’s siblings. Is this some sort of OCD thing?? I feel like it’s almost a weird message that I need to clean better. And I feel like I have to hide everything in my house now, or perfectly scrub the baseboards before he comes over. I really don’t want the IL’s over at my house anymore, but they keep pushing DH to host his younger siblings at our house instead of theirs. He’s doing better at understanding my boundaries, but he’s used to being used/walked on by his parents. Am I overreacting? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I’ll try to answer any questions as well. Thank you if you read this far, too!