Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Two amazing women can love the same incredible man in completely different ways. One is his wife, the other is his mother. Unknown

This weekend a friend co-hosted a bridal shower for her daughter and another friend and I helped out. We got together on Friday evening for pizza and salad, cutting fruit and my friend made meat flowers for the charcuterie board. On Saturday we were there early to help set up and being part of it was much better than just coming as a guest.

We don’t have a name for the mother-in-law’s relationship that I know of. In Punjab these two mothers-in-law are called Kumanies, in Hindi they are Samdhans, my friend said Compadre is a term she heard that is used to refer to the mother-in-law relationship. She is my Compadre, is nicer than she is my daughter’s-husband’s-mother. As mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law, we have a relationship.

We have many conversations in our house about what makes one a second or third cousin. As I looked into this I can see why we just go with first names, after all with different names from each culture, it is easier to just be the mother-in-law, or father-in-law, or just the in-laws, or sometimes the out-laws. Family relationships are fraught with drama and it is lovely when people get along as my friend and her Compadre appear to.

Interference, is the reason why in-laws are hated. Live and let the couple live. Sabeena Azeem

Our grandson turns one tomorrow, how time has flown by, my daughter-in-law came by yesterday and we discussed his birthday party we are having next week. We are lucky when the people are children pick as partners are wonderful and we have great relationships with them. If we get along with their families as well, it is even better.

Some families are contentious, and hard to get along with and nothing is ever good enough. I’ve been lucky to have lovely in-laws, and my son and daughter have in-laws they get along with. If we are lucky we will have a long relationship with our in-laws and our children’s in-laws. Once we share grandchildren the relationship is cemented for life. We can’t make people like us but we can do our part to be likable and not interfere.

Our family expands and we have more and more people to love. We might need to ask ourselves are we easy to love, do we offer help and advice that isn’t wanted?

American couples have gone to such lengths to avoid the interference of in-laws that they have to pay marriage counselors to interfere between them. Florence King

No one should come between you and your spouse, they should come alongside of you but not between you. Ashley Micilwain

In many of the stories, husbands who don’t stand up for their wives often end up destroying their marriages. Veena Venugopal

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.