Every day with my motherinlaw: how she turned my life into a nightmare
No day without my motherinlaw: how this woman made my existence hellish
When Théo and I married, our first decisionwhat seemed the smartest at the timewas to live away from our parents. He worked as an engineer for a fairly upscale private firm, and I had put my share of my grandmothers apartment sale into a mortgage. We were starting to build our nest, hoping for peace, comfort, and a little family of our own. Who could have guessed that his mother would move in with us
She didnt actually live under our roof, but her presence was felt everywhere: in every electrical socket, every cupboard, every spoon. No choicewhether buying a kettle, new curtains, or even a simple bath matescaped her input.
If I dared to mention changing the blinds, she would appear instantly, armed with folders, catalogs, and endless advice. For holidays she wrote scripts as if we were entering an amateur theatre contest. Once we planned to ring in New Year at a mountain chalet with friends. Everything was booked, groceries done, transport arranged. Yet she turned it into such a drama that even Stanislavski would have taken his hat off. Tears, accusations, lamentations: A night like this and you abandon your mother! The result: we stayed home, money wasted, while she critiqued TV performers from her armchair like an empress.
When I finally became pregnant, Théo and I wanted to turn the guest room into a nursery. We barely discussed it The next morning she was on the doorstep, two workers at her side, rolls of wallpaper in her arms. I didnt even get a chance to speakrenovations had already started. According to her plans, her colors, her vision. I was left standing in my own house, feeling like an intruder.
I told my husband a hundred times that it was too much, that I no longer felt at home, that I wanted to choose things myselffrom wallpaper to the dishsponging brush. He always replied the same: Mom just wants to help. She has good taste. Its all out of love. And what about me? My wishes? My taste? Does any of it matter just because I havent given birth to a wonderful son?
And then the climax. One day she announced triumphantly: Théo and I are going on vacation. To Greece. I need to recharge; I carry everything on my shoulders. I was seven months pregnant, speechless. My husband stammered that he couldnt let her leave alone. I was clear: if he went with her, he could forget he had a wife.
The fallout? She burst into our home screaming that I was jealous, that she had given birth to my husband and raised him, that I was an ungrateful ingrate. She said I couldnt leave because of my big belly, and that now I was preventing her from catching a breath after this thankless life. In short, she claimed she was doing everything for us, and we
I no longer know whats right or wrong. Im exhausted living as three people in a marriage meant for two. I dont want war, but I cant accept this either. I feel myself fadingas a woman, a wife, a future mother. I fear that once the baby arrives, shell not only pick the diapers but also the name, the school, the friends
Ladies, do you have any advice for surviving a golden motherinlaw? Or is it a lost cause, and should I simply resign myself, knowing shell be there until the endlike a shadow, a voiceover, always louder than mine?
Tell me everything. Ive run out of ways to fight this circus.
Every Day with My Mother-in-Law: How She Turned My Life into a Nightmare
