Mothers-in-law have a bad reputation. How many jokes portray us as interfering, critical, overbearing know-it-alls? And do you remember the song “Mother-in-Law”? Sung by Ernie K. Doe, the lyrics included lines like, “The worse person I know,” “Sent from down below” and “If she leaves us alone, we’d have a happy home.”
This is not how I wanted to be perceived by my children’s spouses. Yet the adjustment to your kids’ partners is not always easy.