For about a year, my son had been living with Kate, but we had never met her parents, which struck me as odd—so I decided to investigate I’ve always raised my son to respect women above all—his grandmother, his mother, his wife, his daughter. In my view, that’s the finest quality a man can have: respect for women. My husband and I gave our son a wonderful upbringing and education, and provided him with everything he needed to face life with confidence. We wanted to let him find his own way, but we still bought him a two-bedroom flat. While he worked to support himself, he didn’t earn enough to afford his own place. We didn’t just hand him the flat or even tell him about the purchase. Why? Because our son was living with his girlfriend—simple as that. For about a year, he’d been living with Kate, but we’d never met her parents, and I found that strange. Later, I discovered that Kate’s mother was once the neighbour of a friend of mine. She told me something that made me uneasy. It turned out her mother kicked her husband out when he started earning less, but the real oddity began afterwards… The woman started dating a married, but wealthy man. Kate’s grandmother, just like her daughter, was also involved with a married man and forced both her daughter and granddaughter to help out at his country cottage. Because of this, my son had already had several run-ins with his potential mother-in-law. But what troubles me most is that both Kate’s mother and grandmother are turning Kate against her father. The girl is clearly attached to her dad, but thanks to these women, her relationship with him is at risk. And, the cherry on top: Kate decided to drop out of university. She believes a man should take care of the family, which I understand—I’ve prepared my son for that—but heaven forbid they run into trouble down the line. Where’s the safety net if things go wrong? How will she support her husband then? By the way, I’ve reassigned the flat’s ownership to myself, because I know I raised him to be a true gentleman. Sure, anything you own before marriage isn’t split after divorce, but Kate is such a clever woman she could send my “gentleman” off with nothing but his socks.

Author Emily TaylorReading 3 minViews 2

My son had been living with Emily for about a year, but wed never once met her parents. I found it all rather odd, so naturally, I decided to do a bit of snooping.

From the start, Id made it my mission to teach my son to respect womenwhether that be his grandmother, mother, wife or daughter. In my opinion, thats the finest quality a man can have: respect for women. My husband and I had showered our son with a solid upbringing and education, equipping him with all the essentials one might need to breeze through life. Not keen to coddle him financially, we did, however, buy him a two-bedroom flat. He had a job and scraped by on his own, but, lets be honest, London rents would bankrupt a Rothschild.

We didnt present the flat to him like a birthday cake, nor did we even mention wed bought it. Why? Well, because our son was living with a girlfriend, thats why. Theyd been cohabiting for roughly a year, yet her parents remained as elusive as a summers day in Manchester, which tickled my curiosity.

Eventually, I unearthed that Emilys mum used to be the neighbour of an old friend of mine. She shared a story that left me shifting in my seat. Apparently, when Emilys father started earning a little less, her mother gave him the boot and the real madness ensued. She moved on to a married, albeit well-off, chap. As it turned out, Emilys grandmother also dabbled in relationships with married gentlemen and would drag her daughter and granddaughter off to the countryside to help out at her lovers farm.

And, as a result, my son had already endured several swoops with his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But what really troubled me about the whole circus was that both mum and grandmother seemed determined to turn Emily against her father.

Poor Emily, she clearly adores her dad, but with those two women chipping away, their bond is teetering on the brink. Oh, and to put the cherry on topEmily has decided to drop out of university. Shes quite convinced that a man ought to provide for the family. I agree with that, in principle. Ive certainly raised my son to be ready for anything, but heaven forbid they ever hit a rough patch. Wheres her safety net, should disaster strike? How will she support her husband if things go pear-shaped? Incidentally, Ive now put the flat back in my own name. I know Ive raised something of a darling, as the English saying goes. Sure, anything bought before marriage doesnt get split after a divorce, but Emilys crafty enough to send my gentleman out the door with nothing but his socks.

— Needless to Say, This Is All My Fault! — My Boyfriend’s Sister Sobs: “I Never Imagined Anything Like This Could Happen! Now I Don’t Know What to Do Next, or Even How to Handle It Without Losing Face.” My boyfriend’s sister married a few years ago. After the wedding, it was agreed that the newlyweds would live with her husband’s mother. His parents have a spacious three-bedroom flat and only one son. “I’ll keep one room for myself, the rest is yours!” announced the mother-in-law. “We’re all well-mannered, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” “We can always move out!” her husband reassured her. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to live with my mum under one roof. If it doesn’t work out, we can always get a place of our own…” That’s exactly what happened. Turns out, living together was quite the challenge. Both daughter-in-law and mother-in-law tried their best, but things just got worse every day. Tensions kept bubbling up, and the arguments became more frequent as time went on. “You said if we couldn’t stand it, we’d just move out!” the wife cried in frustration. “And didn’t we?” her husband shrugged indifferently. “These are minor issues—not worth packing up and leaving over, are they?” Exactly one year after their wedding, she became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The arrival of the grandson coincided with the mother-in-law leaving her job—and she hadn’t found a new one yet, as nobody wanted to hire someone nearing retirement. So mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were suddenly home together 24/7, neither able to go out much, and the atmosphere at home worsened every day. The husband shrugged and listened to their complaints—he was the only one bringing in any money. “We can’t leave my mother alone right now, she hasn’t got the means to support herself. I can’t abandon her, and I can’t afford to rent a place and help Mum out at the same time. Once she finds a job, we’ll move out.” But the young mother’s patience wore thin. She packed her things and her son’s as well, and moved in with her own mum. When she left, she told her husband she’d never set foot in his mother’s house again. If he truly cared about his family, he’d have to do something about it. She was sure her husband valued their family and would try hard to win them back. But she was very wrong. It’s been more than three months since she moved out, and her husband hasn’t made any attempt to bring her home. He still lives with his mother, keeps in touch with his wife and child via video calls after work, and visits them at his mother-in-law’s on weekends. He enjoys attention and care from two women at once, his mother has all the sympathy in the world for her poor son “abandoned” by that angry wife, and he doesn’t actually have to look after the child! The husband’s winning! And the mother-in-law probably feels like nothing’s changed at all. The young wife, meanwhile, is far from happy. She loves her husband—even though she knows he’s acting poorly. “What did you think would happen when you left?” he asks. “You’re welcome to come back whenever you like.” Realistically, the wife has no intention of leaving her own mum to rent her own flat. She’s on maternity leave, after all; she hasn’t got the means. Is this truly the end of their family? Do you think she has even the slightest chance of going back to her mother-in-law’s house and saving face in this situation?

“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!