I had a strained relationship with my in-laws, even before I got married. It became much worse after I gave birth to my baby a year ago. The day I returned home from the hospital with my baby, she started saying things like I was a lousy daughter in law, and therefore I was a lousy mother too. She scolded me if the baby cried, she scolded me if I kept the baby in the room, she scolded me if I brought the baby out. Nothing I did was right. Throughout all this, my husband did not do anything.
After two weeks of this, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I was crying all the time, and I could barely look after myself, much less my new born baby. When my cousin came to visit me, she was very worried to find me in such a state and gave me AWARE’s Helpline number.
It took me another few days before I called. The lady was very sweet. She patiently waited while I cried and told my story in between sobs. It was the first time in weeks that I felt that I could be a good mother.
We explored my options, and I said I wanted to try to talk with my mother-in-law. She role played the different scenarios with me so that I would be more confident when I approached my mother in law. I approached my mother in law the next day, but she did not want to talk. I called the Helpline again. Another lady helped me brainstorm ways of getting through to my mother in law. I tried several ways over the next few days, but things did not improve.
The final straw came when my mother in law did something so horrible. That night I spoke to my husband and told him that I had tried all means. He couldn’t be bothered to listen to me at all, and just told me that if I want to move out, it would be on my own. My heart broke and I cried the whole night.
The next day, I called the Helpline again, and the lady helped me sort through my feelings, and explored my options. I had not asked about divorce up to this time, but knew that it was something I had to face up to.
I am now a single mother to my baby. I am very grateful to AWARE for helping me get through my period of crisis.
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