Reply #3: My mother-in-law is not doing my marriage any good. [View All]

No matter what I do or say, she always has to offer some sort of an "alternative." So I've started to mock her by using her "alternatives" just to see her suggest the thing I said the first time. She doesn't notice because correcting people is a knee-jerk reaction, but my wife sees what I'm doing, and is not happy about it.

My mother-in-law is ruining my marriage, which has lasted for 16 years fo far. I've bit my tongue for over a decade and a half, but my patience is finally exhausted. And now the obnoxious hag is staying over for the holidays, and I've got to tell my wife that I'm going to stay with the neighbors. This is not going to go over well, but it's either my staying elsewhere or blowing my top and telling the mother-in-law what I think of her. For years I've been writing down instances of how she pisses me off (it's the way I deal with it and simmer down), and my notes now exceed 500 pages.

It's not a question of trying harder - it's a question of no gas left in the patience tank and no desire to try to be nice to a bitter old bitch anymore. As much as I love my wife, if the mother-in-law's constant presence is inevitable, then so is at a minimum a trial separation.

My grievance? My mother-in-law is in excellent health.