My husband comes from a truly wonderful family. Though his parents have a daughter of their own, they welcomed me as if I were their own child.
My mother-in-law is an incredibly wise woman. We’ve never had a single quarrel, not even the tiniest disagreement. She makes comments so carefully and tactfully that I’ve always taken them in stride.
My husband’s sister married years ago, yet we were the ones who first gave his parents grandchildren. Their daughter wanted to focus on herself for a while—children weren’t part of her plans yet.
My in-laws adore our kids, spoiling them with little gifts now and then, doing everything to keep them happy.
His mother often sighs and tells me, *”When will Sophie finally give us grandchildren? It would be lovely! She’s already thirty—it’s about time she started thinking about it.”*
Then came the long-awaited joy—Sophie was expecting. Everyone was thrilled, even my little daughter, who couldn’t wait to meet her new cousin.
But soon, something happened that left a bitter taste.
I was out walking with my son in the park when an acquaintance stopped me. We chatted, and she asked if Sophie had given birth yet. I replied it would happen any day now.
Then she said, *”How do you feel about it? You realize things will change, don’t you? Your in-laws are about to have a grandchild who’ll be ‘proper’ family—their real grandchild.”*
I stared at her. *”What do you mean, ‘proper’ grandchild?”*
*”Think about it. You gave your mother-in-law grandchildren, but now her own daughter’s having a baby. That’s different.”*
Her words struck me as absurd. Since when were a daughter’s children more legitimate than a son’s? What nonsense was this?
I still believe nothing will change between us and my in-laws once Sophie’s baby arrives. But that conversation left a strange weight in my chest.
Do some grandmothers really divide grandchildren this way? Does it truly matter which side of the family they come from?
