“Mum, he wants me to do it for him… He says all good wives can do it… So am I not a good wife? Please teach me… If everyone else can, surely I should be able to as well…” I’m still amazed my niece found herself a husband – all thanks to her mother. When Alina was little, my sister refused to send her to nursery school; as a teenager, she wasn’t allowed out and spent most of her time at home, turning into a bit of a recluse. When she studied at our local university, her mum made sure she was always home before six o’clock. At twenty years old, her mother was still phoning her at half seven to shout and ask why she wasn’t home yet. It was all a bit ridiculous. Alina met her future husband in her second year at university. They met studying in the library—he was two years older, shared his notes with her, helped her out, and before he knew it, he was in love. That was when my niece started to defiantly break her mother’s strict rules. Eventually, my niece married and her mother finally allowed her to start her own life. Now, let me tell you what happened recently. I was at my sister’s house when Alina called, her voice wobbling between tears and laughter so you could barely understand: “Mum, he wants me to do something… He says every good wife can do it… So am I not a good wife? Please teach me… If other women can, I should be able to as well…” My sister’s face changed in a flash, and she quickly told her daughter to calm down and explain just what all good wives are supposed to do. “It’s soup, Mum,” Alina said—and we burst out laughing. “Don’t laugh at me! You never taught me how to make it! I tried recipes online but nothing tastes right!” So my sister and I quickly talked her through soup-making step by step, giggling all the while. That evening, my niece rang to thank us for our help—her husband had paid her a compliment, the soup was delicious, and now, she said, she finally felt like a proper woman!

Author Emily TaylorReading 3 minViews 2

You know, I still cant quite believe my niece actually ended up finding a husband and honestly, I think its mostly down to how her mother raised her.

When Emily was little, my sister refused to let her go to nursery. As a teenager, poor Emily wasnt really allowed to go out at all; she spent the vast majority of her time at home, which turned her into a bit of a recluse. When she studied at university here in Bath, her mum would always make sure she was home before six in the evening. Can you imagine? The girl was twenty, and her mother would be ringing her at half past seven, absolutely fuming if she hadnt made it home yet. The whole thing was honestly just absurd!

Anyway, Emily met her future husband in her second year at uni. They bumped into each other at the library he was two years older and used to share his notes with her and help her out. Before he knew it, hed completely fallen for her and started asking her out. That was the turning point it was then that my niece started breaking her mums rules left, right, and centre without a second thought.

Eventually, Emily tied the knot, and her mum finally accepted that she was starting her own life.

Now, let me tell you about what happened just the other day. I was round at my sisters house, and suddenly Emily called her mum. Her voice was this weird mix of laughing and sobbing, so youd barely understand what she was trying to say:

Mum, he wants me to do this for him He keeps saying every good wife knows how Am I not good? Teach me If everyone else can do it, surely I should as well

Honestly, my sisters face changed in an instant. She tells Emily to calm down and asks her what, exactly, every good wife is supposed to do.

Supper, Mum! comes the reply. And I swear, we just burst into laughter.

Dont laugh at me! You never taught me how to make it, Ive been searching for recipes online but none of them taste right!

Well, we quickly walked her through how to whip up a proper soup, step by step though, to be fair, we did take the mickey out of each other a bit in the process.

That evening, Emily rang back to say thank you. Apparently, her husband had told her supper was absolutely delicious, and now, shes decided she feels like a real proper woman!

