First of all, I would like to say that I am not a weak man, and would, under normal circuмstances, "put someone in their place" if this was happening. This issue seems to be a very sensitive one, so please bear with me . . .
I will try to make this quick. Since the time I met my wife, the only person that has ever disturbed her peace has been her own mother. Her mother is a lapsed Catholic, that feels bad about being a lapsed Catholic, but gets ENRAGED, when we even jokingly invite her to Mass.
My wife is very meek, and very quiet. Although this is not a bad thing at all, the cause of it is. Her mother is very emotionally manipulative, and constantly postures and attacks my wife and I. If we say anything at all to her, to even hint at the fact that she is hurting us, she explodes, often saying, "I've given my whole life up to raise my kids! I did the best job that I could." She is mad for a few weeks, and then life goes back to normal, until she does it again.
My wife has said that we need to learn how to ignore her, and just focus on ourselves. I think that is the best idea, but at the same time, even if we try to ignore her, my wife still has to suffer from her emotional abuse. Again, if we try to talk to her, she just explodes. She is the most miserable person I have met in my life, and it is all due to constantly comparing the (lack of) worldly goods she has to those of others.
I apologize if this post is coming off as gossipy. I don't intend it to be, as I am only hoping to provide some background information so I can ask for advice.
What can I do here? We can't completely "cut her off," and we have a baby on the way. Do I just accept this as our "cross to bear" in life? Am I required, as the husband, to make a stand to her (I am positive that NO benefit can come from it)? I do believe that the devil is causing these problems in an attempt to attack my marriage.
Please help!