Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Monster-In-Law Puts DIL’s Life In Danger, Gets Escorted Out By Cops And Banned From Their Home
If you have a life-threatening condition, the last thing you expect is to battle your own family to stay safe. But that’s what happened to Reddit user u/SmartSinner.
Her mother-in-law repeatedly ignored her severe peanut allergy and brought peanuts into her home. This time, while her husband had been away and the lady did it again, the Redditor decided enough was enough and called the police.
As you might suspect, the fallout was dramatic, and when her spouse found out about it, he was shocked.
RELATED:
Mothers- and daughters-in-law can have it pretty good if they try
Image credits: lipik / freepik (not the actual photo)
But the two might also become enemies if there’s a lack of respect between them
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SmartSinner
Anyone can develop a food allergy, even without a family history
Image credits: Helena Lopes / unsplash (not the actual photo)
You can’t really blame the woman for her condition. Anyone can develop a food allergy, even those whose parents don’t have one.
In fact, a study of 1,252 mothers and 1,225 fathers of food-allergic children revealed about 13.7% of all parents reported having a food allergy themselves. And in reality, even that number is likely too high. Another paper revealed that only 28% of those parents who self‐reported a food allergy tested positive when objectively evaluated (skin prick or blood test). So actual confirmed food allergy in parents was much lower.
Either way, there are plenty of people like our Redditor. According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), roughly one in ten (33 million) Americans have food allergies. Of those, more than half (51%) claim they’ve experienced a severe reaction at some point in their lives.
When it comes to peanut allergies in particular, a 2021 study found that 2.9% of U.S. adults self-reported having one.
Between 2007 and 2016, insurance claim lines involving diagnoses of anaphylactic food reactions increased by 377%.
Peanut allergy is the most common cause of anaphylaxis due to food, and this medical emergency requires treatment with an epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen, Auvi-Q, others) and a trip to the emergency room.
Peanut allergy occurs when the immune system flags peanut proteins as harmful and releases symptom-causing chemicals into the bloodstream. These chemicals cause an allergic reaction. There are a few ways this can happen:
Direct contact. The most common cause of peanut allergy is eating peanuts or foods that contain peanuts.
Cross-contact. This happens when peanuts get into a product by mistake. It often happens when food is exposed to peanuts during processing or handling.
Inhalation. Breathing in dust or aerosols containing peanuts, such as peanut flour, may cause an allergic reaction.
Many people who read the woman’s story justified her calling the police
Some, however, claimed it was an overreaction
Later, the woman released an update on her situation
Image credits: natalystep / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: whyframestudio / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: SmartSinner
Husbands don’t always side with their wives when they argue with their moms
Image credits: Vitaly Gariev / unsplash (not the actual photo)
A common generalization is that men are more comfortable than women in engaging directly in conflict. However, writer and psychologist Dr. Terri Apter says, “In a family setting, this common ‘truth’ turns out to be nonsense.”
“In fact, men have a lower tolerance for probing conversation and verbal conflict. John Gottman at the University of Washington monitored heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline levels of both spouses during marital quarrels, and found that men become physiologically overwhelmed much more quickly than women. With his pulse rate rising rapidly during an argument, and his elevated pressure, a husband may instinctively remove himself from the fray,” explains Apter, author of Difficult Mothers: Understanding and Overcoming Their Power.
This “stonewalling” technique, according to her, is a defence mechanism against the stimuli that flood our system when we sense danger. Going blank, refusing to show a response, or leaving the room are all defensive acts, and when it comes to family fights, men are really good at ejecting themselves from the situation. So the fact that the Redditor’s husband chose to actively support her is commendable.
“In-law relationships are not simple,” Apter adds. “Balancing loyalties, drawing boundaries between ourselves and the people we love, and resisting the self-protective biases that blind us to our own unfairness are all essential to prevent in-law conflict from overwhelming a marriage—and to silence those cries of ‘Whose side are you on?'”
People were glad to hear her husband took her side
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Jihana 1 month ago
Who visits someone, plops down on the couch and opens a pack of peanuts, probably leaving a huge mess? Allergy aside, that's disrespectful as hell. Combined with the known allergy it means that she INTENTIONALLY wanted OP to come in contact with the allergen, most likely to prove a point. That's attempted murder, nothing else.
