I don’t know what to do about my father-in-law. The man just spews verbal diarrhea. He likes to pick on people, and while I know this is part of his personality, his constant jabs are really hurtful. I’ve had self-esteem issues my entire life and given the opportunity I would undergo gross amounts of plastic surgery to correct the way my face looks. I don’t have a single facial feature that I like.

So onto the problem, my father-in-law likes to constantly point out my unattractiveness. My husband went to Europe in college while we were dating and his father encouraged him to sleep around because he could do better than me. His father has also tried to set him up with other women before and after we were married because again, he insists that his son can do better.

I’m short and not very large, and my chest is proportional to my body. My Mother-in-law on the other hand is quite well endowed. When I was pregnant my father-in-law constantly told me that there was no way I’d be able to breastfeed with my “mosquito bites”. I wouldn’t say a B cup is mosquito bites — and obviously they were larger when I was pregnant.

My teenage brother-in-law is dating a girl who is pretty on the outside, but ugly on the inside. My father-in-law showers her with praise and is constantly telling her how beautiful she is. He tells his son how lucky he is to be with her even when she baby trapped him (with a child that may or may not be his), and blackmailed my in-laws into building an apartment they could live rent-free in.

I try my best to not let my father-in-law get to me, I put a smile on my face and go to every single family function they dream-up even when it conflicts with other plans (like my birthday or weekend plans my husband and I have) and I try to help out as much as I can when we’re at their house. However, this past weekend my father-in-law’s ridicule went beyond me to our daughter. He looked at her, and then he looked at me, then turned to her and said he hoped she didn’t look like me when she grows up, and then proceeded to inspect her face for any similarities. I almost started to cry, but was able to stop myself. I just stood up, announced that “someone” smelled bad and took my daughter in for a diaper change that she didn’t really need.

My husband always just tells me that his dad is like that to everyone and that I shouldn’t let it get to me. He tries to make me feel better by telling me that I’m “just not dad’s type” and that’s why he’s constantly making fun of the way I look.

In a couple of months we’re going to have to move in with them while we build our new house. Financially we can’t afford to pay a mortgage and pay rent on another place, so it’s really our only option. No other family has a large enough house for us to stay with them, nor are they close enough to our jobs.

I guess this isn’t really a question, but I just needed to vent and if a couple people could tell me what a jerk my father-in-law is that would be wonderful. :-)