When warmth meets indifference: mother-in-law's heart.
In this early spring day, Aunt Chen talked about the experience of the New Year with her heart. She is a 62-year-old retired teacher with whom she has a son and a grandson who is now in the first grade of primary school. The life of this family should be happy, but in recent years, Aunt Chen has fallen into an unrelenting mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.
Before retiring, Aunt Chen and her wife both taught at the university, and their pensions were generous and their living conditions were excellent. Although they do not live with their son's family, they are not far away, and Aunt Chen is mostly responsible for raising their grandchildren. The son works in a state-owned enterprise, while the daughter-in-law is a kindergarten teacher. They have been married for eight years, and although their relationship has always been good, there have been some problems that have made it difficult for Aunt Chen in recent years.
First of all, in March last year, the daughter-in-law proposed to let Aunt Chen buy a school district house so that her grandson could attend a good school. However, Aunt Chen thinks that the school district housing is too high and not worth the investment. She thinks it makes more sense to spend money on her grandchildren's education and doesn't believe that good school districts will ensure good grades. Therefore, she rejected the offer to buy a school district house, which caused dissatisfaction among her daughter-in-law. Despite this, Aunt Chen still insisted on the responsibility of taking her grandson to school, and even if her daughter-in-law was cold to her, she did not hesitate to fulfill this responsibility.
Subsequently, the daughter-in-law's parents purchased a property in their city and temporarily moved to their son's house in order to supervise the renovation. Despite the apparent harmony during the relationship, the daughter-in-law remained indifferent to Aunt Chen. It wasn't until after the relocation of the daughter-in-law's parents that the relationship eased slightly. However, a series of incidents made Aunt Chen suspicious of her daughter-in-law's attitude.
In the past birthday, her daughter-in-law did not attend, which bothered Aunt Chen. She was unable to explain her daughter-in-law's absence to her mother, which left her embarrassed and disappointed. What made her even more dissatisfied was that during this year's Spring Festival, the arrival of her son's family was supposed to be a time for family reunion, but her daughter-in-law showed indifference and alienation during the New Year's greetings, which eventually led to an unpleasant quarrel.
Aunt Chen felt that her dedication to her son's family seemed meaningless. In this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, she worked hard, but frequently encountered the indifference and dissatisfaction of her daughter-in-law. Although she was willing to maintain the relationship, her daughter-in-law's attitude made her feel powerless and confused.
Looking back on all this, Aunt Chen deeply realized that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law requires understanding and respect from both parties. If one partner always just accepts and doesn't give, then sooner or later the relationship will break down. Although she has expectations, she also knows that if her daughter-in-law does not know how to be grateful, no matter how much she pays, it will be in vain. In this complex and complicated family relationship, Auntie Chen hopes to find a balance and understanding that allows the family to return to warmth and harmony.