Dear mom-in-law,
I remember when I was competing for a beauty pageant some 7-8 years ago, during the Q&A round a judge asked me the question- “If you could break one law, what would that be?”. I thought for a moment and then came the answer… Mother-in-law! You can’t blame me. I was young, it was a trick question and I’d overheard some horror stories in my family. Mothers-in-law, in general, are portrayed to be these typical, nasty women who either spend their time watching Ekta Kapoor serials or plotting against their bahus.
I was no different. A month to my wedding and I had turned into a bridezilla fearing what it’s going to be like living with you and dad-in-law. I remember how awkward we both were the first week. To tell you the truth, I felt completely lonely and lost after Tarun* would leave for work and I was so desperate to find a job and get the hell out too! But I’m glad I spent those 2 months at home with you, ‘coz it’s only after spending all that time together did I realise that you were not a person to dislike or distance myself from, but a person to love and give lots of hugs to. You let me be me and you gave me and Tarun all the privacy we needed in those first few months. You never had any unrealistic expectations from me. In fact, I don’t remember even making a cup of chai for you ever… Which I now feel terrible about, TBH.
You knew I couldn’t cook and that I hated being in the kitchen. But you did take me sabji shopping once and it didn’t take you long to figure that that’s also something that I wasn’t too keen on doing. You always took my side over your son’s, you got (and still get) me so many gifts. But unfortunately, our fashion sense is poles apart and I never end up wearing what you buy for me. Any other person would’ve taken this personally, but you never once felt bad. Instead, you just gave me cash the next time around. However, you did get out of your comfort zone and wore pants for our anniversary ‘coz I forced you to! Hell, you even tasted champagne just because I insisted.
You moulded yourself and dad so you could fit around me without me having to change anything about myself. Yet, mothers-in-law are often termed as monsters-in-law and I fail to understand why people generalize. In fact, I have an endless list of amazing things that you’ve done for our family and I don’t think I could ever fit them all in a letter. From packing my lunch every damn morning so I don’t get late for office to force-feeding me pomegranate and beetroot when my haemoglobin levels dropped just a little bit. From bringing me a hot cup of kadha every time I had a sore throat (it always works like magic, btw) to even sowing a button on my shirt ‘coz I’m pretty useless that ways!
I could go on, but right now I just want you to know that I love you. You’ve been a mom to me in the truest sense and I couldn’t thank God enough to give me a mom-in-law as amazing as you. You’re not the cool mommy who takes her daughter-in-law for fancy brunches and shopping sprees. You’re the simplest, most humble person with a heart of gold and no one can take that away from you.
Happy Mothers Day, Mumma!!
GIFs: Giphy, Tumblr
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