For many people, in-law relationships are quite tricky to navigate. In fact, a 2022 research article revealed that men and women in the United States reported more conflict with their mothers-in-law than their own mothers.
But this isn’t always the case. Others live harmoniously with the families they married into. Some even form unique bonds, many of which are captured in these photos. A lot of these are shared moments of everyday life, from adorable quirks to memorable Christmas gifts.
If you have a pleasant relationship with your in-laws, these images may warm your heart and put a smile on your face.
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It’s Important To Me That The People Of Social Media Know That My Mother-In-Law Crocheted Her Grandcat A Couch
I love the little blankie! I want one in my size!
Load More Replies...The afghan is just as awesome as the couch. Bouche said that it's not big enough for batting things under, which is the only reason to have a couch.
And what kind of sofa would it be without the afghan? What an awesome MIL, even in the details. I wish everyone had MILs like her!
My Sister And Brother-In-Law Gave My Wife And I A Date Night Wallet Filled With Gift Cards For Local Dates. Best Wedding Gift To Give If You Can
Heck, All I gave was a romantic picnic basket with wine...
Load More Replies...I did something like this for a friend whose maid of honour I was. Had already forgotten about it, but it included date ideas for each of their monthaversaries throughout the first year of marriage.
My Father-In-Law Is A "Big, Tough Farmer"
Statistics show that conflict in relationships with in-laws is more common among women. A 2022 BBC report shared a study by psychologist Terri Apter, pointing out that 60% of women admitted to experiencing “long-term unhappiness and stress” because of their ties with female in-laws.
Two-thirds of women also believed their mothers-in-law “exhibited jealous maternal love towards their son.” And out of the 75% of the couples that reported issues with an in-law, only 15% involved men and their mothers-in-law.
We Left Our Dog Bruno With Our Sister-In-Law While We Went On Vacation. I Guess Someone Is Having A Better Time Than We Are
But! It was our traveling day... We were getting ready and left Bruno with sister in law...
Load More Replies...Husband Calls Me Yeti Because My Feet Are Always Cold. My Mother-In-Law Got Me These. I Love This Family
My Daughter And Mother-In-Law Have The Same Birthday, So They Spent The Day As Dinos At The Local Park
Do it now! I occasionally don the dino suit to greet my now preteen off the bus. Gotta do the weird stuff while they still appreciate it!
Load More Replies...A relative had a mother-in-law who was a real dinosaur. Not a good thing in any way.
oddly enough, I have dressed like this, I bought my grandkids inflatable costumes (1 was a dino), but we have not YET done this together!
Sent My Brother-In-Law Some Homemade Jam, And He Sent Me This Picture In Return
My Mother-In-Law Was Visiting Us For Three Weeks, Leaving My Father-In-Law 2,000 Miles Away To Fend For Himself. He Sent Her These Flowers After A Week
Similar experience, week one; how is your vacation, week two; kids don't like my cooking, week three; kids want you to come home, week four; kids are about to meet god...She was home within 24 hours.
Sounds like my Grandad. English Grandma would visit us every 3 years. She cooked 3 weeks of meals because he didn't cook. He had at least one meal at the pub.
But what could be the reason behind these strained relationships? According to a Finnish study, child-rearing is one of the root causes. Tension is common between young married couples with children, and it supposedly begins after the birth of their firstborn.
According to the study, most of these conflicts happen because the child's birth causes grandparents to "influence and interfere in the lives of other family members."
My Brothers-In-Law Showed Up For My Sister-In-Law's Wedding Like This. I Married Well
I Asked My Mother-In-Law If She Checked On My Dog While I Was At Work, I Got This Picture As A Reply
I've been humming that song for like a week. Ding dong
Load More Replies...I work at a vet clinic and dogs and cats always put on weight after staying at grandma's 😂
Sister-In-Law Enjoys Dressing Up Her Dogs
Father-In-Law Wore This To His Radiation Treatment Today
Not to be a spoilsport but that circle is too perfect, seems like it's photoshopped onto the pic
Brother-In-Law Made These. I Took A Bite Expecting A Hot Dog. They're Donuts
He'd eat a dozen before noticing, and wouldn't care which they were. Mmmmm.
