After sister practically raised her younger brother, she demands to know everything about his marriage, his wife puts her foot down: ‘She acts like she has to be involved in everything’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 28, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

What type of parent do you think you would be when your children fully become adults of their own?

Would you be a parent who steps out of the way, allowing your kids to learn about life on their own, make mistakes, fall down, and get back up again by themselves? Or, would you be the kind of parent who gets involved in everything, who wants to know about every little detail of your kids' lives, even if it is highly personal?

If you ask us, we think an approach somewhere in the middle is the way to go, but we all know parents from both sides of this parental see-saw. We know kids who were driven crazy by their parents' heightened involvement, and we know others who wished nothing more than to have their parents show interest in their personal problems. Finding the middle ground is definitely not an easy task, but it is worth it for anyone who wants a decent relationship with their kids.

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  • The funny thing about the story below is that it isn't even about a parent-child relationship, but about the involvement of an older sister in her younger brother's life. She still acts like an overly involved mother, though, and it is starting to drive his wife a little crazy…

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    Cheezburger Image 10534816256
    via RealPeopleGroup

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Entitled Sister-in-Law Thinks She Has a Right to Know Everything About My Marriage Because She "Raised" My Husband

    So this has been bothering me for a while, and I just need to get it off my chest. 131F have been married to my
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    husband 29M for three years now. We're happy, doing our thing, building our life but there's one constant issue: my sister- in-law.
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    My husband's parents passed away when he was 7, and his older sister (now 40) was 15 at the time. She did step up a lot, and I respect that she helped raise him
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    and was a huge part of his life growing up. I will never take that away from her. But now that he is a grown man, married with a wife and
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    his own household, she still acts like she has to approve or be involved in everything. She gets offended if we make decisions without
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    "updating" her, like vacations, big purchases, or even simple arguments couples have.
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    If I don't answer her calls fast enough, she will text my husband something like, "Is everything okay between you two?" She's always
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    subtly prying, always inserting herself into our private life and when I try to set boundaries, she will say things like, "Well, I basically
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    raised him. I have a right to know what is going on with him." I get that she loves him, and I'm not trying to erase her
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    role in his life, but come on. He is not her son he is my husband. And we deserve a marriage that isn't being monitored like a family group project.
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    Cheezburger Image 10534816512
    via JackF

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Chill-Cactus399 OP It's my marriage i need my privacy.
    via Chill-Cactus399
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    acm_ca She will continue until your husband tells her to back off. You are definitely entitled to privacy, but this is continuing because your husband hasn't told her the behavior is intrusive.
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    skeeziicks Like Princess Diana said "There's 3 in my marriage, it's a bit crowded". A marriage is 2, she needs to b the hout.
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    Prize_Sorbet3366 Even if she were legitimately your MIL, your husband still needs to be the one to put his foot down on this. Even MILS don't have the right to pry like this.
    via Prize_Sorbet3366
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    AkimoSempai This is something you should discuss with your husband. Then you both would need to talk to his sister that you guys need your privacy.
    via AkimoSempai
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    TopAd7154 "No you don't. If he wants to tell you things, he will. But unless your name is on the license, you don't ger a say in our marriage."
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    beans2008 as someone who also deals with these issues, I already know that the only way it can be handled is if your husband is the someone to tell her.
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    Seasons71 Four Is she married? Ask her if her MIL had this much involvement in her marriage.
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    SonuvaGunderson You don't have a SIL problem. You have a husband problem. He needs to be the one to establish boundaries with her. And it sounds like he's not.
    via SonuvaGunderson

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relationship advice marriage drama wife relationship-drama reddit story relationships husband sister in law advice couples love entitled sister Reddit married parents entitled people
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