When My MIL Handed Me a ‘Good Wife’ Rulebook on My Wedding Day, My Husband Got Rich!

You think you’re entering a dream when you marry the person you love. But that dream can quickly become a nightmare when you receive a list of rules about how to be a “good wife.” This is where my revenge started.

As a child, I always imagined that marriage would be different. I pictured Sunday mornings in bed, sharing laughs and secrets, and a partnership based on love and respect. But reality has a strange way of surprising you.

Source: Midjourney

Dan and I had just gotten married. The wedding was perfect—small, intimate, everything I had always dreamed of. For a while, it felt like a fairy tale. Dan was kind and funny, and I truly believed we shared the same ideas about how we wanted to live our lives together. That was until Karen, his mother, gave me a gift after the ceremony.

Source: Midjourney

I remember standing in our living room, still feeling happy from the wedding, when Karen came up to me with her “special” present.

“This is for you, Lucia. A little something to help you as you start your new role.” She handed me a fancy box with a big smile, but her eyes didn’t match her cheerful expression.

Inside the box was a neatly folded piece of paper. When I opened it, my mouth dropped. At the top, in bold letters, it said: “How to Be a Good Wife for My Son.”

At first, I laughed, thinking it was a joke. Maybe Karen was making fun of those old-fashioned ideas about marriage.

Source: Midjourney

But as I kept reading, my smile faded. It was a real list—actual rules I was supposed to follow as Dan’s wife.

I looked at Dan, hoping he’d be as shocked as I was, but he was busy opening his own gift. A check. A big one, too. And me? I got a rulebook.

Later that evening, Dan came to me with a sheepish grin. “You got the rules my mom gave you, didn’t you?” he asked, as if it were just a casual suggestion, not a guide for a life of serving him.

“Yep… I did,” I replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice but not succeeding.

Dan shifted awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, you know, that’s just how it is now. Marriage is different from dating.”

Source: Midjourney

I stared at him, waiting for him to smile, to say it was all a joke. But he didn’t.

“Wait… You’re serious?” I asked, looking at him like I didn’t recognize the man I had just married.

He shrugged. “It’s just how things are. Mom says it’s important to keep order, you know?”

I bit my lip, holding back a sharp reply. Keep order. That’s how they saw me now?

After Dan fell asleep, I read through the list again, my hands shaking with anger. I couldn’t believe the nerve.

Source: Midjourney

At 6 a.m., I had to be fully dressed and made up, cooking a hot breakfast for Dan. No veggies, no milk, no butter—he only likes plain eggs and toast. The toast must be perfectly golden brown, and it has to be served on a blue plate because the green one ruins his appetite.

Do all the grocery shopping myself. Dan hates shopping, and it’s no place for a man. Always buy his favorite beer, but not too much—just enough for football nights, but not so much he gets lazy. And I had to carry everything in myself because it’s unladylike to ask for help.

After dinner, the kitchen had to be spotless before Dan even left the dining room. Men shouldn’t see a mess; they must enter a clean space. And always stack the plates by size, wiping the counters twice because Dan hates crumbs.

Source: Midjourney

Dress conservatively when Dan’s friends come over. We don’t want them thinking I’m too “modern” or that I’m not the “right kind of wife.” A good wife never wears anything above the knee, and the neckline should always be high. Anything else would embarrass Dan in front of his buddies.

Make sure Dan never does his laundry. A good wife always has fresh, ironed clothes ready, and socks folded just right—three folds, not two—because that’s how Dan likes them. He should never have to pick out mismatched socks or wear a wrinkled shirt. It reflects poorly on me if he does.

By the time I finished reading, I was furious. This wasn’t just outdated advice; it was a full-on expectation that I cater to Dan’s every wish like I had no other purpose.

And the worst part? Dan was okay with it. He hadn’t even reacted when I mentioned the rules.

I felt trapped, but I wasn’t going to let them get away with this. If they wanted to play this game, I’d play along, but on my terms.

The morning after I read Karen’s list, I woke up at 6 a.m., just like the rules said. I got out of bed, put on my makeup, and slipped into a nice dress.

