Ive been married for a year now. Before the wedding, my husband reassured me that his mother had promised not to meddle in our family affairs. Surprisingly, I first met my mother-in-law at the registry office.
In the beginning, everything goes smoothly. My mother-in-law does keep her word, at least in some ways. My husband and I rent a flat, which happens to be right next door to his parents. So my mother-in-law doesnt bother me with her complaints directly. Unfortunately, she tells everyone in the neighbourhood what a hopeless housewife I am: she says I leave dirty dishes in the sink, that I boil meat just once instead of draining the first water, and so on and so forth. The most curious thing she tells people is that I feed my dog raw meat instead of cooked.
Apparently, Im doing everything wrong. I only found out about all this thanks to our neighbour, who shared it with me. I complained to my husband, who just laughed it off and told me not to pay any attention. It seems he must have told his mother about our chat, because now she crosses the road whenever she sees me coming. I once asked my husband why his mother doesnt like me. He replied that she thinks I dont show her enough respect. But how so?
It turns out I simply dont embrace her way of life. Why on earth should I give up my own habits and live the way she wants? She claims it’s because I don’t own the flat I live in. Hearing this, my husband asked her,
Well, whose house is she living in, then?
Later, he said to me,
If we lived with your parents, your mum would make the rules in the kitchen. If we lived with my parents, my mum would call the shots. But here, its just usyou set the rules.
This is exactly why I love my husbandhes so good at looking at things the right way.
Still, all these fine words wont change the fact that soon well have to move in with his parents for a while. I doubt Ill manage there. So Im thinking, maybe Ill just move in with my parents instead. My husband can come and stay with me if he wants to. And if not, hes welcome to stay with his own folks.
