<human>: Give me a shortened version of the text

Dear Reddit,

I am so frustrated and I don't know what to do. I'm really hoping that your perspective will help.

My mother in law and I used to be close. Or, I thought we were since she always said she wanted to be close. However, whenever we have even the slightest conflict...

Her husband HAS to be there, advocating for her, regardless of what's going on or whether he knows what's going on. If she's really upset, she will just sob in a corner while he berates everyone and anyone who upset her.

This is seriously preventing me from having a close relationship with her. I can't talk to her about things anymore because I fear that her husband will simply come stomp me down. He barely knows me at all but he feels comfortable yelling at me for his wife's sake.

I know you guys are going to be curious about the types of things she gets upset about. For example, one time she felt didn't receive enough attention from us so he yelled at us. Another time, we didn't call back for a day and so he berated us.

I just wanted to ask everyone... is this normal? My husband says that this is the way they have always done things in his life. He says they have always communicated that way.

And if this isn't normal...how the hell do I navigate this?!
<bot>: My MIL wants to be close but insists on having her husband yell at my husband and I whenever she is upset, instead of talking to us directly.