Imagine a running back with the football, landing on the lawn a yard from the end zone. Imagine a basketball player going to an empty hoop on a fast break, and instead of a dunk, throwing the ball into the stands. Imagine an actor, already on stage to accept an Oscar, but then quickly running back into the audience.
Can you imagine it? I can’t either, no matter how hard I try. But, well, the user u/No-Worldliness8607, the narrator of our story today, had a rather similar experience with her in-laws. They first tried to persuade her and her husband to move closer to them, promising all kinds of help, but then changed their minds at the eleventh hour.
More info: Reddit
Many people have real troubles with their in-laws, rude, entitled, toxic and ill-mannered – and here’s another story about in-laws literally framing the relatives
Image credits: syda_productions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post and her husband recently agreed to the man’s parents’ coaxing to relocate closer to them
Image credits: user18526052 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author’s in-laws even volunteered to take care of their baby so that the spouses could manage the move more easily
Image credits: faststocklv / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The couple agreed, skipped all their nanny or daycare plans, only for the in-laws to backpedal at the eleventh hour
Image credits: No-Worldliness8607
So now the author is seriously considering cutting all ties with the in-laws and quitting all the relocation plans
So, the original poster (OP) and her spouse live five hours away from his parents, and recently, they’ve been actively trying to persuade the couple to relocate somewhere closer to them. The husband’s parents, among other things, motivated this by the fact that they could take care of their baby, so the couple eventually agreed.
Even though this meant juggling their current jobs, looking for new ones, buying a house from out of state, and generally going through the hassle of moving. Fortunately, the author’s in-laws had announced upfront that they would take care of the kid themselves so that the OP and her husband could fully concentrate on the move.
The man’s parents themselves suggested this idea and persuaded the author to skip any nanny or daycare plans. She agreed – after all, it meant a significant savings for her and her spouse. And then, at the very last minute, when everything was ready and they just needed to drop off the baby with the grandparents, they backpedaled.
Our heroine was furious and demanded an apology from the in-laws. Instead, they came up with another idea, of being replaced by the author’s parents, who actually live 25 hours away, in another state. Now the author is considering cutting all ties with her husband’s parents and doesn’t want to move closer to them at all. So, the woman decided to take this online, seeking support.
Image credits: pressfoto / Freepik (not the actual photo)
“Unfortunately, such ideas about moving somewhere closer to in-laws or parents are often based not simply on good intentions, but on some kind of selfish whims,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. “For example, an idea to control their lives.”
The expert notes that in the described case, it seems as if the author’s husband’s parents were just trying to lure the spouses closer to them by any means, and the promise to take care of the grandkid was apparently just another ploy. And the suggestion that her parents, who live in another state, replace them is something completely out of the ordinary.
“If you volunteer for something so vitally important to your close ones, then no matter how the circumstances develop, you should do your best to keep your word. At least, that’s what emotionally mature people do. Well, in this case, this woman and her husband may well have simply managed to dodge a bullet,” Irina Matveeva presumes.
People in the comments also subjected the author’s in-laws to devastating criticism. And yes, according to many responders, our heroine was simply being tricked into some kind of emotional control – so it’s good that she ultimately changed her mind about moving. “Good to know how much they actually want to help,” someone wisely added. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this?
Many commenters supported the author, claiming that her in-laws are perhaps quite toxic and narcissistic persons, so good for her and her husband to reject the move idea
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