18 Times Family Members Were the Real Villains in the Story

Family: it’s the one thing you can’t choose - no matter how much you wish you could. It can be your greatest gift or your biggest challenge, often both in the same day. Life with family is a rollercoaster of love, chaos, and moments that stay with you forever - for better or worse.

• My brother invited me out for coffee and said he needed to talk about something important. I thought it must be something serious - maybe a move, an illness, a divorce. He started nervously:
  "You know how much I’ve always cared about you. You’re like a friend to me. And I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really important..." Ten minutes later, I was stunned when he said…he wanted me to buy a PS5 on installment - for him, under my name.
• My mum loves shops and clothes, so she buys her granddaughter a lot of clothes without even looking at it. I wish I had chosen everything myself, but I accepted the gifts with gratitude because I thought that you don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
  One day, the grandparents came to take our 3-year-old to a cafe with children's slides, a pool and trampolines. I thought, "How should I dress her? It's uncomfortable to climb in a dress or in jeans." I dressed my daughter in a new sweatsuit that my mother had given me.
  When they returned, my child was dressed in jeans and a blouse embroidered with glass beads. And the mother said from the doorstep, "When I saw your daughter, I even cried how badly she was dressed, in some old clothes! I had to urgently buy new clothes and change at the store."
  I said, "Mum, you gave me this sweatsuit! Here are the labels - I cut them off just now, here's the bag - you brought it last week." Silent scene. Mum silently walks away. © Tatiana / ADME
• I always adored the pie my mom used to bake. She made it only on special occasions and insisted the recipe was “passed down from Grandma’s side - strictly a family tradition.” One day, I dropped by unannounced and, to my horror, caught her pouring boxed mix into a baking pan. She noticed me standing there and just said, “What matters is that it tastes good, right?”

• My dad once made a rocking horse for my niece. He carved it out of several pieces of wood, hand braided the tail and mane out of rope that he painstakingly unwound, and hand painted it.
  It was a beautiful toy that would have lasted for generations.
  One day, her father was too lazy to go out and chop wood, so he smashed it up and threw it into the fire. © dewright23 / Reddit
• My mom wants grandchildren and is bugging me terribly about it, and I don’t even have a boyfriend.
  So, I went on my third date with a guy. We come out of the cafe, and I see my mom! We said hello, my mom looked at Jake and said, “Well, when should I expect grandchildren?” He even got pale, but quickly came round and said, “We haven’t decided yet!” © Caramel / VK
• I have a brother. When I had my baby, he invited me, saying, “We have some stuff left over for the baby. Come and see if there’s anything you need.” So I did. His wife brought a very shabby stroller (I already had a stroller, but that’s not the point).
  The point is that they offered me to buy it, and also to buy used baby hats, onesies, and so on. I politely declined, saying we have everything. But I still feel ashamed for my family. © aleale2019 / Pikabu
• My sister invites our mother to go to Turkey for a holiday. The mother always says, “You don’t understand, I’m 70 years old, it’s hard for me, I can’t do it!” But the funny thing is that our parents work in the garden every single day to grow organic potatoes that no one needs. And all this is under the pretext, “Well, we have to exercise, it’s our hobby!” © Nachtwandler70 / Pikabu

• A man I know told me that his student son said he wanted to live separately. He said he’s an adult now and doesn’t want to live with his parents. Okay. They live in a big city and have an empty apartment in the suburbs (the tenants have moved out).
  They say, “Live there, find a job. We have nothing against it.” But the son says that he expects his parents to rent him an apartment in the city and pay for his expenses. The father refused, so now he is enemy number one. © LisOpus / Pikabu
• My grandmother and I went to visit my aunt. I was about 12 years old. I had very long hair at the time. But, except for a simple ponytail, I didn’t know how else to style it.
  Usually, my mum, grandma, or friends would braid it. My aunt was furious that my grandmother braided my hair every morning. One morning, she took my ponytail and just cut it off while my grandmother wasn’t home.
  When we returned home, my mum was shocked, and I cried all the time because the short haircut didn’t suit me. So now I have to live with a bob, and I wanted to be like Rapunzel. © MissXaker / Pikabu
• My husband and I found out the other day that we’re expecting a daughter, and we decided to name her Ariadne — we both love this name.
  Recently, my husband told his parents. My mother-in-law almost choked with shock when she heard the name we chose! She immediately said that the granddaughter must be named Maria after her grandmother. And that, in her opinion, was out of the question.
  I tried to explain my position and even give arguments in defense of our choice, but no one even wanted to listen to me. All my husband’s relatives sided with my mother-in-law. My parents supported me, so my mother-in-law snapped at them. She shouted that we have our family line, and therefore, we should call our children by the names of grandparents.
  It all turned into a big fight, and I felt so bad that I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. In the morning, my husband called me and we chatted. And then my husband said, “If Mom wants it so bad, let’s name our daughter Maria, because it’s just a name for a child. And we will name the second child as we want.”
  I snapped and told him that I will register the child with the name I want, because for his family, it is just a name. My husband went silent and said, “Well, whatever you want,” and hung up the phone. I want our child to have the name that my husband and I have chosen. But I don’t want to spoil the relationship with my in-laws. © YOUZHEZMARRIED / VK

