I always used to say the same about Carol and Jess, controlling and just wanted him to themselves so they treated poor Lauren like dirt. I’ve got a mother in law the same but she didn’t show her true colours until I married her son. She then would send letters telling him to chose me or her, want days out with just her, hubby and the kids and I wasn’t allowed to come and she would ring every Christmas saying she would kill herself if he didn’t spend it with her. She used to send cards at Christmas to the kids and a wonderful son, leaving me out. She would write nasty things on my Facebook photos. Once I got a new car and she wrote ‘another rope around my sons neck I see ‘.. She used to say I was lazy not working despite having 3 children under 3.5 years, her son often worked away, I worked my stones off. After my Nan died she told me to get a job in a funeral place advertising for a secretary when she could see how much I was grieving without my Nan. Hubby never used to say boo to her. The last time I saw her she threatened to rip my throat out and that was it, I left my husband for 2 months as he never stood up to her. After a decade I’d had enough. He begged me to come back, then he finally stood up to his mum about how he treated me, so she cut him off and the kids, Our marriage now is wonderful and I hate to say that. Having a mother in law like that, and like Carol puts a huge strain on your marriage and a son doesn’t usually go against his mum. I really feel for what they did to Lauren and good on Mark for standing up to them.
Sorry I offloaded that but omg they annoy the hell out of me and mother in laws can be complete nightmares.