Brooke and Jeffrey: Second Date Update - Awkward Tuesday: Monster In Law

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

One of our listeners says she’s dealing with a MONSTER problem with her mother-in law and her ridiculous demands are OUT OF CONTROL! We’ll try to help reel her in when we do an Awkward Tuesday Phone Call!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.com for details and to check availability.

Bell, connection is everything. If your bookshelf and your for you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture, with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy.

Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America,

plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land. We need cities on a shining hill. This is Our Town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back.

Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town, on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I feel like we get a little extra, what's the word, Alexis, saucy on Tuesdays. Oh, that's what you're going for. Yes, that's what I was going for. It's Brick and Jeffrey in the morning, and it is your awkward Tuesday phone call. Yes.

There are going to be a lot of big emotions about this one. Once you get a mother-in-law involved. I know. It's hard not to. I know. I know. It's a real, I'm not thinking of the words today. I can't finish your sentence.

What's the word where you like set something off? Trigger. Yes, that's the word. Mother-in-laws are triggers. Yes, that's the one. Okay. Oh, and remember, we do have a brand new in studio up. Those are our YouTube videos of our second dates that we've been trying to compile.

They post every Tuesday. So if you're not already following the YouTube page, please. Shame on you. Yeah. At Brooke and Jeffrey. What do you see in the comments? Abri said, I listened to the show in two-time speed. Whoa.

And no offense, I had a better time listening to it just at a better pace. But I'll stick to the regular speed just to enjoy it for a little longer. Oh, there you go. We're all chipmunks for her. Two times is wild. That is wild. That is wild. She just did this whole intro in five seconds.

Oh, she's halfway through. It's awkward. Yeah, exactly. Can you mention Jose's laughing two times? Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It's like a machine cut going off. All right.

Let's get to it. Your brand new awkward Tuesday starts right now. A lot of people will tell you the hardest part of being a new parent is the sleepless nights. Yes. Or the constant worrying. Oh, seriously. Or learning that a blowout. no longer means that you're getting your hair done.

Ew. It does not. It is not pretty. Not anymore. One of our listeners says all of those are nothing compared to the headache that she's dealing with. Uh-oh. It involves a member of her family making a ridiculous demand. You won't believe what this person is asking for just hours after the mom gave birth.

Whoa. You're going to hear it in your brand new awkward Tuesday phone call next. It's awkward. It's Tuesday. It's awkward Tuesday phone call. This might be a first for our show. Oh. In fact, I know it is.

It's Brooke and Jeffrey in the morning, because we just got a request this morning asking if we could do a phone call from a woman who recently gave birth only two days ago. What? Girl. You're talking to the baby. No, go to sleep. You're delirious.

You're delirious. This is not how we should be here. What do you do? Don't call a new mom delirious. That's not kind. I've been a new mom. You are delirious. We don't know what the situation is.

Her name is April. And April, first of all, I'm going to say, congratulations on this incredible moment. Is the baby happy and healthy? Baby is happy and healthy. Oh. That's really nice to hear. That recovery is rough. Good much.

I'm serious. Come through some optimism for her. It gets better. That's good. I will say it is a little odd that you're asking for an awkward Tuesday phone call immediately after childbirth. I mean, what is going on where you felt like you had to reach out? Yeah, I actually messaged you guys while I was still in the hospital because I've only been home for like a few hours. What?

Wow. Wait. Wait. Are you still on drugs? That's a good epitaphne. No, it's the situation is time sensitive based on. the birth. Okay, what's going on? Is it have to do with your baby?

It has to do with my baby and my mother-in-law. Okay, Brooke, get ready. I'm just going to tell you, like, your relationship with your husband changes after a baby, but it really changes with your mother-in-law after a baby. Why, what's going on with your mom-in-law?

Well, I will say, in her defense, I think she means well, but she is being a little overbearing and I need a nice way to tell her to back off. Okay. I'm already scared here. Okay. Let's back up a little bit.

