• People with the best mothers-in-law took to the internet to talk about them.
• One mother-in-law used to be a caterer, and made the wedding cake for her son and daughter-in-law.
• Another mother-in-law helped her daughter-in-law get a job.

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Mothers-in-law have a bad reputation. But they’re not all bad if you ask the people of Reddit and Quora.

People shared sweet stories about their mothers-in-law, illustrating how they can be just as important and supportive as any other family member.

Take a look at these 15 heartwarming mother-in-law stories.

“My mother-in-law tells me she loves me like her own.”

“And I can come stay with them if my significant other and I are ever fighting, lol.” – rachael_bee, Reddit

“She always has time for me. She is always cheerful and always puts others before herself. She’s not even my mum, but she treats me like a daughter. She never takes sides when I have arguments with her son. She always offers unbiased opinions. She is a shoulder to cry on and a pillar of strength in my life.”

“My mother-in-law blows my mind and breaks my heart all at the same time.

At birth, she lost her twin sister. She spent 11 years being slighted by her father because of it. At 11, she lost her mother to cancer. Her older sister is a narcissistic, mean person, whom I have told off many a times despite her being twice my age. (She has gotten nicer though).

She was treated badly by her mother in law. Oma called her a slut and once, saying she thought she would ‘screw around on her son.’ She cut off her hair saying ‘it was a trim.’ At 36, she lost her youngest child at nine months old to Trisome 18.

In the last few years, she lost her stepmom, father and another to close family relations. She does A LOT for her husband too. Like, above and beyond getting little in return. Great guy, don’t get me wrong!

She wakes up at 5am, makes breakfast and lunch and goes to work her crappy 7-2 job, that she hates, to help pay bills. Despite joint pain, being on blood thinners and a few other things.

Life kicked the shit out of my mother-in-law, and she kicked back!” – goblinqueenac, Reddit

“She’s very supportive of me and knows I don’t have a good relationship with my mother, so I think she tries to be even more supportive because of that.”

“She treats me as if I’m one of her kids, goes out of her way to include me and do nice things for me, etc. She’s very much like a mother to me. At the same time, she’s not overbearing like how I see some people complain about their mother-in-laws. She knows what’s appropriate for her role and what’s not, what’s OK to talk to me about and give advise on, boundaries on her relationship with her son vs. mine, etc.” – erkala21, Reddit

“My wife often works abroad for extended periods of time, so when she’s away her parents would invite me over for the weekend and we’d go on mini vacations.”

“I help out around the house (though they insist I really don’t need to), so they always say that it’s good having a son around the house (they have two daughters).” – Freak_Out_Bazaar, Reddit

“One night his mum showed me a little snippet in the day’s newspaper about a ‘Moomin’ mug that had been sold at an auction for a ridiculous amount of money. She said that she remembered that I had bought a ‘Moomin’ mug for myself earlier on in the week and thought about me immediately when she came upon the article.”

“They’re like a ‘real’ family, in that they are close-knit/they have that ‘bond,’ which was totally different from my experience with my own family. I just enjoyed every moment with them. I liked cooking with his mum and sitting around in the living room relaxing after dinner, and even despite my social anxieties, I even enjoyed the sit-down dinners (for reference I felt so anxious about eating dinner with my dad’s side of the family – who I see maybe once a year – that I had to take a moment in the bathroom).” – jesuisunchien, Reddit

“My boyfriend has two brothers and I’m the first long-term girlfriend. So my mother-in-law is super happy to have a girl around.”

“We always get pedicures and massages and go to Ulta when she visits.” – Jon_Hamm_wallet, Reddit

“My mum-in-law is so much more open-minded and supportive than my family. I can talk to her about things and not feel she will ever judge me. It’s always a discussion and bouncing ideas than telling me what I need to do which is the vibe my family gives.”

“My husband’s family showed me how a good family dynamic is like and totally changed my feelings on family. They included me right away. I came along and then there was just an ‘us.’ My mother-in-law wanted to tell people all about me and when describing her family, I was always in it.

I don’t even think my own mother is as proud of me as she is. She gets so excited about good news and things that make me happy, she cares about.” – Jbsbm, Reddit

“My boyfriend and I aren’t married but his parents are amazing, they’re the sweetest people I’ve ever met. They welcomed me into the family the day they met me.”

