I just know from experience. I am a Mother-in-Law to two men and two women. One son not married. He said he is the smart one, that he doesn't need any help to spend his money.
Think about this. Our oldest is a daughter. She and her husband have been married for-ever, raised 3 kids, have 3 great grandkids. They live in Arizona. Their kids always said they were the odd-balls in school as they still had their original parents, not step-whatevers in their lives.
Our youngest daughter and her husband have been married over 25 years, have four children, two in college. They haven't had to face that in-law scenario from a parents view point yet.
One son never married - as he said, he is the smart one.
Two sons have each been married three times. It took three times to figure out how to do it right. They finally both figured it out. HOORAY!!! Finally 2 keepers!
Now for the other side of the coin. I wonder how they think of me as their Mother-in-Law. It must be o.k., because they put up with me. That takes a lot of good down-to-earthiness. They travel with me, take me places, come home to see me, always call to check up on me. I could go on and on.
But one of the best indicators I have had over the years is when I received a Christmas gift from my youngest daughter's husband. It was a couple of years after they had married. It was just a little gift, but kind of says it all.
It is a coffee mug - I collect the mugs, do not have any that match as I pick them up during my travels as a reminder of where I have been.
When you come to holiday dinners at my house you have matched china and mostly matched silver-ware. But everyone has a different mug. Is that cool or what?
But back to the gift. It was this that made me realize that my son-in-law really didn't seem to mind putting up with me. Why is that?
The mug has a picture of a cowboy on it and a little sentence that reads: THERE WERE A HELLUVA LOT OF THINGS THEY DIDN'T TELL ME WHEN I HIRED ON WITH THIS OUTFIT. My favorite mug. And how true. There are daily surprises no one knows for sure what is going to happen next.
Enjoy your day and God Bless.
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