Mother - in - laws
Can't live with them can’t live without them!!! She is often
portrayed as a loud, overbearing, bossy lady who takes sadistic
pleasure in instilling mortal terror in the unfortunate
daughter-in-law. But then again this is not always true.
Here in Kerala
Mother-in-laws exert a considerable influence over the lives of
their children. It is very common to find young men still living
with their parents, even after he starts earning and becomes
financially independent. This is because sons are expected to look
after their parents in their old age. After marriage, the girl
usually moves in with her husband and shares her life and home
with her in-laws. Even if the newlyweds live across the globe,
there exists a strong bond between them and their in-laws.
But then why are some
mother-in-laws real nasty to their daughter-in-laws? We can only
speculate, but maybe part of the reason is the fear of losing
their son’s undivided love, respect and adoration. The arrival of
the daughter-in-law threatens the mother in laws special position
in the family.
While the specter of the
terrifying mother-in-law looms, there are also stories of
malicious daughter-in-laws who terrorize their mother-in-laws. But
there are also those fairy tale situations where the
daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law share a mother-daughter
relationship and have a peaceful co-existence. So, what makes the
difference? Well, if all mother-in-laws remember that they were
once daughter-in-laws themselves and if all daughter-in-laws learn
to love their mother-in-laws as their own mothers, things might
get better.
Having ‘been there’ ‘done that’, mother-in-laws are usually
storehouses of knowledge and wisdom gleaned from their years of
experience. It is a fact that the arrival of a grandchild brings
out the best in any mother-in-law. Having them around really is
invaluable. After all mother-in-laws are mothers too.
