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My Mother-In-Law’s Delusions of Family
One big happy family is not in the cards.
There are few things that I’ve wanted to be in life: a writer, a book reviewer and a wife. I always imagined I’d be close with my in-laws and they’d be a second family.
I envisioned a family that was supportive of each other, regularly communicated and enjoyed spending time together. I envisioned being there for each other in both the big and small moments. I saw myself going to his nephew’s games. I pictured doing things like holiday baking and story sharing together.
On the surface, this sounded reasonable to me. However, I’ve learned over the last three years that in this “family”, it’s just not possible.
There’s always a buildup to the breakdown. There’s also always a point where things just break.
In my relationship with my mother-in-law (MIL) and my relationship with her family, there were definitive moments that led me to saying, “no more”.
For MIL, it was last Christmas.
Ten days before, I had to put my dog Tucker to sleep. That dog was a large part of my heart, to the point where he walked me down the aisle. It was clear that he was important to me.
