How to deal with difficult MIL

I agree as well, you do NOT have to support someones extravegent shopping and lifestyle. We do not have to let our parents abuse us and take advantage of us in any way. Sometimes you need to set limits and boundries and say no, if they are upset oh well. Your husband should kindly say mom, this is all I will send, period. I can send no more and if you are angry it is your problem. I am doing the best I can, and placing your desires in wordly things like fancy cars, shopping and showing off is haram and I will not support it!! Let her be mad, he can write to her and still send the money he can and she will come around when she realizes the tantrum isn't working. And he should tell her that she Has to respect his wife if she wants a relationship with him, he needs to call her on her bad behaviour and Use the Quran if needed by quoting versus. If she won't listen send a letter. She has no right to demand you work, and it is very bad that she is against you because you are a different race, this is totally haram and should not be stood for in any way. Peace

You cant be a good muslim if you are not decent and have a cold heart. Be a decent and kind person and care for women and children and the elderly.

Asalamu Alaikum,

I dont even know where to begin. My husband and I have known eachother for almost 12 years and have been married for almost 10. We are expecting our first baby in less than two months. A few months ago, my husband lost his job and was out of work for two months, and he had no income whasoever. Alhamdulillah my husband was able to find an excellent job and is now working, although we were forced to move to another city for the job. I had been working part time and used the money I had saved for the baby to pay some of our bills during the time my husband wasnt working.

My husband has been having problems with his mother for some time now. She is still married and her husband gives her a VERY large amount of money to live on every month (she has lived away from her husband for many years to accompany her two daughters at college), plus her rent is paid for in addition to that. She doesnt know what her son makes for a salary, but has been demanding that he pay her $1000 a month for support...she began calling and asking for this the VERY FIRST DAY he started his new job. When they talk on the phone, the ONLY thing she talks about is money (that she doenst have any), or about her husband (my husbands father). She never asks about our baby, she never asks her son how his life is going- this hurts my husband so much. She continuously slanders me and her son, accusing us of doing things we didnt do- I have not done anything bad to her, but she doesnt accept me because Im American, and I also believe she is envious of me (she has told my husband that he treats me better than he treats her, and gives me all his money to spend, which is completely untrue, and very hurtful to me- she doesnt even live near us to know how he treats me). She has done many things to me that have hurt me very deeply, and I have always been nice to her since day 1. Over the last year or two, she has really crossed the line and we no longer speak. I am a very honest person and was raised with strong morals, which makes this so hard to deal with. I dont feel singled out though, because she has problems with many people, and lots of family members. Unfortunately, she is known as the family trouble-maker.

He comes to me for advice, but I tell him that I am the wrong person to ask. I tell him to send what he can afford. I can tell you that he cannot afford to send her $1000 each month...he told her that he will send her $500 starting in August when we get caught up on our bills (from him not working). In addition, he is paying for a $5000 credit card she took out so she could have elective laser eye surgery. She wouldnt accept his offer and stopped speaking to him (this is the second time this happened- she stopped speaking to him for 9 months the last time he told her he couldnt afford $1000 a month for her about a year and a half ago). Currently we have our existing home in our old city up for sale, but we still have to make payments on it until it is sold. In this new city, we are having to stay in an extended stay hotel until our new home is ready to move into. The hotel is the cheapest we could find and its dirty and in an unsafe area and not the kind of place anyone wants to stay, but we have to. My mother in law doesnt try to understand what we are going through, and refuses to accept what her son is telling her. Plus I am more than 7 months pregnant and we havent bought anything for the baby yet...so we still have that expense ahead of us. My parents have been a big help to us in that they will pay for the baby furniture and a lot of the clothing.

So is my husband required to give his mother money, even though she doesnt need it? Even though she doesnt care about us at all and treats us badly? I dont expect that she will acknowledge her grand daughter when she is born, since she never has asked about her. She always claims she needs money, yet she drives a Mercedes, lives in a very expensive area of Beirut, buys expensive jewelry, and for example even spent $250 on face creams when she went shopping with her son during his last visit. My husbands two sisters have college degrees and havent made an effort to work at all. I would think that if their mother was really desperate for money they would also make an effort to help her too. They say its only the sons responsibility to help his parents, which I disagree with. Islam doesnt differentiate between sons and daughters in this aspect. Yet my mother in law has to audacity to tell my husband that I should be working full time...what so I can pay some of our expenses so he can afford to send her more money? That doesnt make sense at all...my responsibility is to my husband, child, and my own parents, not to her.

How do we get through this? How does my husband deal with his mother when she is being so cruel? Should he send her money even if she is mean to him and wont speak to him? He is ready to cut her out of his life, but I told him this is the wrong thing to do.

