I adore my mother-in-law. Unlike what is traditionally accepted, I would pick my MIL over most people on this planet. Quite often, I remind my husband that should our relationship not last, then I get his mother and he can have the house. Heck, there are parts of me that wonder if I married him just to be related to her and her family.
The best part of my MIL is that she seems to like me too! When I call her, I usually tell her it’s her favorite daughter-in-law (although I am the only one, which makes me the least favorite too). When she calls, I usually talk to her without even handing the phone to her son… followed by an “Oops, sorry, honey. Did you want to talk to your mom?” And whenever her son does something that irks me, she completely understands and even agrees with me from time to time, instead of blindly defending her offspring.
And her grandbabies… She loves those little girls so much, it’s amazing. Whenever they are around her, she is just laughing and laughing. We are sometimes concerned she will laugh herself into a heart attack. But so far, she has managed to stay conscious. She has the hardest time telling them no, to whatever they request. Although we are working on her to be a little more strict - no more Mountain Dew or Pepsi with their sugary snacks - no staying up to 11:00 p.m. when she babysits.
She is from a real Texas country family. Her family settled not far from Austin many years ago, like the mid 1800’s. She is number 9 out of 14 children! (ouch) And obviously, those children reproduced over the years. Hubs is grandchild number 31, and my two littlest ones are great-grandchildren number 49 and 55 of 58 (after a while, it’s just ludicrous to keep counting). One thing is for sure: Very Big Family! Hubs used to be afraid to date anyone in this part of town for fear that he might find out they were kin!
It is so great to get together with her family because everyone still shows up to the functions. They are a very close family. Even though Grandma and Grandpa have both passed on, all of those kids they created and most of their kids and even their kids’ kids still gather together. We see many of them Labor Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend and at Christmas. They actually have to rent a hall to celebrate Christmas. And I can’t forget to include all the baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, etc. It is the greatest feeling, being with all of those people and actually belonging.
It is so interesting to hear about their lives growing up... about how the boys slept on the porch of their tiny little house... how they would prepare meals for the entire clan… how they would work in the fields. This family is the type that people write television shows about.
And I’m so grateful to be a part of it. So I guess I’ll continue to attempt to keep my husband happy, since he is related by blood. And there probably isn’t a court in the land that would award me his family in the event of divorce. Ahem… you are the best husband in the world, Darlin’.
Don't tell, but I feel the same about CGMan's mom. :)
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