Woman Switches Her And Husband’s Plates At His Mom’s House To See If He’ll Have Diarrhea As She Always Does

There’s no need to be best friends with your mother-in-law. In fact, it’s probably more common to have a tense relationship with her. But once two people become family by marriage, it’s important for them to at least try to keep the peace.

One mother, however, decided that she had absolutely zero interest in giving her daughter-in-law a chance. Below, you’ll find a letter that the daughter-in-law wrote to an advice column seeking help after noticing how her mother-in-law’s cooking had been affecting her. Keep reading to find the full story, as well as some of the replies concerned readers shared.

This woman noticed that she was getting food poisoning every time she visited her mother-in-law

Young woman lying on a couch looking unwell, illustrating suspicion of poisoning in a family conflict scenario.

Image credits: kay4yk/Freepik (not the actual photo)

So she reached out to an advice column to determine the best way to address the issue

ALT text: Excerpt of a letter describing a man not believing his wife about his mother poisoning her and the resulting family tension.

Text excerpt about a wife suspecting poisoning by her mother-in-law after visits, causing conflict with her husband.

Alt text: Man suspects his mom is poisoning his wife but his wife proves him wrong, causing anger and conflict.

The concerned author was then given some sage advice

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Man distrusts mom poisoning his wife; wife proves him wrong in a tense family confrontation.

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Alt text: Text explaining a method to catch a mother-in-law poisoning his wife by swapping plates and cups during dinner.

Text discussing a man not believing his mom is poisoning his wife and the wife proving him wrong.

Woman sitting on a couch in casual clothes holding her stomach, depicting symptoms related to poisoning concerns.

Image credits: sergio_pulp/Freepik (not the actual photo)

Wife explains to furious husband that his mom's poisoning caused her repeated illness at in-law’s house.

Alt text: Advice on dealing with a man who never believes his mom is poisoning his wife and being furious with the wife proves him wrong

Later, the woman shared an update after testing to see if her food had been tampered with

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Image credits: zavalishina/Freepik (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt from a letter describing suspicion of mother-in-law poisoning wife’s food at family events.

Alt text: Text discussing a wife’s concerns about her mother-in-law and husband not believing she is treated badly.

Text describing a man doubting his mom is poisoning his wife, then his wife proves him wrong by switching sauces at dinner.

Alt text: Man furious with wife after suspecting his mom is poisoning her, wife proves him wrong with evidence

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The majority of married women admit that they’ve had issues with their mother-in-law

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Image credits: shurkin_son/Freepik (not the actual photo)

We’re all well aware of the “evil mother-in-law” trope. We’ve seen it in movies, read about it in books and probably even heard some anecdotes from friends or family members about their own toxic in-laws. Unfortunately, the experience of having a strained relationship with a mother-in-law is an extremely common one.

According to a 2022 study, both married men and women report that they have more conflicts with their mother-in-law than with their own mom. And moms reported having more issues with their daughter-in-laws than with their own daughters. 

At the same time, Terri Apter, a psychologist from Cambridge University, has found through her own research that a whopping 60% of married women say that their relationship with their mother-in-law has caused them “long-term unhappiness and stress.”

Apparently, two thirds of daughter-in-laws say that their partner’s mother has exhibited jealous, maternal love towards their son on more than one occasion. And while three quarters of couples admit that they’ve had issues with an in-law, only 15% of relationships between mother-in-laws and son-in-laws are considered tense.

But as frustrating as it may be to not be able to get along with your partner’s mother, researchers believe that these issues may be influenced by a genetic conflict that makes us subconsciously prioritize our own bloodlines at all times. 

“This genetic conflict may cause affines (in-laws) to disagree about the distribution of resources and investment, just as we see mothers and fathers disagreeing in these domains,” authors of a study on this topic published in the Evolutionary Psychological Science journal explained. “Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that genetic conflict may underlie negative social interactions that occur in affinal (in-law) relationships.”

Dealing with a toxic mother-in-law requires patience and self-care

Young woman looking concerned and distant, sitting with knees hugged, reflecting tension related to poisoning and family conflict.

Image credits: Freepik (not the actual photo)

It’s also important to consider the fact that in-laws don’t actually choose to have relationships with one another, but are instead forced into their relationship due to their shared love for their partner or family member. So they might not have anything in common or any interest in being friends. And unfortunately, they sometimes make that extremely clear. 

So what’s the best way to deal with a toxic mother-in-law? Choosing Therapy recommends first communicating honestly with your spouse about the issue. It’s important to address the topic delicately, as they might not be thrilled to hear you criticize their mother. But it’s crucial to have the support of your spouse.

One must have realistic expectations when dealing with a challenging mother-in-law, though. She’s likely not going to do a complete 180 and start treating you perfectly, so understand that any progress is a small win. In the meantime, prioritize your own self-care. Don’t let this relationship put a strain on your marriage or your own mental health.  

And try not to take it personally if your in-laws aren’t fans of you. They probably wouldn’t treat anyone else any better, so don’t beat yourself up. Just set boundaries when necessary, and try to keep the relationship civil.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. What do you think of how this woman decided to get to the bottom of her mother-in-law’s behavior? Feel free to weigh in, and then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar family drama right here. 

Readers were shocked by the husband and mother’s behavior, and a few encouraged the author to press charges

Text post from a user expressing confusion about a man not believing his mom is poisoning his wife.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment expressing shock that a man’s mom was poisoning his wife, contradicting his disbelief.

Comment text about a man accusing his wife of poisoning, showing disbelief and fury involving his mother.

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Comment reading These mama’s boys are so dangerous in a plain online forum layout with white background and blue username text.

Comment discussing concern over poisoning, medical testing, and potential criminal charges in a family dispute scenario.

Comment about testing leftovers for proof of poison related to man doubting mom poisoning wife situation.

Screenshot of a discussion about a man refusing to believe his mom is poisoning his wife, causing conflict.

Comment from user explaining a plot twist where the man was poisoning his wife, not his mother, to deflect suspicion.

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Comment on a forum discussing a man doubting his mom’s poisoning accusations against his wife before the wife proves him wrong.

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Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a man doubting his mom is poisoning his wife before being proven wrong.

Some even had similar stories of their own to share

Alt text: Man suspects mom is poisoning wife but wife proves him wrong, sparking anger and trust issues in family.

Text post from a user sharing an experience of getting sick after eating at a mom’s house, hinting at possible poisoning.

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