Load More Replies...That's impressive. Definitely would surprise me but hey, I love donuts too XD
A few experts spoke to NPR in 2022 and listed five common issues that people face with their spouse’s family, the first one being having nitpicky in-laws. New York-based therapist and writer Moraya Seeger DeGeare advises being open-minded and finding a compromise. Her top tip is to just say “thank you.”
“If someone is genuinely trying to be helpful, responding with snarky comments is not a great way to foster a relationship. Just say thank you and continue to go about your day.
My Mother-In-Law And Her Sister Are Visiting From Brazil And Have Never Seen Snow Before And Their Excitement Is Adorable
I do this every time it snows, and I'm from Germany and live in Colorado, I've seen some snow. But there's something so peaceful about watching it fall....
I had a roommate who was Ethiopian. He told me how excited he’d been the first time he saw snow, but that he hadn’t expected it to be so cold to the touch!
Ethiopia is my favorite country! Its people are incredible and it has such underappreciated history. It has awesome natural beauty, too. It really has something fantastic for everyone. I 💖 🇪🇹
Load More Replies...My husband and I do this every year with the first snow storm. It's very magical
I live in Germany and some friends came to visit last Christmas. We're Spanish, they had never seen snow. I have a very sweet picture of her smiling with five tiny snowflakes on her hat.
I remember a clip about a bike race where one biker stopped mid race because there was some snow on the road side and he was over the moon touching his first snow ever 😄
I remember hearing this comedian talk about his girlfriend who was from Israel and how amazed she was by the snow. I also remember hearing about college students learning English in Brandon University (Brandon, Manitoba, Canada) who saw the snow coming down, took off their shoes, and ran outside in their socks. The next day, they all had colds that they later made full recovery from.
My Russian In-Laws Bought My Newborn An Outfit. Not Even Remotely Surprised
This one goes over my head....are tracksuits some kind of Russian stereotype that I've somehow never heard before? Serious question!
Yes, Russian and eastern European mob/thug uniform 😆
Load More Replies...I Saw This Review While Searching For A Cheap Car Battery
Rearranged The In-Laws' "Believe" Blocks And No One Has Noticed
I'd always rearrange Santa to Satan and hardly anyone ever noticed
It'll be hilarious if this was the background for a family picture without anybody noticing :)
My nephew used to rearrange the Santa blocks to spell Satan and freak out his grandmother. LOL!
Aaand there are all of my Christmas ideas in a perfect little photo
Father-In-Law Does This Every Year. Even Though His Daughter (My Partner) Is Now 26
I did this with my boys, now my oldest does it for his kids.
Turns out, spray on snow doesn't come off roof tiles well. South African
Jesus, is he an a Medieval woodsman? That fireplace looks like it's in an solitary cottage in like a fantasy novel. I want to live there.
That's awesome. When my daughter was about 4 we made "boot prints" in the fireplace using my son's size 12 construction boots. He and my ex crawled up onto the roof over her bedroom (Christmas Eve) and stomped around shaking jingle bells. She was so excited to tell me all about it the next morning.
Getting Ready For My In-Laws To Visit
OMG my mom needs this!! Thank you so much for the idea! The number of times she’d pressed an unnecessary button and called me to come fix her TV…
Definitely thinking about taking this. Ooh business idea: silicone slip covers so you can use it regularly and with open spots for most used buttons. I'll take my MacArthur grant now. Pay up science nerds.🤣
Load More Replies...I've never understood why they're called universal remotes. Please just make one that works for everything.
Could legit patent a silicone sleeve for remotes for kids, people with mental disabilities, and people who are developing cognitive issues
My sons had to do this to my mom's remote and every time the power went out they had to go reprogram everything for her.
This Is Hilarious
I'm non-religious and anytime I've ever heard hung-Ho Christians discussing atheism and agnosticism, they invariably make it plain that without going to church people can't truly be moral. They say this exact thing: how can you be moral without strictly following the religious rules as they see them. Uh, no, guys. I can manage to not be an AH, respect others and do good in the world when I'm able, without religion
"True morality is doing what is right without the threat of divine retribution nor the possibility of divine reward." - Arthur Paliden
Load More Replies...I once got into a conversation with a Christian who said he gave up selling d***s when he found god. He really couldn't understand why I didn't need god to not sell d***s.
