When I first got married, I wasn’t even a tad bit nervous. I’ve known my in-laws since childhood and I was pretty sure it would be a rather rosy affair. But, many warned me that as soon as that sacred threat would proudly dangle around my neck, things would change.
I got married, the sacred thread majestically showing off my marital status, and I’m yet to understand the concept of bad in-laws. Thanks to my hectic schedules, I’m left with very less time to do anything. I wake up staring into my laptop and one by one, things just keep appearing on my table. Starts with a cup of piping hot tea, choicest breakfast items, served hot, with the best of accompaniments, mind you.
Unlike mothers-in-law portrayed in TVs, my my mum-in-law is not an ‘in-law’. She does all things my mother would do. I barely walk into the kitchen. I feel guilty. She says, “When you’re alone, you will only have to do everything, Till the time I here in Hyderabad, you relax.” Sometimes I don’t know how to swallow that big lump forming inside my throat.
My dad-in-law…where do I even get started? From spoiling me just like my dad with snacks and edible goodies from nearby shops, to greeting me home with a smile, there’s nothing more I could have asked for. Two loving faces waving at us till we take that turn, plates full of warm love waiting for us when we get back home, there’s no difference between how my husband and I get treated. Bliss.
I’m not a lone case here. Unlike olden days when we would oh-so-often hear stories of mothers-in law harassing the daughters-in-law, today that touchy relationship has undergone a huge change. Today, the ‘in-law’ tag has disappeared. Swati Karthik, a 32-year-old bank employee from Kolkata has similar tales to tell. Her mum-in-law, a homemaker, is a hands-on mother and granny.
“I work late hours and I still don’t bad for my two-year-old son, because I know he’s in good hands. I’m so blessed that I have just come from one loving family to another. My parents were very scared because I am an only child, but I’m pampered here the same way as my own place,” she says.
For Sandhya Suman, her dad-in-law takes the cake. She is a tutor and has evening classes, but the commute from her place to the institute is a long and scary one. “From where I live, the connectivity is very bad. I either don’t find autos, or they charge me a bomb. So, my dad-in-law drives me to and fro, and thanks to him and get to do what I am passionate about.”
For men too, their in-laws are no longer a pain. From getting treated as sons to being showered with lavish gifts, girls’ parents are also raising the standards.