Hi, I'm Strawberry.
Before we got married, we thought that marriage and relationships were just about us as a couple. But after we got married, we realized that when our parents get involved, it can affect not only our relationship with them, but also our relationship with each other.
Let's get the parents involved again.
Facing the sudden death of her father has caused the questioner a great deal of pain. It was so sudden that, even though she knows it is a fact, she still cannot accept the tragic news.
She knew her emotions wouldn't return to normal in a short period of time, so she put her husband's feelings first. As the New Year approached, she followed her husband across 2,000 kilometers to spend the holiday with his parents.
The questioner's parents have always had a rocky relationship with her husband's parents. They don't have much contact, but there are a lot of issues between them. Even if the questioner and her husband, as their children, want to resolve the conflicts, it's not easy. It's their problem, and they're unable and unwilling to solve it themselves. It's not something others can easily change.
There's a boldness behind the behavior that's pushing the boundaries.
The incident that upset the questioner was when her mother-in-law asked her to wear bright red clothes on New Year's Eve, which the questioner refused. The questioner's mother-in-law then asked if it was because her father had not yet passed away for 100 days. The deceased was greater. The questioner's mother-in-law's question was inappropriate and hurt the questioner's feelings. When facing the death of the people closest to you, it always takes time to slowly accept it.
The question asker's mother-in-law has been engaging in other excessive behavior as well. When she calls, she speaks in a strange voice, saying that people should accumulate good deeds and that if you are too evil, you will suddenly die. She deliberately asks her four-year-old grandson what happened to his deceased grandfather. All of her behavior shows that the question asker's mother-in-law is doing this on purpose. She wants to get the question asker's attention through her actions to influence the question asker's mood.
The wife's status in the family is up to her husband. When his mother's acting out, the question owner's husband knows but doesn't say anything. It could be said that the question owner's husband's attitude has allowed the question owner's mother-in-law to harm the question owner even more recklessly.
Can you accept her doing this?
Dealing with an overbearing mother-in-law who makes cold comments about her deceased relatives is tough.
It would be helpful to understand the situation better. I don't know what happened between the questioner's parents and her husband's parents that caused the questioner's mother-in-law to be unable to let go of her attacks on the questioner even after learning of the death of the questioner's father. It seems like she just wants to understand her grievances.
From what we can see, the mother-in-law is trying to hurt the questioner and test her. But the more she does this, the more it shows that she can't face her own negative emotions.
She thought that hurting others would help her release her emotions and solve problems, but she didn't realize that the wrong approach not only failed to release her emotions, but also distorted her state of mind, trapping her in the past and preventing her from moving forward.
☀️Be clear about your attitude: When her mother-in-law was being hurtful, the questioner didn't make it clear what she thought. This allowed the mother-in-law to bring up the unacceptable facts again and again. The most important thing was the strange and abusive way she spoke about the questioner's deceased father.
First, the questioner needs to make her attitude clear to her husband and let him know his responsibility. Even though adults have conflicts, they're still their parents at the end of the day. The questioner respects his parents, but does he respect the questioner's parents?
As a son and a husband, he should speak up and stop his mother's outrageous behavior. It would have been more appropriate for him to show his attitude and defend the questioner. Only when he shows his attitude and defends the questioner will his mother restrain her excessive words and actions.
☀️Value yourself: The questioner didn't want to argue, so she didn't say much about her mother-in-law's hurtful behavior. She didn't want to go back to her mother-in-law's house, but in the end, with her husband looking unhappy, she chose to go back together with him. When she was in a bad mood and needed to vent, she chose to suppress her true emotions, just to temporarily get along and be quiet.
From one thing to another, the questioner is always backing down and putting himself in a difficult position. But his intentions are not appreciated; they're ignored and trampled on. Even if he wants to become the standard in their hearts, they still have many grievances against him. If that's the case, why make things so difficult for himself?
It's important to value yourself, see yourself, and learn to be assertive with unreasonable people. Your emotions are a good guide, and you should have the courage to stand up for yourself and not be afraid of being hated. Be yourself, and become the person you want to be, not the person you think you should be.
I hope my answer is helpful to the original poster. Best of luck!
Comments
I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you, losing your father and then having to face such insensitive comments. I would find it incredibly hard to accept her behavior. It seems like she's not being considerate of your feelings at all during a time when you need support the most.
It sounds like you're carrying a heavy burden, and her actions are adding to your pain rather than alleviating it. If it were me, I would struggle to stay silent in the face of such remarks. It's important that people around us provide comfort in times of grief, not more distress.
Facing such insensitivity from family, especially after losing a parent, is heartwrenching. I would feel betrayed by the lack of empathy. Your husband's silence adds another layer of hurt; communication and understanding are so crucial in these moments. I would want to address the situation with him, seeking some form of resolution or at least acknowledgment of your pain.