What Does Your Mother-in-Law Think of You?

June 20, 2008

Image credit: Alan Goulet It’s been a wild couple of days. My daughter graduated from high school last week so I’ve been up to my ears in preparations for her as well as hosting my Mom. Naturally, all that extra stress made me a bit sharp with my swubby. We actually had two fights in front of her. Nothing big, but we were both snapping about little things like my driving and his procrastinating.

Not Your Battle-Ax Type of Mother in Law

This troubled my mother. She’s not your typical mother in law. You see, my Mom adores my hubby. She often says he’s her kind of man and she’d take him in a second. (there are days when I’m ready to send him) She praises his attention, sweetness, work ethic. If she had her way, he’d be a step or two away from sainthood- while on earth! You get the picture.

Usually all the praise annoys me- after all, who’s Mom is she?- but this time it was different. I managed to pause my own thoughts long enough to hear the genuine affection she has for him and see that he’s so very deserving of her love and praise. What a change in me. I was able to be more understanding for the rest of the weekend, realizing he was just as stressed trying to take good care of my mom, too.

I’ll Have What She’s Having

Remember that infamous scene in the diner from the movie When Harry Met Sally? Meg Ryan exclaims, to put it politely, over her food and another diner says: I’ll have what she’s having. My mom’s comments had a similar effect on me. I wanted to feel as loving towards my husband as she feels because she expressed those feelings so often, so loudly. By acting as a mirror, she reminded me of what I’d forgotten: my hubby is a catch. That made me curious about how often we stop to see our partners from someone else’s eyes and what impact that could have- positive and negative- on a relationship.

All too often we hear stories of awful mothers that break up their children’s marriages. But, what about the opposite? And, hey, what’s the deal with fathers-in-law?


Have your thoughts/feelings about your spouse been shaped by your parents or in-laws?

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