Source: Midjourney

I looked at myself in the mirror, quietly laughing at how silly this all was. But if Karen wanted me to play this part, I would—just with a twist.

I went downstairs and made breakfast, just like the rules said: plain toast and eggs. But I didn’t stop there. I took the tiniest slice of toast and a plain boiled egg and put them on Dan’s huge blue plate. The plate was so big that the small meal looked ridiculous.

I carefully set it on the table, smiling sweetly as Dan walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

He looked at the plate, confused. “Isn’t there… anything else?”

I shook my head, smiling brightly. “Just following the rules. Plain eggs and toast! Want me to make another slice?”

Dan sighed, picking up the toast. “No… this is fine.”

I stood there watching him eat the driest breakfast ever, trying not to laugh. Oh, this was going to be entertaining.

Later that afternoon, I made a big show of going to the grocery store. I took my reusable bags and left the house, making sure Dan saw me go by myself, just like the rules said.

When I got back, I carried in all the bags myself, even the heavy ones. Dan watched from the couch, clearly uncomfortable but saying nothing. As I unpacked, he frowned.

“Where’s the beer? Did you forget it?” he asked.

“Oh no, I didn’t forget,” I said cheerfully. “I just didn’t want you getting lazy. Besides, sparkling water is good for you!”

I pulled out a six-pack of sparkling water, a big bottle of green juice, and some quinoa, knowing he wouldn’t touch any of them. Dan’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. I could see he was starting to realize something was off, but I was just getting started.

Source: Midjourney

After dinner, I followed the other rules in the letter. I wiped down the counters, washed the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen—but not really.

Instead of putting everything back where it belonged, I rearranged the whole kitchen. Plates went in the bathroom cupboard, utensils in the laundry room, and the toaster? I put that in the hall closet.

Dan came into the kitchen, looking around in confusion. “Why is everything all over the place?”

I turned to him with a worried look. “I’m doing my best! Maybe I need to wipe the counters three times instead of two?”

He blinked at me, totally confused, but he let it go. The fun was just beginning.

When Dan’s friends came over for football night a few days later, I made sure to follow Karen’s rule about dressing modestly. I dug through my closet and found the most old-fashioned outfit I could: a long skirt, high-collared blouse, and a buttoned-up cardigan that looked like something from the 1800s.

As soon as Dan’s friends arrived, I walked into the living room with a tray of snacks. His friends looked me up and down, confused but polite enough not to say anything.

Dan pulled me aside as soon as he could, whispering, “You know you don’t have to dress like that, right?”

I widened my eyes innocently. “But your mom said I have to dress modestly. We wouldn’t want them getting the wrong idea about me, would we?”

Dan’s friends exchanged awkward glances, but I kept smiling sweetly. The look on Dan’s face was priceless; he was starting to see that I was flipping this whole “good wife” idea upside down, and he was stuck going along with it.

Laundry day came, and I followed the rules again, but with a twist. I washed all of Dan’s clothes together: whites, darks, colors—everything went in one load. When I pulled them out, his once-clean shirts were now a lovely shade of pink, and his socks were either shrunk or mismatched.

Source: Midjourney

Dan opened his drawer the next morning, pulling out one wrinkled pink shirt after another. “What happened to my clothes? These socks don’t even match!”

I walked in with an apologetic look. “Oh no! I must’ve messed up. I’ll try folding them in threes next time, just like the rules say.”

He groaned, putting on his mismatched socks before heading to work, completely defeated. I couldn’t help but smile.

By the end of the week, Dan had had enough. He was trying to eat yet another bland breakfast when Karen arrived, her usual smile on her face. She sat at the table, looking pleased.

“Lucia, I’m so glad to see you following the rules! Isn’t life easier now?”

I laughed quietly. “Oh, Karen, you have no idea.”

Dan slammed his fork down, surprising both of us. “Mom, we need to talk.”

Karen blinked, confused. “Talk about what?”

“These rules… they’re crazy,” Dan said, his voice rising. “I’m miserable, Lucia’s miserable, and this isn’t how we’re going to live.”

Karen looked shocked. “But, Dan, I just want to make sure you’re taken care of! I thought this was how marriage should be!”

Dan shot me a glance, and I shrugged. I was just following the rules, right?