As a Catholic I find some discussions absurds... I try to be moral because it is the best thing for me and for the others, not because I fear God retribution (personally I believe the Hell is empty)
I have had strangers tell me I will burn in H***. I enjoy telling them Jews do not believe in H***.
Load More Replies...I love what Ricky Gervais replied to this. "Of course, without the Bible I do all the rape, stealing and murder I want, which is not at all. You don't have to read the Bible to be a good person."
Doing the right thing to reach Heaven or avoid Hell isn't morality. It's basically selfishness.
"What stops me is the bad example set by all those thieves, liars, cheats, and murderers who do read the Bible"
Had Sparklers At My Wedding Reception Last Night. I Think They Won Over My Father-In-Law
When there are sparklers involved. We all become pyromaniacs. And the ones who aren't were standing off to the side video taping the stupidity we get up to
its all fun and games until the roman candles come out
Load More Replies...I was scared of the safe and sane fireworks. Even sparklers. I think Dad was concerned when I asked to light up that cardboard canin every year....
Stand Down Everyone. My Brother And Sister-In-Law Have Already Won Halloween
Brilliant!!! (Tiny detail though, the twins had the hair split to the same side)
My Sister-In-Law Asked Me To Do This To A Picture Of Her Kids
And if they don't behave you show them that and tell them you'll give Dino their address...
Mother-In-Law Just Served Me This Piece Of Cake
One common cause of fights between married couples is the in-laws who want every holiday spent with them. According to DeGeare, a 50-50 split may not always work, especially if the two sides of the family live far apart.
Instead, she advises compromising with your spouse. The worst-case scenario would be spending the holidays with just one side of the family this year and then switching things up the next year.
"It becomes a sore spot when someone's not there, and people don't know why. Tell your family you're going to try something new this year, and if it doesn't work, we can try something different next year."
My Brother-In-Law Made His Cat A Maze Today From Office Boxes
Omg, I see it! Didn't even think it was in the picture at first!
Load More Replies...As an elderly person, I would just like to say that you wasted 40 perfectly good boxes.
I just had to go back and actually count them. Yep, forty perfectly good boxes to make a perfectly good playplace for the 🐈.
Load More Replies...*countdown* "3...2...1... TIMBERRRRRR"*sound of heavy thumping follows*
The Comedy Goldmine That Is My In-Laws
I had four---count 'em FOUR---older brothers. You just have to know I learned well from them. I can belch on cue, can belch the alphabet and my name, can play all the stupid brother games ("I'm Not Touching You" where they have their index finger pointing at me from a millimeter away, things like that), and am good at silly insults and general horsing around stuff. The only thing I couldn't master was playing my armpits. One of my brothers was an accomplished artist with that particular music instrument, and I always envied him for that. Ah well...
The really unusual thing here is a mil who will obey commands.
I can burp on command, I just gulp some air and then tighten my stomach to not accept it, so it comes back up! It's never a decent belch, though, just a little one.
Every Year, My In-Laws Do A Thanksgiving Potato Peeling Contest. Winner Gets To Keep The Trophy Till Next Year
Wrote A Yelp Review For My Father-In-Law
This Is My Father-In-Law. He Fell Asleep Next To A Kangaroo
If that 'Roo were a chef instead of a therapist, it should be named 'Albert'.
Load More Replies...Genuine question. Are kangaroos usually nice and sometimes aggressive? Or usually aggressive? From what I've heard you want to stay away ... but?
Roos aren't necessarily 'aggressive', they just don't want close contact with humans. The one in the picture looks like it might be in a wildlife park though.
Load More Replies...After the first 10 minutes with a kangaroo, you're basically out of small talk.
Children Always Tell The Truth
my grandmother suffered from verbal diarrhea, very painful. for the others.
Same here! She couldn't stand silence so she did her best to fill up every second. One time no one was talking while we were driving in the car and she said "oh look, a tree!". Gee thanks Grandma, we never would have figured that out.
Load More Replies...Two out of 3 of my kids have autism and ADHD. I have had this exact some conversation with the 3rd and he’s not wrong either.
