Ever since our son got married, he barely pays us a visit. Instead, hes constantly round his mother-in-laws place. She always seems to have some urgent crisis that needs his attention. I honestly cant fathom how she managed before her daughter married our son.
Our son has been married for over two years now. After he wed, he and his wife moved into a flat we bought him when he started university. From childhood, weve always given him support and understanding. In fact, hed started living on his own before he got married, as the flat was close to his work.
Its not that I disliked my daughter-in-law, but I did feel she lacked the maturity required for marriage, even though our son was only two years her senior. Often, she behaved rather childishlysometimes even petulant. I found myself wondering how my considerate son would cope going through life with someone so naive.
When I met her and her mother, I got the full picture. Although my sons mother-in-law is the same age as me, she behaves quite childishly. You might have met people like thatfully grown, yet acting like kids and helpless in any practical sense. By the time her daughter married our son, shed already been divorced six times.
There was never much to talk about with her, as she seemed to live in her own little world. Fortunately, she didnt interfere much in ours. Our communication was limited to polite congratulations at the wedding and little else.
It all started before the weddingmy daughter-in-law kept dragging our son off to her mothers. First it was a leaky tap, then a broken socket, then a kitchen shelf had fallen down. At first, I turned a blind eye. There wasnt a man around the house, so a helping hand was probably welcome.
But as time wore on, the endless stream of household mishaps at his mother-in-laws didnt stop. Our son began to put us off whenever we called, explaining that he and his wife were going to see her mother. Then came a point when every holiday was spent at her mothers house, leaving only the three of usmyself, my wife, and mother-in-lawalone at ours.
It stung when our son stopped coming to family gatherings, but things got much worse when he began ignoring our requests for help.
Not long ago, we bought a new fridge and asked our son to give us a hand getting it into the house. At first he agreed, but later rang back saying he couldnt make it because he and his wife had to see her mother over a leaking washing machine.
When my wife called him, she overheard our daughter-in-law muttering, Couldnt your parents just hire a moving company? My son eventually turned up, but he was clearly in a foul mood.
Dad, why couldnt you just hire someone? Now Ive got to lug it in myself!
I had to bite my tongue but couldnt help wondering why his mother-in-law never called in a professional herself. Maybe she lives in a world where you cant find a handyman. My son claimed that you cant trust repairmen anymorethey take your money and do a half-hearted job.
Thats when my wife lost patience and commented that perhaps his mother-in-law knows nothing about household appliances, but could certainly herd sheep, given how well she leads our son around. My son took offence at this and stormed out. I didnt get involved in their stand-off, though frankly, my wife had a pointthe in-laws seemed to be leaning on our son at every turn. Hes there fixing plumbing and electricals, and meanwhile he never has time for us.
After that row, my son didnt speak to his mother for over a fortnight. She refused to make the first move, and nor did heinsisting hed only talk to her if she apologised first. I feel stuck in the middle. My wife is right, of course, but I wish shed been gentler with her words. Now my son is holding a grudge and I just dont want to lose him over something so silly.
My wife has taken a stand and wont contact our son, and hes stubborn right back, saying he wont make peace until she says sorry. In all this, it seems the only one whos come out unscathed is his mother-in-law!
