Is this verbal abuse (please see details)?

Question by Savage serenity: Is this verbal abuse (please see details)?
My sister in law is 23 years old. She is very rude and hateful towards her family at times. In particular, she ill treats my in-laws.

We all work together. Today, we were riding together in the van having a discussion about safety. My dear wife bumped her noggin when she was only 2 or 3 years old…this would have been around 1975-76. Apparently, cars didn’t even have seatbelts. My wife was just a baby at the time. She was stubborn, and would cry and scream when my MIL tried to restrain her. She was like a wild little monkey. She wanted to stand up in the front seat of the car (she stood in the floorboard, actually)- my MIL was driving the car, and she had to stop suddenly at low speed. My poor wife hit her head on the dashboard, and cried a little. From then on, my MIL made her wear her seatbelt and made her sit in the back of the car.

My sister in law was outraged. She said “What was wrong with you all back then, it’s common sense to use seatbelts!” “Were you all idiots?” And it was not said jokingly. It was said quite rudely and seriously. That was only one instance of the outrage. She also implied that my in laws are morons. There was an argument that ensued. I stayed out of it.

This was not atypical of my sister in law. She is often hateful. Was this an example of verbal abuse towards my mother in law? How could she have assertively defended herself towards her daughter? What would you have said if you had been in her shoes?

Best answer:

Answer by zoe
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