We don’t often hear stories about tough relationships between women and their mothers-in-law. But this one stands out: in this story, a woman supported her daughter-in-law and taught her son a lesson that would make any woman proud of such a mother-in-law.
The couple have been together for 10 years.
Camila sent a sincere message: “Hi there! I’ve always liked your platform because it’s a great place for open discussions. I’ve had many chats here, giving advice and sharing my thoughts. Now, I’d like to hear what your audience thinks about my son.”
She started her story, “My son Michael has always been very focused. Since he was little, he’s shown strong ambition and drive in everything he does, whether it’s academics or sports. I’ve always admired and supported this quality. However, as he’s gotten older, his determination has sometimes come across as too harsh, which worries me.
Michael met Lisa in college and they got married. She’s just as ambitious and smart as him, and they quickly connected over their shared interests and similar personalities. After they graduated, they both had successful careers and their relationship was generally smooth.”
Her son’s behavior drastically changed after the birth of the child.
Camila continued her story: “But everything changed six months ago when their baby was born. The birth was hard, so Lisa decided not to go back to work after her maternity leave. She wanted time to recover and be with the baby.”
“Michael started complaining about little things to Lisa: the house wasn’t clean enough, dinner wasn’t ready on time. He would come home and see her napping or watching TV, and it made him very angry. He didn’t realize how tired she was from taking care of the baby all night, and how many chores she did during the day. He only saw what he thought was laziness.”
“My son stopped helping with chores, saying if Lisa wasn’t working, she had enough time to do everything herself. He was too tired from work to help around the house. When things got really bad between them, they decided to get divorced.”
“After the split, Michael came to live with me. I felt so sad watching it all happen. I always taught Michael to respect others and understand their feelings, but somehow he seemed to forget those lessons. That’s when I knew he needed a lesson he wouldn’t forget.”
Camila came up with a plan: “I decided to surprise my daughter-in-law with a gift and sent her on a short vacation for a week, promising to take care of my granddaughter while she was away.”
“At dinner, I told my son that Lisa was going away for a week and gave him a list. It showed everything Lisa did in a day: wake up at 6 AM, make breakfast, get the baby ready, clean, shop, do laundry, cook, and much more. Michael looked at the list, and his face changed as he started to understand.”
“I said calmly, ‘I want you to take care of the baby and manage the house for one week, just like Lisa did. No help from the nanny or housekeeper. I’ll take care of my grandchild if you need, but you need to see what she goes through every day.'”
In just a few days, the house turned into a disaster.
Camila continued her story, “Michael reluctantly agreed to my plan. The first day was a disaster. He slept too late, struggled to get the baby ready, burned breakfast, and by noon, the house was a mess. By the third day, he was exhausted. He couldn’t keep up with taking care of the baby, doing the never-ending laundry, and handling all the tasks around the house.”
“At the end of the week, Michael was a different person. He sat down with me, tears in his eyes. ‘Mom, I had no idea,’ he confessed. ‘I thought she was just being lazy, but she was working harder than I ever realized. I took her for granted, and now I’ve lost her.’ I hugged him, feeling proud and sad at the same time. ‘It’s not too late to make things right, Michael. You need to apologize and show her that you understand. Show her that you’ve changed.'”
“Camila finished her letter, ‘Michael took my advice to heart. He apologized sincerely to Lisa and acknowledged his mistakes. It wasn’t easy and took time, but Lisa eventually saw that he was genuine in trying to repair their relationship. They decided to work things out for the sake of their daughter.'”
“Camila believes Michael learned a valuable lesson that will stay with him. Have you ever faced a similar situation? How would you handle it? Maybe others in your community have gone through something like this and could share advice on fixing relationships.”
