I lost the desire to help my mother-in-law when I learned what she had done. But I can’
Monday, 5th May 1975 Sometimes I wonder what my parents really thought when we swapped our sleepy village
— 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? Needless to say, all of this is entirely my fault! My friend’s sister sobs. I never could have
15th September I have two children, each with a different father. My eldest is my daughter, Emily, whos now 16.
Diary, 12October I turned the key and frozethree dripping bundles were huddled on the doorstep.
“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! You know, I still cant quite believe my niece actually ended up finding a husband and honestly, I think
For about a year, my son had been living with Emily, yet wed never met her parents. Something about that
I dont want to be a mum! I just want to get out of this house! My daughter told me, her voice echoing
Thats exactly what I did when I found two cruise vouchers tucked in my husbands trouser pocket.
I dont want to be a mum! I want to leave home!my daughter told me, her voice echoing oddly through the
