Mother and daughter-in-law relationships can be complicated at times. However, they become even worse when the mother-in-law seemingly pays no attention to what their daughter-in-law enjoys or is interested in.
The Ask Women platform on Reddit asked what the worst gift their mothers-in-law had ever given them. It didn’t take long for women to begin sharing their stories. They shared their experiences of how their mothers-in-law had gifted them items they could never have used or even wanted, and many others sympathized; they knew what the women were going through.
The post garnered over 200 comments, each generating its likes. Women chimed in, expressing how ridiculous the items were and sharing stories about their equally unbelievable mothers-in-law.
A woman holding out a gift | Source: Getty Images
10. The Team Player
One woman had been dating her now-husband for a while when she celebrated her first birthday with his family. As they commemorated the day, her husband’s mother gave her a strange gift.
Her mother-in-law had gifted her a bikini decorated with a sports team’s logo. Even though the woman did not support that team, her mother-in-law had chosen the gift because her husband’s first wife had been the team’s fan.
Bikini hanging on a washing line | Source: Getty Images
9. Tissue Issues
Although one commenter lacked a personal story, she shared it on behalf of her sister. The weird gift did not come from her sister’s mother-in-law but from her aunt-in-law’s in-laws.
The woman’s aunt-in-law’s mother-in-law bought her an empty Kleenex box, explaining that she found it aesthetically pleasing. The poster clarified that while the woman was mentally sound, she still found it strange.
A box of tissues | Source: Getty Images
8. The Weighty Gift
One woman commented that she had received a Christmas present from her mother-in-law a few years before the Reddit post. She admitted:
“Took a while to get over that one.”
Although presents don’t usually cause so much trauma that you need to get over them, this woman’s mother-in-law ensured that hers did when she gifted her daughter-in-law a scale.
A scale and measuring tape | Source: Getty Images
7. Ghastly Gift Card
Four months before the gift, a woman diagnosed with melanoma was shocked when her mother-in-law handed her a gift card that could only have worsened her condition.
The woman revealed that even after she had shared her diagnosis with her loved ones, including her mother-in-law, she received a $100 gift card to a tanning salon from her partner’s mother.
A woman holding up a gift card | Source: Getty Images
6. Motivational Madness
While many women have experienced their mothers-in-law buying them clothes that don’t align with their style, this woman’s mother-in-law didn’t have this problem. Yet there was an even bigger one at play.
The woman shared that her mother-in-law consistently bought her clothing that was too small for her so she would feel motivated to lose weight. She quipped: “Yeah, good luck with that.”
A woman measuring her waist | Source: Getty Images
5. Static Slippers
One woman was not in it alone when her mother-in-law bought her and her sister-in-law slippers that matched hers. The woman was not offended by having matching slippers with the other two women but was horrified at the slippers themselves.
The slippers were ankle-length, leopard-print slippers with a unique feature. These slippers glowed in the dark from static. A few people liked this post so much that they upvoted it.
A woman wearing leopard-print slippers | Source: Getty Images
4. Diaper Bag Disaster
A woman who had married into a conservative family shared something that happened to her at Christmas before she and her husband tied the knot. The woman’s soon-to-be mother-in-law had gifted her a designer diaper bag.
The woman shared that she was unmarried, never expressed a desire to have children, may have been overweight, and was not pregnant. She thanked her mother-in-law but knew there was a slim chance she had accidentally bought a diaper bag, thinking it was something else.
A floral diaper bag on a counter | Source: Getty Images
3. Angel Wings
When a woman was married to her first husband, they were religious. His mother assumed the woman wanted to fill her home with angel statues and gave her one every holiday.
The woman shared that each statue she got was bigger than the last until her mother-in-law finally gifted her an enormous angel statue with hinged wings that spanned as wide as her arm.
Cherub statue | Source: Getty Images
2. Piercing Pain
While one woman’s in-laws always got her lovely gifts, she admitted receiving one she didn’t quite understand. Her mother-in-law had given her a pair of earrings for Christmas once.
Although the earrings weren’t a problem, the woman did not have pierced ears, and she felt too awkward to tell them, so she now has earrings she can’t wear. What made matters worse was that her partner knew her ears weren’t pierced, and he was aware his mother was getting her earrings, but he didn’t say anything to his parents.
Gold drop earrings | Source: Getty Images
1 . Wedding Shower Woes
Before becoming her mother-in-law, one woman showed her soon-to-be daughter-in-law exactly how much she meant to her with her wedding shower gift.
The woman’s mother-in-law gifted her a cracked Pyrex pie plate. The crack was on the bottom of the container. The older woman also proudly announced that she had bought the dish for only a dollar at an auction.
A ceramic pie dish | Source: Getty Images
Many women have experienced terrible gifts from their mothers-in-law, but many others have suffered far worse.
