“My Mother-in-Law Called Demanding I Pick Up My Child Immediately: I Feared I Would Lose My Cool”

When my mother-in-law, Linda, landed a new job, it felt like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in years, I had some peace and quiet. Linda had always been a constant presence in our lives, and not in a good way. She was never satisfied with anything I did and always found something to criticize. Whether it was my cooking, my parenting, or even the way I kept my house, nothing was ever good enough for her.

For a few blissful months, her new job kept her busy, and we didn’t see each other much. But that didn’t mean she stopped calling. Almost every day, my phone would ring, and it would be Linda on the other end, ready to deliver her latest round of complaints and unsolicited advice.

One Friday afternoon, as I was wrapping up my work-from-home tasks, my phone rang. It was Linda. I hesitated for a moment before answering, bracing myself for whatever she had to say this time.

“Hello, Linda,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.

“Jessica,” she began, her tone already accusatory, “I need you to come and pick up Emily right now.”

Emily is my five-year-old daughter, who Linda had agreed to watch for the afternoon. My husband and I had been grateful for the help, but now it seemed like it was coming back to bite us.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

“What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Linda snapped. “Emily has been nothing but trouble all day. She’s been running around, making a mess, and not listening to a word I say. I can’t take it anymore. You need to come and get her right now.”

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Linda, I’m in the middle of work. Can you please just give me an hour to finish up?”

“No,” she said flatly. “You need to come now. I can’t deal with this any longer.”

I felt a surge of anger rising inside me. This was typical Linda—always making everything about her and never considering anyone else’s needs or schedules. But I knew that losing my temper wouldn’t help the situation.

“Alright,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I hung up the phone and took a moment to collect myself before grabbing my keys and heading out the door. The drive to Linda’s house was short but felt like an eternity as I tried to calm my racing thoughts.

When I arrived, Linda was waiting at the door with Emily, who looked confused and upset. “Mommy!” she cried, running into my arms.

I hugged her tightly before turning to Linda. “Thank you for watching her,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Linda just huffed and crossed her arms. “You need to teach that child some manners,” she said coldly.

I bit my tongue, knowing that any response would only escalate things further. “We’ll talk about it later,” I said before turning and walking back to the car with Emily.

As we drove home, Emily chattered away in the backseat, seemingly unfazed by the day’s events. But inside, I was seething. This wasn’t the first time Linda had pulled something like this, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last.

That night, after putting Emily to bed, I sat down with my husband to talk about what had happened. He listened patiently as I vented my frustrations.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said finally. “I can’t keep dealing with her like this.”

He sighed and took my hand. “I know it’s hard,” he said. “But she’s my mom. We have to find a way to make this work.”

I nodded, knowing he was right but feeling no closer to a solution. As much as I wanted things to change, I couldn’t see how they ever would.