Why do you feel that way? What happened? Okay, so my husband is definitely a mama's boy, and she dotes on him. She'll do impromptu stop by the house, bring some food, make sure he's eating, you know, stuff like that. Okay. So they have a healthy relationship, it sounds like. She was a helicopter mom and continues to be is what it sounds like. Okay.

They love each other and you're jealous. Keep going. I would describe it as annoying but sweet. Okay. He's an only child, so I get it. I can handle it. Okay. He's still spoiled by his mom.

Yeah, he's the only child. Yeah. That makes sense. So where all the energy goes. All right. And then I got pregnant and things changed. Yeah, why would you do that? Why would you ruin everything for him?

I know, how do I mean? Better? Was the first part fine? Like, the pregnancy part? with your mother-in-law? Yeah, I mean, I will say, like, continued to be a little annoying, but overall really was, like, a great help with everything and is, like, super excited and Landon hosted the baby shower, like, positive.

That's cute. So that sounds good. Okay, yes. So fast forward to a week before my due date, she comes over to our place and, like, sits us both down and says, after the baby, I want you to both come to my house so I can take care of the baby. and make sure you're like relaxed and rested. Oh, I mean, that's, yeah, that's well intention.

But yeah, I wouldn't want to be outside of my home after I gave birth. Right? I'm like, you don't want to go to somebody else's house. You want to be with your own stuff. You want to be with your baby. You want to be with your husband. It just has such a raw, vulnerable time for a woman. Like, you need a little space from your mother-in-law. It's time for you and your husband to, I don't know, like, connect, you know.

Plus, it's time for you to show the house to the baby, like, everybody's crib. You're stuck here for 18 years. You can't leave. This is your prison. Okay. So what did you say to her when she invited you to stay? Well, my husband was like, we'll discuss it, but she like really hasn't let it go. She's asked multiple times, even while we were in the hospital when she first saw the baby.

And now we're on a time crunch because I get home just, like I said, hours ago. And I get a text from her saying the house is already for the baby. When are you getting here? That's a little... It would make more sense if she came and stayed with you to take care of you and to do the laundry and to cook at your house. That would make a lot more sense,

but that is not what's on the table. That is so weird. You're feeling what about this? Pressure? Like, why can't you just tell her no? I don't know. I mean, I just kind of feel like me and my husband, like, neither one of us know what to say. because, like, she is being sweet, but, like, also she's being crazy. Yeah.

How do you say that? It's very passive and aggressive. But, okay, wait. She, you haven't given her a response yet, right? Have you responded to her yes or no that this was going to happen? Yeah. I mean, when she first brought it up, I said, like, that's probably not going to work. But, like, since that conversation, we've just been kind of avoiding it.

Yeah. But the thing is, like, I don't want to get on her bad side because she likes me and we get along really well, but I have seen how she is with people that she is not feeling good about. Well, and girl, you need that free babysitting, so let's be honest. Brooks right, yeah.

She's already operating. Okay, so thank you for helping all the way up through my pregnancy, but now we need a break. Temporary. Until we call you and need your help again. Yes. Until the laundry needs to be done.

Yeah. We'll try to condense that into something shorter, and sweeter sounding when we come back and give you our advice and let you call your mother-in-law in your awkward Tuesday phone call to tell her, I'm not staying at your house with my brand-new baby. No. We'll do it right after this. Hold on. It's awkward. It's Tuesday.

It's awkward Tuesday phone call. How do you tell your mother-in-law just two days after giving birth that you are not going to go stay over at her house and let her her take care of your newborn. Oh, man, it's pretty bad. That is the question that our listener, April, has come to us needing help with, because her mother-in-law has been extremely helpful, very involved during April's entire pregnancy, and she's so excited to step in and help out with their new arrival in the family, which makes it a little bit more difficult to be stern with her and tell her,

hey, we appreciate all the help, but we are not going to be staying at your house. house for weeks on end. How do you deliver that message to her politely? Yeah. That's where hopefully, Brooke, you have some helpful tips for April. What do you think? Well, I think April first, you do have to remember that your mother-in-law is coming from a place of just wanting to be involved, right?

