About the mother-in-law
The question is: why the heck did we invite her to move in with us in the first place?
I am woman enough to admit that it was my fault.
I have had time to give this some thought, and here's the reason:
I liked her at the time.
It's like having babies. They're so darned cute.
And the ~reason~ they are cute is (and the husband has made this scientific observation many times in public) because if babies, human or animal, *weren't* cute, who would want to have one? They're whiney and loud and needy and messy and demanding.
But they're cuuuuuuuuute!
So...
The reason we invited her to live with us is because she suckered ME into believing she was cute. Which, she is... in small doses.
Everyone who meets her finds her charming and pleasant.
And so did I.
For about half an hour at a time... which is about as long as our visits were because the husband couldn't stand to visit any longer than that.
And yes, this is the criteria I used when deciding it would be a good idea to buy a house large enough for all of us to live in.
My friends, there is never a house big enough.
And the reason the husband went along with the idea (the idea which was his mother's, by the way, not mine... I just considered it a reasonable suggestion) was because the husband knows I am WAY more smarter than he is (with gooder grammar, too), and he thought maybe, if *I* thought it was a good idea, then maybe *I* knew something he didn't know.
Go figure. The one time he thinks I'm right...
So, we made a commitment.
Just like having a baby.
It may not be all you dreamed of, but you work it out. You adjust. You sweat you toil you cry.
And the minute the mother-in-law mentions she might *think* about considering looking at an assisted living facility... by God you tell her that's a BRILLIANT idea!
And you help her pack her bags immediately.
***
She moved out August 2005.
Eight friggin' years.
If I don't get a book deal outta THAT somehow, it'll be only because I just didn't try.
6 comments:
i feel your pain.
MIL lives with us. For, um, 5 years now?
Saving grace: we work days, she works nights and weekends. We only see each other two nights a week.
Sometimes that's still too often.
Added bonus: she does ALL the housework (outside our bedroom/bathroom). And she would still be doing my laundry if I'd let her. But I flipped out several times at her for doing my laundry. It's just wrong to have MIL touching my undies!
oh, and did I mention she rarely speaks English around me? Sheesh.
You know, there were a few moments when my MIL needed a place to live....glad I dodged THAT bullet!
But eight years?? Wow...you deserve the DILMOH (not to be confused with a dil..you get the idea...)
(Daughter-In-Law-Medal-Of-Honor)
Oh boy! I can see that we'll all have lovely MIL stories to share!
writersblock, your MIL works?!? That's awesone! Mine never went anywhere.
She. Was. Always. Here.
My MIL lived visit us for 3 long winter months. I was in my last trimester of pregnancy. We live in a one bedroom condo. She is very inconsiderate. As soon as my spouse would leave to work (6:00am) she would blast the TV and wake me up - I was 8 months pregnant. I worked up until my due date to avoid being in the same house as her. She was always in the living room sprawled on the sofa with the TV on loud all day watching Spanish shows.
She is a slob. She uses the bathroom with the door open and does not wash her hands after she is done. Then she will start making something to eat...yuk!!! She brushes her dentures in the kitchen sink when there is a bathroom in the house. She has a lot of gross habits.
Living with MIL is tough.
Gee, Silva, that does suck.
I've been thinking of posting more about the MIL. Perhaps how I avoided talking to her for three months. Think anyone would be interested?
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