Asking Eric: I abhor my nosy mother-in-law’s gossipy double standard – Orlando Sentinel

Dear Eric: My mother-in-law will tolerate only positive conversations/compliments about her children.

If my husband or I say something even remotely negative about my BIL/SIL and their kids, my MIL will either get defensive or just not respond. She refuses to comment on anything personal about her sons. She just says little positive statements here and there and is very surface-level. It’s extremely hard to have a deep conversation with her.

On the flipside, she loves to gossip about her friends, her husband, his family and my family! She’s extremely negative about my FIL’s extended family. I find her behavior to be very nosy, and I abhor her double standard.

Recently, at my daughter’s birthday party, I overheard my MIL asking my sister, “So do you think you’ll have more kids?” She wou