This year's Chinese New Year's Eve dinner was extremely dull. Our family of eight sat together, but we didn't feel the warmth and joy of previous years. I glanced at the two in-laws sitting opposite, and an indescribable emotion surged in my heart, as if they regarded themselves as the owners of this house, while we old couples seemed to be outsiders.
I think back a few years ago, when my daughter-in-law was pregnant, we were still busy at work. In order to take care of our daughter-in-law and the little life that is about to come, we implore our mother-in-law to lend a hand. She did a really good job and we were very pleased with the care she took to the children. However, as time went on, things seemed to drift off track.
After his father-in-law retired, he also moved into this home naturally. They came to help us share the burden of taking care of the children, but now they seem to be permanent residents of the family. And our old couple are still crammed into the old two-bedroom apartment, and every time we come to visit our granddaughter, we are like guests.
An experience I had last year ago is something I will never forget. That weekend, as usual, we came to visit my son's family with big bags and small bags. However, when we went downstairs, we saw the two in-laws playing with their granddaughter. When they saw us, they just said hello from afar, and continued to bask in their family fun.
At that moment, I felt a sense of loss and anger that I had never felt before. We have worked hard all our lives to provide our son with a comfortable living environment. Now, however, it seems that this home no longer belongs to us. Fighting back my anger, I turned around and left with my little granddaughter. At that moment, I made up my mind to get everything back to the way it was.
Since then, I have started communicating with my son, hoping that he will understand our feelings. I told him that we were not against our in-laws helping to take care of the children, but we also wanted to have our own living space. I hope he can consult with his daughter-in-law and find a solution that has the best of both worlds.
However, the scene at the dinner table on Chinese New Year's Eve completely disappointed me. During the feast, the mother of the family talked about her intimate relationship with the children, as if she were the mistress of the house. I couldn't stand the contrast between her triumphant and our lost helplessness. At that moment, I realized that if we didn't take action, we would lose this home forever.
So, I plucked up the courage to interrupt my mother's rhetoric. I told her that we appreciated her care for the children, but we also wanted to have our own living space. I hope she understands our feelings and works with us to find a solution. My words sent the atmosphere into a brief silence, but I knew that this was something we had to face. Only by solving this problem can we rediscover the warmth and joy of home.