Antoinette the Red 1 month ago
Yeah, it sounds kind of wild to me that a person would bring a bag of SHELLED peanuts ANYWHERE with them.
Load More Replies...
nut nibbler 1 month ago
TBH I'd be weary of any cards or presents she sends as well. I could imagine her wiping peanuts over them to try and prove a point.
Tabitha 1 month ago (edited)
I know I’ve made this comment before, it I’m going to make it again. I am 64, and have NEVER heard of anyone who thought an allergy was just a preference, or even worse, that overexposure to an allergen “cures” the allergy. Never ever heard that in my entire life. I went to school with kids who had severe allergies to a variety of things, and never once did their parents ever expose them to their allergens, because they did NOT want to see their child suffer!!! So I have no idea where that c**p came from, and I mean at any time from the 1960s to the present—-except for the recent stupidity of anti-vaxxers, who are all completely f****d in the head anyway. When I was in school, we were given vaccinations for free during school hours. Also, my BCG vaccination scar on my upper arm has finally faded after 60-odd years. The BCG vaccination is against smallpox. I also remember the rubella vaccination and a variety of others when I was a kid, and the boosters I have gotten as an adult. Of course, when I was a baby, I got ALL the available infant and baby vaccines, for polio, and other diseases, especially the childhood ones like whooping cough. You see, my mother, who was born in 1920, lost an older sister in 1919 to scarlet fever (believe it or not, it was not Spanish Influenza but scarlet fever). Her sister was only 2 years old. She also saw childhood friends get sick and die from diseases that are now preventable. So did my father, who also lost his favorite aunt to asthma when she was only 20. So of course they both made damned sure that they and ALL their children were vaccinated, including yearly flu shots. Ask anyone who’s a senior citizen about things like rubella (aka German measles) and polio, and how terrifying it was to think they or their kids could catch either disease, and end up in an iron lung or dead—-and how much of a relief it was when vaccines against both diseases came out. We need to remember just how lucky we are, in comparison to our ancestors.
Cee Cee 1 month ago
I thought the BCG was for tuberculosis rather than smallpox.
Load More Replies...
KatSaidWhat 1 month ago
And the YTAs are off the meds again........ If you ignore my life threatening allergy a second time and deliberately open nuts around me, I too am calling the cops. maybe then you will take it seriously.
person (i think) 1 month ago
If it was t serious, the police would not have taken the MIL in for questioning
howdylee 1 month ago
I'm not allergic and don't know anyone who is, but I've never had the thought of "hey I'm going to visit *someone's* house, I'll bring along a bag of peanuts." WTF does that?!?
R Dennis 1 month ago
People who don't respect others. My sister has severe gluten intolerance, so when we have family dinners I make sure there are plenty of gluten free items. My SIL's family is Muslim, so I make sure there are plenty of alcohol free items and separate haram foods if there are any - not an allergy, but still just being respectful. It doesn't take much to be courteous...
Load More Replies...
Trillian 1 month ago
Should have sone this the first time around. Also, does this woman HAVE A KEY???? Like, wtf is a surprise visit, people just letting themselves into your house? Hell no.
Tyke 1 month ago (edited)
My MIL has a key (she used to live here before i moved in). She's elderly but likes her routine, so she still shops close to us, but needs a rest so pops round ours. She always knocks before coming in, if I'm say working or busy, she just gets a cuppa, watches some TV (sometimes does our washing up!) then leaves. She also picks my kid up from school twice a week so I feel a bit of give and take is fair. It works fine, but she respects our boundaries.
Load More Replies...
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
Even if the DIL *was* making up the severity of her allergies, it was her house and her request and there's no reason in the world for the MIL to defy that request. Like a toddler, the MIL just had to test the boundaries. FAFO.
Moira 1 month ago
I'm a big fan of true crime, I know I'm biased, but I can't stop thinking MIL tried to k**l her, like... She doesn't even need to find a strong poison, just normal peanuts that she can buy anywhere, nothing "suspicious" that would come back at her. As someone said on the comments, MIL even waited to her to be alone, so if she had a strong reaction nobody would help her...