My Air Force Brother-In-Law Is Coming Home For The Birth Of His Son/My Nephew. I'm Picking Him Up From The Airport
How My Irish Mother-In-Law Makes An Apple Tart
its still full of whiskey, baking is a thirsty business
Load More Replies...This isn't that unusual right? I used to use wine bottles for this all the time. The fact you can chill them makes them even better!
One year at Christmas after we moved, I had no rolling pin to make cookies that the kids wanted. All the stores were sold out and ordering online wasn't a thing yet. I bought a dowel rod from the hardware store and used that.
When Your Father-In-Law Wins A Christmas Costume Contest With Trailer Park Santa
Unannounced drop-ins are another issue between in-laws. The situation becomes more problematic when the spouse’s parents deliberately cross these boundaries, which ultimately strains the relationship.
If you’re in this situation, DeGeare advises drawing the line but doing so respectfully. She also shared a short script, in case you’re having trouble going about it:
"I love being able to live close to you and that you have a relationship with your grandchildren. But I'm feeling uncomfortable with how [often] you show up here [unannounced]. In the future, could you shoot me a quick text and let me know you're on your way?"
My Brother-In-Law Was So Proud Of The Shelves He Built
Nah, it’s okay. The picture is staged, the board lies on the ladders step and is balanced
Load More Replies...Ending up so, this ain't called "built", it's "buildished". But, yeah, done similar stuff. I have a shelf I can't unload unless I clear the shelf next to it because I built in reinforcement and measurementisted it a bit off... So, for years, that stuff has been where the spiders go, and ... whatever they do there, it's out of my influence. They just never come out again, so either, they're training some sort of eightlegged seals or such an elite force, or they simply lose directions and die. I don't know. It's just that I've seen like a hundred of them going in, and none ever leaving.
Cut the ladder off. It's not worth so much as these shelves and the pride they bear.
My Wife, Sister-In-Law, And I Were The Witches From Hocus Pocus
Oh noooo 😮 I just got that!! I was like "huh, I guess that person wanted anonymity" 😅
Load More Replies...My Sister-In-Law Just Posted This. She Told My Brother, "Use Those DIY Books And Fix The Chair", Done
Sister-In-Law Orders A Japanese Whiskey For Me Every Christmas. I Don’t Think She Read The Description This Time When She Shipped Me A $50 Bottle Of Soy Sauce
Shoyu is incredible; get some. The difference between it and Kikkoman is like the difference between quality barrel aged balsamic from Italy vs balsamic you get at Subway.
Load More Replies...Which sadly means I can't partake😔 migraines no matter what it is, if it's barrel aged
Load More Replies...... I'd very much prefer a decent soy sauce over any and every whisky. But, that may be because I don't like alcohol. My bike, in its previous iteration, was a very qualified drinker, and a japanese, who wouldn't even go a single mile without 85% booze. But ... other topic, we'll have that one elsewhen...
Father-In-Law Just Sent Me This From Vegas, Mother-In-Law Told Him, "We Loved The Fast And The Furious"
Don't know what crisco is but in this context I'm pretty sure it's some kind of greasy oil!!!
Load More Replies...My Father-In-Law Labels All His Plants
I sometimes have plants labelled BoTD. Benefit of the doubt - because I don't know what they are, but don't want to pull them up, just in case they are a flower.
Continuing on drawing boundaries, a usual problem in this vein involves politics talk. If you’re the type who loves to debate on this specific topic, you may spark tension.
In this case, author R. Eric Thomas advises taking a step back and agreeing to disagree, especially with in-laws who are button-pushers. It can be as simple as politely declining to speak about a specific topic. He also reminds us of the importance of standing one’s ground when necessary.
"Sometimes we let people in our family get a pass in a way that we wouldn't let other people. But we don't owe our family members more of ourselves to the detriment of ourselves."
In-Laws Live Next To Us, Wife Ran Out Of Baking Powder. This Is How My Mother-In-Law Sent Me Back Home
And so? This is a proven method for delivering little amounts of white powder.
Reminds me of when I was a teen. A friend and I, driving home. She cuts someone off,turns out to be a cop. Cops pull us over. She opens glove box. A baggie falls out onto the floor of the car. Officers both "what's that!?" Flashlight blast down to the floor. I pick up bag to show them. My friend and I; with trembling voices"wonderland tickets" ...they laughed at us. FYI wonderland tickets were small and white. And it was dark out.