She's very excited. And so before you tell her not now, you got to give her something to look forward to, right? So maybe you say, oh, my God, in four months when I go back to work or whatever is happening in your life, April. I would love it if you could help take care of the baby. You can't see this baby for four months. No, I'm just saying like that there's a plan ahead, right? Yes.

Yes. But right now, I'm in a really vulnerable state. I just want to hunker down with just me and the baby and my husband. And we're just going to spend this time by ourselves. So we're going to stay home right now. But in four months, it's all going to be about you. There we go. I'm going to be everything.

I think that's good. It softens the blue. and it gives her plenty of baby time. That's good. Okay, so that's one piece of advice. Put a light at the end of the tunnel. Tell mother-in-law to walk towards the light. Jose, what's your advice?

I think the best choice is to not make it your decision. Okay, say that you brought it up to the doctor. Like, I mentioned we're going to your place. And the doctor immediately said no. You got to go back into your own environment, be at your own place with your baby. It's a health recommendation that you get space. Oh, yeah. Maybe you could bring up that your mother-in-law doesn't have the right immunizations.

That always goes over well. Well, okay, here's my concern. I feel like I'm not a good liar, so I feel like she won't buy. The doctor said no. And then if she catches with that I'm lying, then the feisty side might come out. There you go. You just create more of a mess for yourself if you get caught, that's for sure. We'll use it as like an emergency red button that you hit just in case nothing else is working.

Jeff will act as a doctor if you need. I'll step in. So here we go. I'm going to dial your mother-in-law's phone number. Her name is Linda. Is that right? Okay. I'm going to dial it right now.

Good luck. We're not let you make your awkward call. We're here for you. I think the baby's crying. You just gave birth. This is not the toughest thing you've done. Okay. You can do anything if you can do that.

Here we go. I'm dialing you right now. Here for you. Your number. I just was calling to thank you for coming to the hospital and sending the flowers and all of the course, honey. There was so much to do. I knew you couldn't manage it. I'm happy to help.

Thank you for that. And then. Well, so are you all coming over now, though? You're supposed to be here. I can see Josh's location on my phone. It says he's at the house. Did you forget something? No, we are at the house now.

We're going to be staying at the house. I do think it's best for me to be in my own place while I recover. Okay, wait. You're going to stay tonight at your house, and then tomorrow you'll come over here to move in. I mean, we didn't get a chance to clean it enough for a baby, and you can stay here as long as you want. No, not going to happen with the moving in.

Honey, that's not going to work. It's not going to work for me. You need to be here. Well, I will be at my house and you can come over. April, why are you taking my joy? No, honey. Linda, I'm not trying to take your joy at all. It's just you can come over.

We can schedule time for you to drop by. Okay, that's not a problem. Sweetheart, sweetheart, listen to me. You're being very selfish. I am not an Amazon delivery person. I am your mother-in-law. So if you're home with my son right now, you tell him, pack your bags and come over right away. Whoa.

Linda, I'm sorry, but I'm not doing that. Well, all right. That's not happening. Well, then Joshua can come over and bring the baby. You can rest at home. You sound tired. Are you kidding me? My baby needs to be with me.

She needs to be fed every few hours. Like, we can see you to come over and feed it then. Okay, does that sound convenient? Oh, we can stop. Please interrupt this. This sounds like a good relationship. Linda has lost her mind. I can't wait for Brooke to talk to her.

What is happening? April, who is this? Hi. Hey, Linda, what this is is a radio show called Brooke and Jeffrey in the morning. No wonder she was worried about talking to you. Hi, good morning. Excuse. I am not okay with this at all.

Well, yeah. This isn't really about you right now. It's about April. Don't you say that to her. Who just gave birth to your new grandchild. Yeah. And she wanted, she wanted a little bit of help. To politely.