Kerry Borthwick 1 month ago
My eldest has epi pen coz of her peanut allergy so it taken so seriously if someone tried to do that to her she would have a angry mama bear to protect her
meeeeeeeeeeee 1 month ago
I think it was an overreaction that I'd never even think of, but at the same time, a justified overreaction. If this were the result, people might start taking allergies seriously. I think it's probably best to call the police on them somewhere like the US, just so their life can also be in danger, and they will think twice.
Emilu 1 month ago (edited)
What a piece of work (both the MIL and the SIL). OP has an actual allergy that could kill her; it isn't as though she's taken up not having peanuts like it's the new trend. I hope OP's limited contact with MIL, but also told her *why* she's limited contact. Bluntly. I'm talking in the "you could have killed me, and the fact that you didn't care about that makes you a lousy person." sort of way.
Shaena N. Spencer 1 month ago
I have 3 daughters 2 have SEVERE peanut/tree nut allergies. An open jar of PB could cause a life threatening incident. My youngest is so severely allergic if someone in another room had PB she'd break out in hives immediately. So many people have said I'm dramatic and too sensitive. It is infuriating. If me being dramatic saves my child's life then so be it!! You are definitely NTA. MIL is one of those people who probably believe food can't k**l you. She's a moron I'd go NO contact. I'd also respond to the moron messages with a happy GFY finger. The morons defending her can F all the way off!! Btw great hubby you got!!!
Kim Gatlin 1 month ago
Then to tell her she could clean it up later? No she can't. She can't touch peanut shells. It would probably need to be professionally cleaned. What is wrong with people?
Crazy Cat Lady 1 month ago
I have same reaction to sesame seeds and my house is a sesame free zone! Definitely nta!
Somebodys grandmother 1 month ago
I have this allergy... it is a pain in the a*s! People don't always understand how serious this can be!
Ronja Oksanen 1 month ago
What is wrong with people?! If there is ONE food of ONE rule about someone elses house, how can you not respect that? It's easier to visit without than with your poisonous snacks. That MIL behavior was definitely intentional. FAFO bltch, I wish the cops were mean to her.
Scott Rackley 1 month ago
My nephew is like this. He and his sister would stay with me from time to time (cool uncle). I naturally didn't keep any peanut products in the house once we found out. To be on the safe side I even kept a separate set of pots and pans and utensils in a tote that was only used to cook/serve his food, then hand washed and put back in the tote. Even had a couple epi pens stashed. Stuff is life threatening.
K Barnes 1 month ago
This is pretty unbelievable. For someone to love peanuts enough that they bring a bag of shell-on peanuts to snack on while visiting anyone's home, let alone someone with an allergy, seems incredibly unlikely. In addition, peanut allergies are probably the most well known of allergies so to claim that someone doesn't believe in them is also questionable.
Kate Johnson 1 month ago
MIL is dangerously stupid. Not someone you'd ever want around your kids. Hubby's whole family sound dimwitted.
Crystalwitch60 1 month ago
wtf is with those vile YTA,s 🤬gimme just 5 mins with that INHUMAN MONSTER IN LAW just 5 !! vile evil woman , n yup that is basically attempted m u r d e r end off !! I’m so so glad the husband is on ops side. n that monster in law can go F right off n keep on f king off till she gets there then FOff some more !! N stay the hell away , oh n speaking of hell ,sorry mil, lucifer won’t take you , heaven sure as hell won’t , so it’s purgatory for u !! Evil pos , any idiot on this vile planet as don’t believe allergies ,needs to get this kinda reality check , blessed be op n family x
emlab kerba 1 month ago
why does MIL need to eat peanuts so much? Who needs a peanut snack every time they go on a visit? I can't remember the last time I saw someone eating peanuts.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 month ago
This feels very fake to me. Something about how it’s written, plus hitting all the clickbaity Reddit tropes.
Jihana 1 month ago
Who visits someone, plops down on the couch and opens a pack of peanuts, probably leaving a huge mess? Allergy aside, that's disrespectful as hell. Combined with the known allergy it means that she INTENTIONALLY wanted OP to come in contact with the allergen, most likely to prove a point. That's attempted murder, nothing else.