“We need to find our own way,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re my wife, not my maid.”

Karen’s face fell, her smile fading. “I was just trying to help. I didn’t mean to upset you both…”

But it was too late. The damage was done. We spent the next few days talking about what we wanted our marriage to look like, finally finding a balance between his mom’s outdated ideas and our modern life.

The change didn’t happen overnight, but eventually, we found a way to laugh about the whole ordeal, especially when Dan had to explain to his mom why he was now making breakfast for me on Saturdays.

Karen never brought up the rules again, and I made sure to return the fancy box she gave me, filled with the crumpled paper and an assortment of mismatched socks. I told her I didn’t need them anymore.

Looking back, I can’t help but think that her gift, while ridiculous, actually brought us closer together. Dan and I learned how to communicate better, and we established what we wanted from our marriage without anyone else’s rules getting in the way.

While preparing for her husband’s birthday celebration, woman becomes the target of her mother-in-law’s ploy

We often hear stories in which mothers-in-law are depicted as evil. Sadly, they sometimes really are and the reason behind it might be that they feel like their daughters-in-law ‘steal’ their sons from them.

A woman named Janisse shared the story of how her MIL plotted against her in order to turn her husband against her.

It was Janisse’s husband’s birthday and she was looking forward to the party she was preparing for him. She planned to invite all of Carl’s friends and family and wanted everything to go according to plan.

But just as she was getting ready to start preparing the food, Carl’s mother, Sally, called her and told her she wanted to help her with the preparations.

As Janisse always got along with her husband’s family, or at least she thought so, she told her MIL that she was more than welcome to lend her a helping hand.

When Sally arrived, she did help with the food, but in the afternoon, she started acting weird. As she was digging around the fridge and sighed every few minutes, she accused Janisse of not purchasing certain ingredient she needed for some special cookies.

“I can’t find any ingredients for the cookies I wanted to make. I told you that I would make the cookies I’ve made every year for Carl,” Sally said.

“We have so many desserts and the cake as well. So, I think it’s okay. We can do it another day for him,” Janisse told her.

“Janisse,” Sally sighed. “It’s really important to me, okay? It’s a tradition I started when Carl was only three years old. Can you go out and get the ingredients?”

As there was not much time left until the guests were about to arrive, Janisse decided to go to the store, which wasn’t that far, and grab the ingredients her MIL needed.

On her way home, Janisse felt like a superhero because she knew the party would be a great one, but her joy was short lived.

The moment Janisse opened the car’s door, Carl burst out of the house like she’d committed a crime and he wanted to catch her in the act. He accused her of leaving his mother all alone to prepare everything for the party. When she explained that wasn’t the case and it wasn’t as it looked like, he told her she wasn’t telling the truth.

Janisse tried to tell him that she was the one who prepared most of the food and that she only took a short trip to the store to grab the ingredients for the traditional cookies his mom made for him, but he said there were no such cookies and that she was childish to believe that ‘cookie tradition.’

Still unaware what was going on, Janisse went to her room. She had a quick shower and shortly after the guests started to arrive.

Carl avoided Janisse all evening, and when the time came for the cake to be served it was Sally who brought it to the table and started singing “Happy Birthday.”

Sally acted as though she was host and it looked like she was the one who was throwing the party for her son, not Janisse.

When the guests left and Janisse and Carl were alone, she tried to explain what really happened and that his mom plotted against her, but he didn’t want to listen because he was certain his mom would never do such a thing.

The following morning, Carl woke Janisse up and apologized for not trusting her. Janisse was puzzled and asked him what made him change his mind about the entire situation. He then explained that his mother was bragging to someone about her master plan, but she accidentally sent the message to Carl.

Carl then went to the other room, in which his mom spent the night, and tried to talk to her in order to learn why she would do such a horrible thing. It turned out that contrary to what Janisse believed, her MIL didn’t really like her because of her political and religious beliefs. Janisse was shocked because her MIL never mentioned anything about it before.

However, no matter what Sally did, Carl and Janisse decided to forgive her eventually.

“We’re going to Bali to celebrate your birthday next year,” I told him. “No friends, no family, and absolutely no drama!” Janisse told her husband.

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