Wow!!! I've done this for my daughter one time. She Was like WTF?!?!? (Side note: I am a recovering addicit with juat over 5 years clean.) She about died laughing 😂.
My Mother-In-Law Made All The Men In Our Family A Pair Of These Sleep Pants For Christmas
Mother-In-Law Found Out I Was Spending The Night. I'm The First Man In The House In A While
My husband and I dealt with the seat position issue by simply closing the whole thing each time. Keeps stuff from getting knocked off the badly positioned counter into the plumbing and means each user has the same amount of hassle. It's been working for us for a long time now.
Load More Replies...Bwaahaahaa. I was just on another social media post, where there was a discussion about how some people think it's okay to not wash after using the bathroom. My comment was that, until the pandemic, I just had my Kindergarten/Transitional Kindergarten boys that I taught just use hand sanitizer, I didn't ask them to wash their hands when they did "#1". My reasoning was, when it is "31", they barely aim, let alone touch any part of the their body. 😉Apparently this MIL doesn't believe that ever changes!
Today Is My Wife’s Birthday. My Mother-In-Law Just Dropped Off Some Party Supplies For Later. My Wife Is Turning 39
I'm in my 60s but you can't bet your bippy I will wear princess stuff for my birthday, and I'm not even a girly-girl!
My Brother-In-Law Said: Why Does The Bunny Rabbit With The Walker Have -6?
What else is it suppoded to be? European here, I guess this is American Football on the screen?
Just a plain orange helmet, you just can't tell because of the background. Yes, football Americano 🤣 I think that's the Cleveland browns? Don't quote me though
Load More Replies...hahahahaha I can't unsee it now. For my outside-America friends, that's an American football helmet. The orange color blends into the rectangle, so you can only really see the face guard.
OK, I can get the helmet (but whoever put that logo on that background was an idiot), but what's with the dot before the 6? (I know very little about any sport)
It's a tiny American football shape and it's to show which team is currently in possession of the ball and trying to win yards
Load More Replies...It's not shorts, it's still football pants. Most of the players pull the bottoms up so far it looks like shorts. Maybe they can run better without those "capri" type pants but with mostly men wearing them.
Load More Replies...So, how do you keep a healthy relationship with your in-laws? Happywivesclub.com posted this question on its Facebook page, focusing on people who are on good terms with their spouse’s families. 500 people responded, but here are their top answers:
User Tristan Roszkowski mentioned an essential factor many seem to forget: patience. Like all relationships, establishing a bond with an in-law requires time and effort.
“You may be very different people, and it takes TIME to look at the world from another person’s viewpoint with love. Don’t give up. Always be kind. Give it time.”
My Lumberjack Brother-In-Law First Time In Finland Making An Ice Hole
That depends on how thick the ice is. Assuming the man weighs 81kg (180lbs) and the ice hole is 1m square, he could be fully supported on an ice block that is 81cm thick. However, that chainsaw doesn't look nearly large enough to cut that deep.
Load More Replies...It looks like BIL made no friends in Finland, so everybody is staring at him and taking pictures.
My Sister-In-Law Asked The Balloon Guy For A Beer
In-Law Antics
Me too! My mom makes us do it and honestly I love Christmas music and we always end up in giggles because someone tries to harmonize.
Load More Replies...I know the words to that one! I'm not religious but it's a beautiful song.
My Second Cousin knew the 12 verses to We Three Kings of Orient Are. She would sing it to me in the summer.
We do this. We don’t have a piano but every year we try and fail to harmonize carol of the bells.
My Mother-In-Law Was Complaining That She Couldn't Get The Coffee Grinder To Work. This Is A Pencil Sharpener
Some people initially experience friction with their in-laws. User Jenny Campbell went through that difficult phase but approached the situation with kindness.
“When I realized that they didn’t dislike me, they just would miss their son, it all changed,” she wrote. “Respect, honesty and common courtesy goes a long way. Eventually, the F.E.A.R (false evidence appearing real) goes away, guards are dropped and you realize you’re now an extended family – not a discontinuation of one.”