Antoinette the Red 1 month ago
Yeah, it sounds kind of wild to me that a person would bring a bag of SHELLED peanuts ANYWHERE with them.
Load More Replies... nut nibbler 1 month ago
TBH I'd be weary of any cards or presents she sends as well. I could imagine her wiping peanuts over them to try and prove a point.
Tabitha 1 month ago (edited)
I know I’ve made this comment before, it I’m going to make it again. I am 64, and have NEVER heard of anyone who thought an allergy was just a preference, or even worse, that overexposure to an allergen “cures” the allergy. Never ever heard that in my entire life. I went to school with kids who had severe allergies to a variety of things, and never once did their parents ever expose them to their allergens, because they did NOT want to see their child suffer!!! So I have no idea where that c**p came from, and I mean at any time from the 1960s to the present—-except for the recent stupidity of anti-vaxxers, who are all completely f****d in the head anyway. When I was in school, we were given vaccinations for free during school hours. Also, my BCG vaccination scar on my upper arm has finally faded after 60-odd years. The BCG vaccination is against smallpox. I also remember the rubella vaccination and a variety of others when I was a kid, and the boosters I have gotten as an adult. Of course, when I was a baby, I got ALL the available infant and baby vaccines, for polio, and other diseases, especially the childhood ones like whooping cough. You see, my mother, who was born in 1920, lost an older sister in 1919 to scarlet fever (believe it or not, it was not Spanish Influenza but scarlet fever). Her sister was only 2 years old. She also saw childhood friends get sick and die from diseases that are now preventable. So did my father, who also lost his favorite aunt to asthma when she was only 20. So of course they both made damned sure that they and ALL their children were vaccinated, including yearly flu shots. Ask anyone who’s a senior citizen about things like rubella (aka German measles) and polio, and how terrifying it was to think they or their kids could catch either disease, and end up in an iron lung or dead—-and how much of a relief it was when vaccines against both diseases came out. We need to remember just how lucky we are, in comparison to our ancestors.
Cee Cee 1 month ago
I thought the BCG was for tuberculosis rather than smallpox.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 1 month ago
And the YTAs are off the meds again........ If you ignore my life threatening allergy a second time and deliberately open nuts around me, I too am calling the cops. maybe then you will take it seriously.
person (i think) 1 month ago
If it was t serious, the police would not have taken the MIL in for questioning
howdylee 1 month ago
I'm not allergic and don't know anyone who is, but I've never had the thought of "hey I'm going to visit *someone's* house, I'll bring along a bag of peanuts." WTF does that?!?
R Dennis 1 month ago
People who don't respect others. My sister has severe gluten intolerance, so when we have family dinners I make sure there are plenty of gluten free items. My SIL's family is Muslim, so I make sure there are plenty of alcohol free items and separate haram foods if there are any - not an allergy, but still just being respectful. It doesn't take much to be courteous...
Load More Replies... Trillian 1 month ago
Should have sone this the first time around. Also, does this woman HAVE A KEY???? Like, wtf is a surprise visit, people just letting themselves into your house? Hell no.
Tyke 1 month ago (edited)
My MIL has a key (she used to live here before i moved in). She's elderly but likes her routine, so she still shops close to us, but needs a rest so pops round ours. She always knocks before coming in, if I'm say working or busy, she just gets a cuppa, watches some TV (sometimes does our washing up!) then leaves. She also picks my kid up from school twice a week so I feel a bit of give and take is fair. It works fine, but she respects our boundaries.
Load More Replies... Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
Even if the DIL *was* making up the severity of her allergies, it was her house and her request and there's no reason in the world for the MIL to defy that request. Like a toddler, the MIL just had to test the boundaries. FAFO.
Moira 1 month ago
I'm a big fan of true crime, I know I'm biased, but I can't stop thinking MIL tried to k**l her, like... She doesn't even need to find a strong poison, just normal peanuts that she can buy anywhere, nothing "suspicious" that would come back at her. As someone said on the comments, MIL even waited to her to be alone, so if she had a strong reaction nobody would help her...
