My mother-in-law questioned whether I want children or not

Pregnancy & Birth
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1

Yesterday at a family dinner, my wife and I had a small disagreement, but usually, we don’t dwell on such things. Suddenly, my mother-in-law chimed in and said, ‘Do you even think about having kids? We don’t even know that.’ It was really odd for her to speak like that in front of everyone. To be honest, my wife and I haven’t clarified this issue yet, but it also bothered me that such a personal topic was brought up in public. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Is it better to stay silent or to react?

5 Answers

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2

that’s a pretty frustrating thing to happen. my mother-in-law joked during my son’s birth, asking the nurse, “who does this child look like?” Is there any explanation for that? I still get annoyed :roll_eyes:

3

Did your spouse say anything there then? I mean, did they dodge the topic or didn’t they get into it at all? I think that’s a bit important too.

4

@aysin_ my spouse wasn’t really into it, and the atmosphere was already a bit tense, so I steered the conversation elsewhere. But when they stayed quiet, it kind of came across like they were agreeing.

5

@nazli34 I don’t think your mother-in-law’s intention was to bother you; sometimes people can act out during childbirth and such. But this situation feels more direct, and it seems like not having clear communication between you and your spouse has caused some trouble :roll_eyes:

6

I think mother-child relationships are a delicate matter, and intervention from adults increases the tension for this reason. If clear and definite boundaries are discussed from the beginning, such scenes will decrease later. It can be resolved with a bit of one-on-one communication.