This Woman’s Post About Her Mother-In-Law’s Life Story Went Viral For The Sweetest Reason

If we've learned anything over the past year, it's that the internet is often a testy hotbed of caustic dissent. Like, in 50 years, our generation's tagline is going to be, "Don't read the comments." But because this is the season of giving and miracles do, occasionally, happen, Reddit is rallying behind this user's amazing mother-in-law following an incredibly pure thank you post. Hug your moms and mom-figures tight, you guys. This is about to get emotional.

In a post uploaded on Christmas Eve to r/TwoXChromosomes, a subreddit for both "serious and silly content, and intended for women's perspectives," user goblinqueenac introduced readers to her hardworking, ceaselessly kind mother-in-law. The post, titled just "Shout out to my MIL," outlined both her mother-in-law's difficult upbringing and her endless supply of warmth for loved ones.

It began simply enough, with a fiercely touching, one-sentence summary: "My mother in law blows my mind and breaks my heart all at the same time."

According to the post, u/goblinqueenac's mother-in-law lost her twin sister at birth. She spent the first 11 years of her life shouldering the grief of her father, which often manifested itself in anger. At 11, her mother passed away from cancer. Her sister was never a maternal, or even a particularly kind, figure.

Upon getting married, she suffered through an initially venomous relationship with her own mother-in-law, who once cut off most of her hair under the guise of "giving it a trim." At 36, she lost her youngest child to Trisomy 18, a chromosomal disorder that results in severe developmental delays.

Goblinqueenac's mother-in-law now works in a full-time job she hates, rising before dawn, at 5am, every day to make breakfast and lunch for herself and her husband, whom she provides for considerably. She has several painful health problems. Over the past several years, she's lost her father, her stepmother and two other close relatives.

And yet, writes goblinqueenac, "She is always cheerful and always puts others before herself. She's not even my mom, but she treats me like a daughter."

"TL;DR: Life kicked the shit out of my MIL, and she kicked back!"

Overnight, the post blew up.

The comments, nearly all 226 of them, are positive. In a digital world where even the most innocuous of comments — like, "Hey, pecan pie is pretty cool, right?" — can often spark a deluge of negative reactions, that alone is frankly remarkable. The post has also received 11.1 thousand "points," which in Reddit speak means you're getting a "karma" kickback for popular content. A number of users, too, began sharing their own stories of amazing, hardworking, fiercely loving mothers and mother-in-laws.

Even more remarkable? People began asking questions. Not mean, sarcastic questions, but genuine questions born of curiosity for this strong-ass MIL figure. So goblinqueenac began updating her post with edits. And more edits. And then, more. Her mother-in-law's own mother-in-law, "Oma," now get along, she says. They talk on the phone every day.

Yes, says goblinqueenac, she tells her mother-in-law all the time how much she is loved and appreciated. And just because her mother-in-law has become a central maternal figure in her life doesn't mean her own mother is any less awesome. "My mom is crazy awesome too, but I'll save that for another day," she wrote.

And finally, if you've been wondering this whole time what the world's number one mother-in-law thinks of going viral, we've got your answer: "She is overwhelmed by the love here and didn't think her story was that big of a deal. She is such a lovely humble person," wrote goblinqueenac. "She cried reading all of your wonderful comments. Now I have to teach her how to use Reddit."