I really hate my mother in law. She gets jealous easily. She made such a big fuss and cried when my hubby gave me a gift for wedding anniversary. My hubby is at his wits end. We bring my in laws out regularly and buy things for her occasionally too. How do I tell her to grow up?

A danger zone for the husband as well...possibility of being treated as a punching bag from both sides :) BTW, to answer your question, please be kind to your husband and try to understand his situation as well ;) Try to talk to your mother-in-law directly or if you have a supporting father in law, use may be that channel to try n relax your mother in law.

Your MIL's behaviour can be either just a phase of separation anxiety from her son, or maybe there's something she doesn't like about you (don't fret, things will change along the way). What you can do is to bond with her little by little. Start with being civil but with respect and charm. Soon enough, you'll get to know her better, and vice versa.

One thing I learned a long time ago is that being a functioning adult is all about drawing and maintaining good boundaries. Decide whether this is your responsibility to take on that your mother in law feels this way. Have you done anything wrong? If the answer is no, best to allow your husband to take the lead in talking to his mother.

It's a tricky situation because it seems that you meet her often. If that's the case, you should tell her how you feel about her behaviour. She would certainly not like it and may try to make you look like the bad guy, but if that's what she wants, let her have it. Don't fret too much about her as long as you have your husband's support.

I think taking any passive aggressive behaviour might do more harm than good. The best way to deal with this is probably to take a higher ground approach. Give VERY clear hints that boundaries are there for a reason. Mother in laws are creatures of habit too, just need to find a way to break her out of that habit. Find her a hobby maybe?

She might feel like she has to fight for attention just to get some time with her son. It's better to approach this in a calm way to ensure nobody's feelings are hurt in the process. Your best bet would be to talk to your husband to allocate some one on one time regularly with his mum so she doesn't feel left out.

This is a very tricky situation. I think she might feel insecure towards your hubby. You can get your hubby to talk to your MIL and let him reassure your MIL that both of you still love her very much. Also, always show appreciation of her help and value her opinions so she will feel more secured.

She just finds it hard to let go of her baby son. Yes, I agree with letting your husband "date" his mother to reassure her that her son is still there for her. At the same time, the issue of jealousy must be addressed, but this is something he has to bring up to his mother.

Unfortunately there are things in life that are outside our control. If you can't control your in-law's behavior toward you, then try to control how you react to her. Make sure to keep her at arm's length, avoid situations in which you'd have to interact with you, etc.

You should all have a talk and reassure your MIL that her son will still be there for her no matter what and that there's no reason to get jealous over a gift. Maybe your husband could spend a day or two with his mum to understand where she's coming from.