Kerry Borthwick 1 month ago
My eldest has epi pen coz of her peanut allergy so it taken so seriously if someone tried to do that to her she would have a angry mama bear to protect her
meeeeeeeeeeee 1 month ago
I think it was an overreaction that I'd never even think of, but at the same time, a justified overreaction. If this were the result, people might start taking allergies seriously. I think it's probably best to call the police on them somewhere like the US, just so their life can also be in danger, and they will think twice.
Emilu 1 month ago (edited)
What a piece of work (both the MIL and the SIL). OP has an actual allergy that could kill her; it isn't as though she's taken up not having peanuts like it's the new trend. I hope OP's limited contact with MIL, but also told her *why* she's limited contact. Bluntly. I'm talking in the "you could have killed me, and the fact that you didn't care about that makes you a lousy person." sort of way.
Shaena N. Spencer 1 month ago
I have 3 daughters 2 have SEVERE peanut/tree nut allergies. An open jar of PB could cause a life threatening incident. My youngest is so severely allergic if someone in another room had PB she'd break out in hives immediately. So many people have said I'm dramatic and too sensitive. It is infuriating. If me being dramatic saves my child's life then so be it!! You are definitely NTA. MIL is one of those people who probably believe food can't k**l you. She's a moron I'd go NO contact. I'd also respond to the moron messages with a happy GFY finger. The morons defending her can F all the way off!! Btw great hubby you got!!!
Kim Gatlin 1 month ago
Then to tell her she could clean it up later? No she can't. She can't touch peanut shells. It would probably need to be professionally cleaned. What is wrong with people?
Crazy Cat Lady 1 month ago
I have same reaction to sesame seeds and my house is a sesame free zone! Definitely nta!
Somebodys grandmother 1 month ago
I have this allergy... it is a pain in the a*s! People don't always understand how serious this can be!
Ronja Oksanen 1 month ago
What is wrong with people?! If there is ONE food of ONE rule about someone elses house, how can you not respect that? It's easier to visit without than with your poisonous snacks. That MIL behavior was definitely intentional. FAFO bltch, I wish the cops were mean to her.
Scott Rackley 1 month ago
My nephew is like this. He and his sister would stay with me from time to time (cool uncle). I naturally didn't keep any peanut products in the house once we found out. To be on the safe side I even kept a separate set of pots and pans and utensils in a tote that was only used to cook/serve his food, then hand washed and put back in the tote. Even had a couple epi pens stashed. Stuff is life threatening.
K Barnes 1 month ago
This is pretty unbelievable. For someone to love peanuts enough that they bring a bag of shell-on peanuts to snack on while visiting anyone's home, let alone someone with an allergy, seems incredibly unlikely. In addition, peanut allergies are probably the most well known of allergies so to claim that someone doesn't believe in them is also questionable.
Kate Johnson 1 month ago
MIL is dangerously stupid. Not someone you'd ever want around your kids. Hubby's whole family sound dimwitted.
Crystalwitch60 1 month ago
wtf is with those vile YTA,s 🤬gimme just 5 mins with that INHUMAN MONSTER IN LAW just 5 !! vile evil woman , n yup that is basically attempted m u r d e r end off !! I’m so so glad the husband is on ops side. n that monster in law can go F right off n keep on f king off till she gets there then FOff some more !! N stay the hell away , oh n speaking of hell ,sorry mil, lucifer won’t take you , heaven sure as hell won’t , so it’s purgatory for u !! Evil pos , any idiot on this vile planet as don’t believe allergies ,needs to get this kinda reality check , blessed be op n family x
emlab kerba 1 month ago
why does MIL need to eat peanuts so much? Who needs a peanut snack every time they go on a visit? I can't remember the last time I saw someone eating peanuts.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 month ago
This feels very fake to me. Something about how it’s written, plus hitting all the clickbaity Reddit tropes.
You May Like Couple Trick Clingy MIL By Changing Their Vacation Plans Last Minute: "Cue The Waterworks And Victimization" Woman Excludes Her Daughter-In-Law For Years Then Acts Surprised When She Goes No-Contact Woman Refuses To Host Thanksgiving For 30 People, Pushy Family Still Tries To Guilt-Trip Her Into It
Mantas Kačerauskas
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Related on Bored Panda
53
57