From reading an article in the papers, translated…
I’d gotten very well along with my in-laws, from when I was younger, I was inexperienced and slow, they’d always helped and looked after me, they’d told everyone they met that I was a very good daughter-in-law, back then, I’d never felt, that there was, anything that was not right between us. And, these past couple of years, I’d become, more matured, and I’d, almost, become a mother-in-law myself too, don’t know why, but I’d started, feeling the gaps between my in-laws and me; could it be, that because of old age, they’d had a personality change? Or, was it, that because my children are grown, and were no longer the “buffers” between us, or maybe, I’d had more time, to think, or maybe, I’d, become less tolerant, that I’d started, feeling that wall slowly, building between us now? Actually, in my mind, I know, that my in-laws are like my parents, and that I should, take good care of them without any complaints, but emotionally, I just, couldn’t, felt, that as they’d moved in, there were, pressures that were brought on me, and my mother-in-law didn’t hold anything back, as she’d complimented my husband, it’d made me, who’d gone all out, to care for them jealous.
And so, I’d decided, to set myself up, as a mother-in-law for the future, I’d not only needed to take the qualities of my mother-in-law’s cherishing me, loving me, I’d also needed, to be more in-tune with, how she’d felt. That day, I’d read “A Lesson in Being a Mother-in-Law”, it’d stated my thoughts perfectly, the writer listed out four kinds of mothers-in-law: first, the traditional/empathic, worked hard, to shoulder up the cares of the grandchild as well as the household chores for the daughters-in-law. Second, the independent-democratic, allowing the daughters-in-law to stay long term with their mothers, and allowing them to move out. Third, the resourceful, it’s okay that the daughters-in-law don’t cook, so long as they’re willing to learn, then, the mothers-in-law with the willingness to teach them, and allowing the daughters-in-law the time to learn. Last, the gratitude-returning kind, after the daughters-in-law married, allowing them to bring the goods or the presents home to their own families.
if you’re able to love your daughters-in-law like they’re your daughters, then, they will, surely, treat you with the same respects, the same kindness as they treat their own mothers too…
As I’d read through this article, I’d kept yelling out, “BINGO, BINGO, BINGO!”, because each and EVERY type of mothers-in-law IS a goal of mine, so, I call myself, the “fifth type”, with the good qualities of all the four kinds combined. Or, maybe, as you’d read the article, you’d believed, “a fifth kind? How’s that possible?”, I’d once, promised, to pass the kindness that my own mother-in-law showed to me, and, all four of the kinds of mothers-in-law, the qualities were all found, on my own mother-in-law, “nothing is too difficult”, so long as I am able to, empathize with my daughter-in-law, I’m sure, that I can, pass the course of being a mother-in-law too, with flying colors.
getting along very well with one another…
And so, you have, a loving, a wonderful mother-in-law, which you hoped to take after, and that, is the important thing, having the thought now, and all you have to do, is to put those beliefs, into practices, and because you had an amazing mother-in-law to model after, so, it probably won’t be too difficult, for you, to be, a great mother-in-law yourself.
Life, the Obstacle Course 