“It’s All My Fault, Obviously! My Boyfriend’s Sister Is in Tears—She Never Imagined This Could Happen, and Now She Has No Clue What to Do, or How to Save Face My boyfriend’s sister got married a few years ago. After the wedding, it was decided the newlyweds would live with her mother-in-law. The husband’s family had a spacious three-bedroom flat with only one son. ‘I’ll keep one room, and the rest is yours!’ said the mother-in-law. ‘We’re all well-mannered people, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.’ ‘We can always move out!’ the husband assured his wife. ‘I see nothing wrong with giving life under the same roof as my mum a try. If we can’t get along, we can always get a flat of our own…’ And that’s what they did. As it turned out, life together wasn’t easy at all. Both mum-in-law and daughter-in-law tried, but things grew worse each day. Resentment built up, arguments became a daily occurrence. ‘You said we’d move out if we couldn’t get along!’ his wife sobbed. ‘Well, we’ve hardly tried!’ replied her husband with a patronising smile. ‘These are small things—no need to pack your bags over it.’ Exactly a year after the wedding, she became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy son. The arrival of her grandson coincided with her mother-in-law leaving her old job and struggling to find a new one, since most bosses don’t want to hire a woman nearing retirement. So mother-in-law and daughter-in-law found themselves spending nearly 24 hours a day together, unable to go anywhere, and the atmosphere at home just kept getting worse. The husband shrugged and listened to the complaints—he was now the family’s sole breadwinner. ‘Right now, we can’t leave mum on her own—she can’t pay the bills. I can’t abandon her, and I certainly can’t afford to pay both rent and support my mum. Once she finds a job, we’ll move out!’ But the young woman’s patience ran out. She packed up her belongings and her child’s and moved in with her own mother. As she left she told her husband she would never set foot in his mother’s house again. If he cared about his family, he would have to think of a solution. She was sure her beloved valued his family and would return immediately to get her back. But she was mistaken. It’s been more than three months since she moved back home, and her husband hasn’t lifted a finger to win her back. He’s still living with his mum and only talks to his wife and child by video call after work; at weekends, he visits them at his mother-in-law’s. Now, the man enjoys attention and care from two women, and his own mother has plenty of sympathy for the son abandoned by his angry wife, but takes no real responsibility for their child. The husband is on easy street—and the mother-in-law probably thinks life is grand! Meanwhile, the young wife is utterly miserable. She still loves her husband, even though she knows he’s in the wrong. ‘What did you expect when you left?’ asks her husband, ‘You can come back whenever you want.’ She probably isn’t planning to leave her mother or rent a flat, as she’s on maternity leave and just can’t afford it. Is this really the end for their family? Do you think there’s even the slightest chance for her to move back in with her mother-in-law—and come out of this with her dignity intact?”

Recently, I Visited My Daughter-in-Law, and Discovered She’d Hired a Housekeeper for the Cleaning I Always Told My Son That His Future Bride’s Financial Status Didn’t Matter to Us, So He Happily Married Mary, Who’d Never Had Much Money and Was Rather Pampered by Life After the Wedding, the Kids Moved into the House We Bought for Them My Husband and I Renovated It Ourselves, and Now We Try to Support Them Financially, Even Bringing Groceries My Daughter-in-Law Is Doing Well, Has Just Had My Grandchild, So She’s Not Working, and My Son Hasn’t Got a Fancy Job or a Great Salary You Can Imagine My Shock When I Walked into Their Home and Found a Stranger Cleaning: My Daughter-in-Law Has Hired a Housekeeper, But Does Nothing Herself—How Can She Afford This? Where’s Her Conscience? I Sent This Woman Away—After All, It’s Still My House and She Was Cleaning with My Money Where Are My Son and His Wife Supposed to Find Money for Such Luxuries? I Decided to Wait for My Daughter-in-Law, Who Was Out with My Grandchild, and Address the Matter Directly as Soon as She Returned She Explained, ‘Mum, I Became a Blogger During My Maternity Leave, Now I Earn Good Money, and I Really Need the Housekeeper Because My Work Keeps Me So Busy!’ But What’s a Blogger? Is That Really a Proper Job? Can People Actually Earn Money Doing That? And I Don’t Want a Stranger Cleaning My House ‘If You Have So Much Money, Why Not Pay Me to Clean—Strangers Needn’t Be Involved Here,’ I Said to Her She Only Muttered and Went Off to Feed My Grandson When My Son Came Home, I Told Him the Latest Family News and He Replied, ‘Mum, I Knew About the Cleaner—Maria Works Extremely Hard, and I Want to Spend My Evenings with Our Son, So I Don’t See the Harm’ I Simply Don’t Understand This Generation—How Can They Afford These Things? I Ran to My Husband, but He Just Said ‘You Mustn’t Interfere in the Young Couple’s Lives! They’re Grown-Ups and Can Manage on Their Own!’ I’ve Not Been This Angry in Ages, but I’m Sure I’m Doing—and Saying—What’s Right! What Do You Think?