• My husband and I have our phones on silent until at least 10 a.m. on weekends. So, we’re sleeping. Suddenly, I wake up to the sound of my husband pulling on shorts and a T-shirt. Immediately, the intercom rings. I ask him, “Who is it?” He replies, “Police.”
  It turns out that my mom sent me a screenshot of the water meter in messenger at 7 or 8 a.m. And 2 ticks didn’t appear. She started calling me at 8 a.m., but my phone died overnight. She called my husband, and his phone was on silent.
  He read her message that he had to open the door to the police because they were helping to search her missing child only at 10 a.m. To say I was angry is an understatement. We are 37 years old. © Zosia1987 / Pikabu
• When my child was 18 months old, my grandmother called me over and was like, “Here, try this juice. Can I give it to the baby?” I take a couple of sips without a second thought, thinking that I should check whether it’s too cold or sour.
  Then I realize I’ve swallowed some rotten stuff with a strange aftertaste. I spit this disgusting thing and ask her what it is. And my grandma is like, “Has it gone bad? That’s what I thought. The jar was bloated, and there was mold on top... But I picked it up carefully, nothing got into the cup.”
  It turns out that she found an old, bloated jar in the pantry, and, instead of throwing out this junk, decided to give it to a 1-year-old child, but at the last moment decided to try it on me first. Good thing I was passing by, otherwise I don’t even know what would have happened. © Alidamai / Pikabu

• Our family has a huge problem, and we don't know what to do. My husband's father did a DNA test for an unknown reason, and it turned out that he is not my husband's biological father. My husband is now 32, I am 29 years old.
  My mother-in-law did not deny it, but replied something like, "Who cares what happened 30 years ago! Do I have to remember everything? After all, the main thing is that I loved you all these 30 years. Don't you care about that?"
  She is a good woman, and she and her husband have always lived in love and harmony. But now my father-in-law wants a divorce. My husband is angry with his father and resentful of his mother. They all text him and complain about each other. What should we do? I'm in shock. © Overheard / VK
• Since our baby was born, my mother-in-law has done nothing but criticize me about my parenting. It’s been out of control. It would be one thing if it was good advice, but literally everything she suggests is dangerous. Things have been made worse due to her sister having a grandchild around the same time, so she’s constantly comparing.
  One of her biggest things is that I don’t dress the baby properly, according to her. She basically acts like I’m committing child mistreat and says my baby is cold (I would never let my baby be cold). When she has the baby, she wraps the baby in these giant blankets. I’ll go to check on the baby, and the baby will be red and sweating like crazy!
  Well, I finally saw how the other grandchild is dressed. The temperature is in the 90s °F (32.2 °C) here. We went to visit, and this little baby had on a fur jacket, fuzzy pants, shirt, and socks. My baby is usually in a onesie and regular pants or pajama suit. No wonder she’s appalled with me, considering they expect the baby to be wrapped up in a fuzzy jacket in June!
  I don’t think there’s any getting through to her. My husband wants to just limit contact, but man, this sucks. © Rare-Caregiver7538 / Reddit
• Once, my mum and I were staying with my aunt when I was about 5 years old. And one day my aunt thought I had stolen her money. There was an envelope in a book, and then it was gone. Who is guilty? Surely me!
  Oh, how much they tortured me, asked a million questions. In a couple of weeks, I even started to believe that I'd stolen the envelope, but I forgot where I put it. Mum even threatened me with the police.
  And when we were already on the train going home, my aunt called my mother and said in an innocent voice, "Oh, I was looking through my books and found the envelope in one of them. And I forgot that I had put it there myself." My mother, of course, apologized to me for this. But I couldn't trust her anymore. © NEET*** / Pikabu

• Many years ago, when I just got out of maternity leave to work, my husband and I really wanted to buy a car. We began to save money. At the same time, my husband's sister and her family bought a new apartment and started to renovate it and buy new furniture. Everything top-notch: Italian doors, parquet, white leather sofa, gold chandeliers, etc. But they could afford it: my brother-in-law was earning very well then, they traveled to Turkey every year.
  And then my husband's sister came to us - they had run out of money, while Italian kitchen furniture was on sale now. She said, "You are saving. Lend us the money, we will pay you back in a month." How could we refuse? They're family.
  We gave them everything we had saved. And in 3 weeks they left for Turkey... It was a shame: we didn't go on holiday because we were saving money. And they returned the money only a year later. © MelantoMania / ADME
• My mother-in-law thinks that my husband should personally dig her vegetable garden and plant potatoes. When he timidly tried to object that he could hire a helper for her, she said, "What are you for then if you don't want to do anything?" The husband calmly got into the car and drove home.
  A month and a half of complete silence. No calls, no messages. She is not interested in grandchildren. But it's been so peaceful, words can't describe it. © WendyMage / Pikabu
• I had a difficult pregnancy, and my mother-in-law insisted on bringing me “homemade meals.” I felt too awkward to say no. Every day she showed up with jars and pots, and I ate it all—despite the odd textures and strange taste. One day, I decided to check. In the fridge stood a store-bought jar she’d brought, clearly what she was planning to feed me next. To my horror, I saw the date on the bottom: "Best before: 04/01/2024" - from last year.

Sometimes people uncover even darker family secrets - here are a few such stories.