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Jenni Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 10 June 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 705	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jenni Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 June 2006 at 10:38am
	I agree as well, you do NOT have to support someones extravegent shopping and lifestyle. We do not have to let our parents abuse us and take advantage of us in any way. Sometimes you need to set limits and boundries and say no, if they are upset oh well. Your husband should kindly say mom, this is all I will send, period. I can send no more and if you are angry it is your problem. I am doing the best I can, and placing your desires in wordly things like fancy cars, shopping and showing off is haram and I will not support it!! Let her be mad, he can write to her and still send the money he can and she will come around when she realizes the tantrum isn't working. And he should tell her that she Has to respect his wife if she wants a relationship with him, he needs to call her on her bad behaviour and Use the Quran if needed by quoting versus. If she won't listen send a letter. She has no right to demand you work, and it is very bad that she is against you because you are a different race, this is totally haram and should not be stood for in any way. Peace
	You cant be a good muslim if you are not decent and have a cold heart. Be a decent and kind person and care for women and children and the elderly.

Angela Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 July 2005 Status: Offline Points: 2555	Post Options Post Reply Quote Angela Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 June 2006 at 10:09am
	I don't think he should cut her out of his life, but it sounds like he's put his foot down which is good. He just needs to let his mother know that he has a child to be responisble for and that he cannot pay her money to live like a queen when his wife and child are waiting for a home. I know what its like to deal with a difficult InLaw, mine is my Father in Law. We are told by God to honor our parents. However, that doesn't mean pay for them to drive a Mercedes and buy $250 facial cream. Focus on the Baby and keep faith. Things are going to change very soon for you and your husband. Perhaps we Sisters can help with the other things. Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl? Perhaps we can help by sending you some little things. Like a long distance baby shower? What do you think ladies???? Edited by Angela

222dnallohc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 21 March 2005 Status: Offline Points: 27	Post Options Post Reply Quote 222dnallohc Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 June 2006 at 9:29am
	Asalamu Alaikum, I dont even know where to begin. My husband and I have known eachother for almost 12 years and have been married for almost 10. We are expecting our first baby in less than two months. A few months ago, my husband lost his job and was out of work for two months, and he had no income whasoever. Alhamdulillah my husband was able to find an excellent job and is now working, although we were forced to move to another city for the job. I had been working part time and used the money I had saved for the baby to pay some of our bills during the time my husband wasnt working. My husband has been having problems with his mother for some time now. She is still married and her husband gives her a VERY large amount of money to live on every month (she has lived away from her husband for many years to accompany her two daughters at college), plus her rent is paid for in addition to that. She doesnt know what her son makes for a salary, but has been demanding that he pay her $1000 a month for support...she began calling and asking for this the VERY FIRST DAY he started his new job. When they talk on the phone, the ONLY thing she talks about is money (that she doenst have any), or about her husband (my husbands father). She never asks about our baby, she never asks her son how his life is going- this hurts my husband so much. She continuously slanders me and her son, accusing us of doing things we didnt do- I have not done anything bad to her, but she doesnt accept me because Im American, and I also believe she is envious of me (she has told my husband that he treats me better than he treats her, and gives me all his money to spend, which is completely untrue, and very hurtful to me- she doesnt even live near us to know how he treats me). She has done many things to me that have hurt me very deeply, and I have always been nice to her since day 1. Over the last year or two, she has really crossed the line and we no longer speak. I am a very honest person and was raised with strong morals, which makes this so hard to deal with. I dont feel singled out though, because she has problems with many people, and lots of family members. Unfortunately, she is known as the family trouble-maker. He comes to me for advice, but I tell him that I am the wrong person to ask. I tell him to send what he can afford. I can tell you that he cannot afford to send her $1000 each month...he told her that he will send her $500 starting in August when we get caught up on our bills (from him not working). In addition, he is paying for a $5000 credit card she took out so she could have elective laser eye surgery. She wouldnt accept his offer and stopped speaking to him (this is the second time this happened- she stopped speaking to him for 9 months the last time he told her he couldnt afford $1000 a month for her about a year and a half ago). Currently we have our existing home in our old city up for sale, but we still have to make payments on it until it is sold. In this new city, we are having to stay in an extended stay hotel until our new home is ready to move into. The hotel is the cheapest we could find and its dirty and in an unsafe area and not the kind of place anyone wants to stay, but we have to. My mother in law doesnt try to understand what we are going through, and refuses to accept what her son is telling her. Plus I am more than 7 months pregnant and we havent bought anything for the baby yet...so we still have that expense ahead of us. My parents have been a big help to us in that they will pay for the baby furniture and a lot of the clothing. So is my husband required to give his mother money, even though she doesnt need it? Even though she doesnt care about us at all and treats us badly? I dont expect that she will acknowledge her grand daughter when she is born, since she never has asked about her. She always claims she needs money, yet she drives a Mercedes, lives in a very expensive area of Beirut, buys expensive jewelry, and for example even spent $250 on face creams when she went shopping with her son during his last visit. My husbands two sisters have college degrees and havent made an effort to work at all. I would think that if their mother was really desperate for money they would also make an effort to help her too. They say its only the sons responsibility to help his parents, which I disagree with. Islam doesnt differentiate between sons and daughters in this aspect. Yet my mother in law has to audacity to tell my husband that I should be working full time...what so I can pay some of our expenses so he can afford to send her more money? That doesnt make sense at all...my responsibility is to my husband, child, and my own parents, not to her. How do we get through this? How does my husband deal with his mother when she is being so cruel? Should he send her money even if she is mean to him and wont speak to him? He is ready to cut her out of his life, but I told him this is the wrong thing to do.