To politely let you know she needs some time. After all I have done, you're going to deny me my grandbaby? Linda. Linda, deep breath. So upsetting. hear you because I don't think you hear yourself Linda. Listen, I have been nothing but helpful. All I said is that I will take the baby. I will care for the baby. If you can't need the rest, then you can stay home. How is that unhelpful? I can both stay home and take care of my baby, and that is the current

plan, and it is not changing. Okay. Okay. You guys don't want to get too heated. Linda, This is not how you want to start the relationship of being a grandmother. You know what? I'm just going to speak with Joshua. That's what I'm going to do. I'll speak with my son. Skip the mom to your son. What do you think he's going to do?

Take the baby from the mother and bring him to you. It's not your baby, Linda. Are you sure? It is as much my baby as it is hers. Wait, what? It's her baby. That gets weird. It's as much yours.

I'm the grandmother. I have waited my whole life. We did not think we've. would have a grand baby and here we have one and my daughter-in-law is keeping her from us. It's been two days. I'm not moving in with you. Do not see the difference? Listen, guys, I don't want this to be contentious between the two of you, not in this, like,

magical moment. There must be a way that we can find some middle ground. Just talk to each other and find some sort of agreement. Even though Brooke doesn't want it. She wants the mom to hoard the baby. And honestly, this should come from Linda. Linda, it's your job right now to be the, you know, the adult. Supportive.

Yes. This isn't the message you want. I will admit there's been a lot going on and it's very stressful. I just want to see my grand baby and take care of April and Josh and the baby. That's nice. You can be like dropping a casserole at their front door. Say hi to the baby real quick and then you go back. home. Or Linda gets the babies on weekends.

There's no joint custody of the baby, Jeff. We can set up some sort of like baby calendar. You get Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Okay, maybe I'm out of line. Linda, I promise you, you will have so much time with your grandbaby. There you go. I promise you. But I do need my own space and some privacy.

So if you don't like having a schedule, that's fine. you need to give us a heads up before you come over, and you can come over as much as you want. Isn't that nice, Linda? Starting four months from now. Oh, that's right. Stop at you, too. And we'll come visit you at your place, too.

We're just not going to move in. Sweetheart, I'm not thrilled with your plan, and it's a little whiny, if you ask me. But I will try. We'll see how it goes, okay? Okay. I don't know. I feel like she's in the car driving over right now.

She is tracking your husband's location at all time, so she will know where that baby is. You may want to monitor their conversations in the future. There's going to be a tracker in the baby's onesie before we go. Brooke and Jeffrey in the morning. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all?

And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Pro's Society. The weekly podcast, that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture

obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table.

It's like if you can hide some real message. inside compelling characters, and that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. Gosh, I am so sick of stepping in and being the hero on this segment over and over again. I mean, Brooke wants to throw us into a Mike Tyson fight where it's us versus the mother-in-law.

We're right. She's wrong. Come on. And I'm like, can't we all come together and reach a happy medium as a family? I mean, off-air, Brooks suggested getting rid of the baby at once. I know. You two are awful. You make things so much worse.

Look, I don't enjoy using my powers for good. I'll admit that. But if I have to be the reluctant Superman and save the day, then so be it. I don't know that's how that went down. I have no comments even add. Okay, Lex Luthor, you don't see what's happening. Okay. The good news is you don't need a bat signal to shine up in the sky to get our help.

Just an email would do. We'll respond and give you our advice to help you out of an awkward situation. A Brooke and Jeffrey like skylight would be really cool. That would be cool. Awesome. Maybe just a plane with a banner behind it. Would that work for you guys? I'm circling the radio station.

Yeah. Would that be subtle enough? I would take it. Anyway, email the show if you need some help and go find our podcast wherever you get yours at Brooke and Jeffrey. I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island to serve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to pro society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotbby. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space. with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America, plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land. We need cities on a shining hill. This is our town, a podcast about what happens when a small town becomes the site of a social experiment and fights back. Guess you didn't move in on a bunch of dumb hillbillies now, did you? Listen to Our Town on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guilt Season 3 podcast. This is a story about a horrendous situation that destroyed two families.

It's a scorched earth war that shows just how far someone will go to get what they want. Cindy said, I had to choose between the truth and my family, and I had to choose the truth. Listen to season three of Burden of Guilt on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.