By PhoenixChick - 08/09/2015 18:54 - United States - Champaign

Today, my mother-in-law got her driver's license, despite being prone to fainting, seizures, and being on so much medication that she sometimes forgets where she is. She now wants to drive us to all our family functions, and my father-in-law won't object because he doesn't want to damage her self-esteem. FML
I agree, your life sucks 25 645
You deserved it 1 843

PhoenixChick tells us more.

Hey, OP here! You know, this might be a comment thread that saves lives. I had already decided to put my foot down on me or my husband ever riding with MIL, but...I hadn't thought about everyone else. And now I have. I do not live with my in-laws, but we live in the same town and I cannot drive at night so it gets awkward to refuse their offers when my husband can't take me somewhere. Funny thing is, there is no legal restrictions on my driving,the DMV keeps insisting I'm fine, but I know that my contacts and retinal disease give me issues with headlights and therefore I shouldn't. I'm fine during the day, but stay off the road at night. I'm careful because my eye disease is from my father, who kept driving at night when he shouldn't. Nearly killed himself in an accident. I know who my MIL's doctor is, and I'm going to call his office. She MUST have lied to the DMV, and I think it'll be easier to talk to her doctor than to the DMV. I just have to brace myself for if she finds out. Thank you all for the help. My in-laws are rather good at manipulation. I've known them for ten years, and they use MIL's medical issues to overrule literally everything. She has serious psych issues, and FIL is very protective of her feelings. To the point of letting her lie to my husband's doctors when he was in the ER because it made MIL "feel useful" to tell the doctor's things about my husband's health. She was making up all kinds of things about my husband's condition when he went in for emergency surgery, and when I corrected her I got yelled at by my father in law for making MIL "feel bad." Nevermind that her lies to the operating surgeon could have gotten my husband seriously hurt or killed. So yeah, this ends now. I'm not going to let her hurt anybody else if I csn help it. Wish me luck, I've got a fight on my hands...

Top comments

Just try and make an excuse to drive yourself or to be in a different car, if you can't though, just try and break it to her easy. I would rather hurt her feelings than be in a fatal crash. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place OP. FYL

little_star78 13

Comments

FusionPlacebo 26

Screw the self-esteem. She's not only endangering your lives, she's endangering those driving around her.

FalloutScrolls 25

Still sounds like a better driver than half the people driving around in my neck of the woods.

Report her to DMV with listing of all medications she's taking and problems she's having. YOu can take picture of her medicine packages with her name.

BeccaSedai 7

If you can't report her to the DMV, you can try contacting her doctor. While the doctor won't be able to talk to you about your MIL's health, they will know whether she's remotely fit to operate a vehicle. The doctor will also have the authority to have the DMV revoke her license, whereas you don't really have that ability.

**** her self-esteem; she's gonna kill someone! Do your best not to be surprised if and when it happens.

There comes a time when you have to put SAFETY above self esteem I'm sorry

ourtneyc 14

If Phoenix chick means you live in Phoenix (I do too) then I certainly don't wanna be around when she's driving lol

Going off OP's location, she actually sound much safer than your average Illinois driver.

Idk if I believe this... My cousin is the exact same way and he can't drive or even get a job. He worked at a grocery store for a while but then hit his head while having a seizure so for liability reasons they let him go. I find it hard to believe she was able to get her license.

& if it's true, you better be upfront and not drive with her. Self esteem doesn't matter if you're dead.