I phoned my Mother-in-law  to thank her for my birthday card, but instead of her answering the phone I got the dreaded Father-in-law.  After 15 years of marriage this is the second time I have spoken to him on the phone! (Ok the first time was embarrassing, he phoned me and said "It's John" I said "Who? I know lots of Johns"  I didn't recognise his voice.)  So anyway I said thanks for the card and he said oh Vi (Mother- in-law) had  a stroke last weekend.  He didn't even phone my husband to tell him! 

I used to get along fine with them before we married, my husband was adopted and was treated really badly by them whilst growing up, he went into the army to escape.  Then the kids were born and we would go and visit them until his dad started on my eldest boy.  He was 6 and his dad would say "you're just like your father"  he once threw his gameboy across the room things like that.  My husband is obviously still scared of him because he wouldn't say anything and when I tried to would stop me.

So my boys haven't seen them for 7 years now I don't think they will again which is sad.  They send money for my youngest on his birthday but not the eldest.....that is the way they treated my husband with his brother. 

 I just can't see how you can treat children differently in such a way.  Ok all children are different, as mine are, but you still love them the same.  But I guess as my husband was told we wanted to adopt your brother and had to have you as part of the package thats why they treated him in the way they did.

My husband now thinks of my parents as his own because they treat him as parents should....

He did finally find his birth mother but thats another story!