How many of you young ladies are eager to live with your existing or future mothers-in-law?
Here is a one-sided list of reasons why you should never ever give in to your masochistic streak and subject yourself to mental torture, needless suffering and sacrifice your long-awaited and well deserved happiness with your other half:-
#1 You are not her daughter, will never be her daughter and she will never consider you as her daughter.
In the event of any conflict between you and the mother or her daughter whose side do you think they are going to take? Heck, even in the event of any comparison between you and her daughter, you will lose hands down.
#2 She is not your mother.
She didn’t endure excruciating pain to bring you into this world or live the following self-sacrificing years to bring you up. She will never be your mother, that sweet, nurturing soul who will encourage, support and console you at all times. Mothers are from heaven but mothers-in-law belong in hell.
#3 She can be domineering and think you are a threat to her for the title of queen of the family.
Where once she can lord over her husband and son, now she has to share the billing with you. It’s like a primadonna who now has to deal with a fresh newcomer for the adulation and applause. Now, aren’t you tightening the noose around your neck if you move in with her around?
#4 She may not know her boundaries and intrude in intimate conversations between you and your other half and also interfere in your marital affairs.
And lo and behold if you dare to exclude her, the common complaint is now that the son has a wife, he does not want the mother anymore. How can you ever beat that?
#5 She will make you feel guilty for coming in between her and her beloved son by playing the victim.
She may even resort to wailing about her pitiful condition of not being respected, not consulted about private matters. She will definitely complain to her other children and if they are idiotic busybodies, they will come marching to attack you and defend their ‘frail’, ‘innocent’ and ‘defenceless’ mother. And for added bonus, she will also tell her stories to the ‘yee ma ku cheh’. The more aggressive type will broadcast even to the whole neighbourhood of her ‘suffering’ and you will be notorious overnight.
#6 She will gossip about what you do or don’t do around the house.
She will question your child-rearing techniques or the lack of it. Nothing you do will be good enough for her as acknowledging that you are a good wife, mother and daughter-in-law will put her at the back pedestal. And she definitely will not put up with that.
So there you go.
The list is endless, so please feel free to add your own.
But whatever happens, always build a nest of love and happiness with your other half and children.
All others are not welcome. Period.