Sister-In-Law Got Married, This Is The Second She Realized She Got BBQ Sauce On Her Dress. Hubby Still Golden
Serving something that messy to a group of dressed-up people, especially one who'd be wearing white, was never going to end well. Someone didn't think this through well at all.
My Sister-In-Law Got Steve Buscemi Leggings For Christmas
My Brother-In-Law Asked Me To Make Him This Scene From The Exorcism For Christmas Last Year. All Freehand
My Sister And Brother-In-Law Took Maternity Photos
My Mother-In-Law Gets Me
Likewise, some marriages continue to have a divide between the two sides of the family. Barbara Rocco Adams strongly advises against it, even in the smallest ways, like word choice.
“We never differentiate between ‘YOUR family’ or ‘MY family.’ It’s always OUR family from the day we were married. We love and respect each other’s parents, and they love and respect us. We laugh, love, and support each other as much as we can.”
Helped My Elderly Mother-In-Law Clean Up Her iPad During A Visit This Weekend
My mother does this with emails. She never deletes anything and she shops online constantly -and never bothers to unsubscribe from junk mail/advertising. Once it gets to a certain point her inbox can't accept any more messages. So she just creates a new email account. It frustrates the whole family, but she gets mad if we try to show her how to do things. So she just keeps killing inboxes and making new email addresses. #headdesk
House Sitting For My Brother And Sister-In-Law
my TV does not work if the aquarium LED lighting is on. the two are on two separate lines, I made an electrician cry and sent the last one to the asylum.
I gave you an up vote because you have an aquarium (I have 10, counting the one on my desk at work).
Load More Replies...There is always that one light switch that no one knows what it goes to.
Life With In-Laws
An Actual Conversation My Brother-In-Law And His Girlfriend Just Had
Am I misunderstanding the word "buffet" here? There was a dog thermometer in a table of assorted food dishes?
Imma wait for an answer here with you, because it threw me off
Load More Replies...Clogged The Toilet And My Mother-In-Law Digs Up This Plunger From The Basement. What The
Maybe it's longer to prevent splashing water on you as you plunge it?
Got Engaged Over The Weekend. Future Mother-In-Law Got Us An Extremely Sarcastic Sounding Cake
I'm As White As They Come. I Just Married Into An Italian Family. Here Is My Father-In-Law's Speech, Teaching Me Italian 101
Of course they are. When someone refers to themselves as white as they come, it's self deprecating humor.
Load More Replies...the tie :D my Portuguese uncle always has his tie like that, probably something people from southern Europe do 🤭🤣
I Asked My Brother-In-Law For Help Taking Pictures Of My Cream Puffs
My Mother-In-Law Got Us A Gift Card
Just Realized How Meaningful My Conversations With My Mother-In-Law Are
My Husband Had Back Surgery, So My Sister-In-Law Brought Him Flowers
My Brother-In-Law Doing His Fantasy Football Draft In His HS Football Uniform (And Helmet). He’s 33
My Mother-In-Law Keeps Complaining That Her Kindle Won't Charge
Sister Started Knitting And My Brother-In-Law Wore The Hat She Made
Mother-In-Law Ordered A Photo Blanket For Us
Brother-In-Law Got A Scan Of His Baby Put In A Bauble. It Looks Like They’ve Been Imprisoned In The Phantom Zone
ew. Honestly, seeing other people's baby scans gives me the ick. Too much like biology class.
My American Brother-In-Law Drying His Kettle
If you're in my house then the kettle would never be idle for long enough to do this!
Load More Replies...I empty it and leave the top open, the remaining heat from the heater helps dry out the kettle and the open top stops the forming of condensation inside the kettle.
Excellent start to the day! This is the sort of in laws stories we need!
A bit ago I learned that Marie Antoinette never said, "let them eat cake," it was her mother-in-law. I told my mother, but she didn't get it, so I explained, "Imagine going down in history for something your mother-in-law said." THIS SHE GOT.
Excellent start to the day! This is the sort of in laws stories we need!
A bit ago I learned that Marie Antoinette never said, "let them eat cake," it was her mother-in-law. I told my mother, but she didn't get it, so I explained, "Imagine going down in history for something your mother-in-law said." THIS SHE GOT.
