The Five Habits of Highly Annoying Lebanese Mother-in-Laws

It’s a word that most young adult females fear having to use one day: Hamati (my mother-in-law); a word associated with pure, evil-genius and the effects of a gradually broken down self-esteem.

Let’s face it: your husband’s mother will always believe she can do better than you, and at times it will seem her entire mission in life is to make sure yours is that much harder. Here’s a look at five habits of highly annoying Lebanese mother-in-laws.

1. Criticizes Her Daughter-in-Law’s Cooking Skills

(Photo via hungryherbivores.com)

So she either outright says you’re a horrible cook, or she insinuates it by commenting that your husband has lost weight every time she sees him. She also might send over a number of dishes to the house throughout the week because, you know, “he just loves the way I cook these things.”

2. Complains Her Grandchildren are Spoiled

(Photo via photobucket.com)

Because if that means anything, it means their mom didn’t raise them very well. This is a common argument starter and is often followed by the statement: “If I was their mom…”

3. Exchanges Every Gift from her Daughter-in-Law

(Photo via legalcheek.com)

She seemingly just can’t wait for opportunities to let you know she hates your taste. She also feels at liberty to comment on what you’re wearing at any given time and enjoys casually perusing your entire house to suggest things she could help fix to correct your poor taste in home decor.

4. Always Justifies Her Son’s Mistakes

(Photo via dw.de)

This is a classic mother-in-law maneuver. Yes she’s still and always will be her son’s mother, but there’s no way she’s going to blame him for whatever mistake he’s made. Instead, file this one under: another golden opportunity to prove you wrong.

Hamati ya hayati!

5. Talks about her Daughter-in-Law Behind her Back

(Photo via horrorfind.com)

You’d be surprised at how much the neighbors know about you, your house and (most likely) your sex life. Once you start getting those weird looks from people who know your mother-in-law, you can be sure she had a long conversation with the grocery shop owner, the concierge and tante Fida who isn’t as friendly as she used to be a couple weeks ago.

The power of Hamati’s tongue is unparalleled.

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