“His aunt and uncle included me by name on the Christmas card a couple years ago, only a month after I met his parents. They have told me I’m welcome to come by whenever I like, even without my boyfriend. His mum and I spend hours talking while the boys tinker with the TV, etc. His mother is amazing and she’s the reason I have such a great guy in my life.” – [deleted], Reddit

“She and I used to go shopping together and have long conversations.”

“As she was dying of Bulbar ALS, she called me daughter, and I called her Mum. Treasure every moment.” – 5ilvrtongue, Reddit

“My mother died in 2016, and then two months ago I had a stroke, and my boyfriend’s mum was a huge help to me in my recovery.”

“It could have been a very challenging and sad recovery process without her selfless help and support.” – showtimesynergy, Reddit

“My mum-in-law is definitely a blessing! She has been so excited for our wedding and for us in general. She has offered to help in every way and if I ask her to do something, I think she’d jump through hoops to carry it out.”

“And honestly, I didn’t expect this, but she actually cared about my opinion when it came to picking out her mother-of-the-groom dress. She asked me for options/advice/input all the way until she chose one. It was sweet! I couldn’t have cared about what she wore, I figured it would be in good taste and wouldn’t clash so I trusted her. But she asked and got my ‘approval’ just the same.

I look forward to sharing my special day with her as my new ‘mum.’ She is sweet and I feel she really cares about us. She has stayed out of things in a good way, not being controlling or trying to direct everything. Just helpful, encouraging, loving and enthusiastic.” – LadySunshine, Wedding Bee

“When I couldn’t go home for holidays I was always welcome at her place, she even had me stay all of Christmas weekend with her and her mother after my fiancé (then boyfriend) left to go spend time with his dad.”

“She’s been contacting all the vendors/visiting all the vendors since she’s up in Maine and we’re down in NYC. She even offered to make the wedding cake (she used to be a caterer and makes amazing cakes), as well as help sew napkins for the rehearsal dinner/reception so we can cut down on linen rental costs. I have a great relationship with my mum, but I love having a great relationship with my future mother-in-law too!” – KatNYC2011, Wedding Bee

“She’s so friendly and caring, and she’s absolutely hilarious. She has my boyfriend or best friend and I over for dinner fairly frequently, and she’s just fun to talk to.”

“I’ve been looking for a job recently (I’ve been unemployed since I got home four months ago), but she’s been praying for me every night and sends me a good luck text whenever she sees on Facebook that I’ve got an interview or something coming up. My family lives all the way in Ohio, so she’s been amazing about including me in family stuff: I’m going to their huge family Thanksgiving, I’ll spend Christmas with them, and she invites me to other fun things.” – GreenEyedMoon, Wedding Bee

“I still remember when I met her for the first time while my husband and I were still dating. She could not speak English and I could not speak Polish. But I could feel her warm and kind hospitality while we were staying at their house.”

“She cooked the delicious Polish dishes and made sure that I was not hungry. I tried to help her in the kitchen by communicating with gestures and followed what she did. She was so patient demonstrating and happy to share her wonderful recipes with me.”-Ei Ei Min Thu, Quora

“My mother-in-law is wonderful! She is always there for both of us. I talk to her as often as I talk to my own mother.”

“I broke my ankle last year and she would stop by to help me with laundry, to bring me coffee! and to just generally help. The day after I broke my ankle, our son was diagnosed with dust and dust mite allergies and she and my mother took it in turn to scrub every surface in his room!

When I had to go into the hospital a week early to have my son, she came to our house, did the baby’s laundry and CLEANED THE CAT’S LITTER BOX!

She got me my current job. Since she retired, we now both work from home so last Christmas, we decided to have our own office Christmas party and went out to lunch at a nice restaurant together.

We see movies, concerts and plays together, with and without my husband and son. She looks after our cats, who love her, when we are out of town.

She and her late husband made me feel welcome from the very beginning. I couldn’t ask for a better mother-in-law, a kinder mother to my husband, a better grandmother for our son or a better friend. She’s one in a million and I love her.” – Tessa E. Tea, Quora

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