My strange mother in law

[DanaC]

Forgive me if this is out of turn Ali, but I think you were over harsh in your initial reaction. A flippant comment is not the worst sin in the world and hardly unusual/out of place in a Cellar thread, even a pretty serious one. It was a witty aside that made a comment about racism in schools. Not an attack on you or an attempt to reduce the situation itself.

For myself I had an interesting situation when me and J were together. His dad is adorable. I love his dad. A thoroughly nice, gentle, clever, funny and affectionate guy. His step-mum is also lovely. She can be a tad prickly from time to time when stressed and is.....in her own way mad as a hatter (to look at, think someone from 1920s Berlin crossed with a little 60s Carnaby class) but very sweet and generous and never shirked from the difficulties of bringing up a deeply troubled 11 year old step-son. I got on well (and still do on the occasional visit) with them. His actual mother, however, was another matter.

How many people here have had the fun experience of going to work for their partner's estranged (but recently back in contact) mother, only to have her burn down her own business and try to fit them up for it? How many people here have been arrested at 6am on a Sunday morning, stuck in a cell without any shoelaces or belt, held for several hours of heavy questioning until they start to believe maybe they did drop a lit cig into a basket? How many people here have sat in such a cell, wondering if they might actually go down for a ten year stretch for an arson they were fairly sure was nothing to do with them? Now, that, my friends is a mad MIL (only an honorary MIL, as me and J never made it official).

Fortunately, it turned out she had form on the whole arson thing, so that was that. I was 20 at the time. Scared the shit out of me.