Well call me lucky, but I was fortunate to marry an only child. At first, meeting my future in-laws seemed scary as I would be the only daughter-in-law, so I better not screw it up. I dated an only child in my past life, and swore I wouldn’t do it again, let alone marry an only child. The former was a little vain and selfish. Ben (my husband), however, is the total opposite and I owe a lot of that to the way his parents, especially his mother, raised him.
Luckily for my husband, my pre-judgement wall was torn down when I went to his apartment one day and realized how clean it was. On top of the cleanliness, he was actually folding laundry! What? Maybe it was an act, but it made me turn my head slightly and smile. This is just the beginning of why I love my mother-in-law, who taught her son to be responsible and how to do his own laundry!
Fast forward 7 years later and what I have learned about her is how big her heart is. Not only is she laid back, like me, she enjoys sports and couldn’t care less about town gossip or drama, which is a compliment, and much like my very own mother. Ben and I just had our third baby and guess what my mother-in-law has been doing. She has been waking up early, which I know she isn’t a fan of, driving 15 minutes out of the way to my home and helping me get the older two kids ready for school. After the morning rush, she takes them to school and a few hours later returns to pick them up for me so I can manage the new baby’s ever-changing schedule.
She has done this for three months. This is just the tip of the iceberg and boy am I one lucky (and sleep-deprived) daughter-in-law.
I could go on and on about my mother-in-law, from her delicious home-cooked meals to her willingness to serve others, but this is just a snapshot of the wonderful woman she is. I am so thankful to live in the same city as both my parents and my in-laws. We are forever indebted to them all for helping with our kiddos and being available for last-minute things. As a young adult, pre-marriage, I never pictured this or wanted to be in the same town as them all, especially after hearing all the horrible mother-in-law stories. I feel bad for my friends who have missed out on this wonderful relationship I now have with my mother-in-law. Love you, “Peaches.”
