– She fell on my head! I also have to give her a room,- Melissa couldn’t calm down.
The others live with their grandchildren, and she demanded a separate bedchamber! She didn’t want to cook or clean. You see, she wasn’t the mistress of the house. Just knitting socks all day long and watching soap operas. She didn’t coddle her granddaughter or pay any attention to her. At most, she could brush her hair.
Soon she met a neighbor who had a 5-year-old grandson. So they started to walk together in the woods and in the park. They took a plaid and a snack and breathed the fresh air. The grandchildren went with them. They ran in the grass, built huts out of sticks and picked berries. Grandmothers were not a burden – they played by themselves. They did not take other people’s children, they were afraid of the responsibility.
– Take your grandmother and let’s go together! – they kept saying.
But the other grandmothers had enough to worry about. They cooked, cleaned, went to the cottage – they had no time to sit in the clearing.
Soon Melissa got used to everything. Though her mother-in-law didn’t help at home, she looked after her granddaughter. Her daughter grew up peacefully, as she did not need any attention. Fattened, well-groomed, the girl knew many fairy tales and could express herself beautifully. And the bond with her grandmother was very strong. Her mother-in-law’s room was totally clean, which she also taught her granddaughter. Told her how important it was to wash her dresses, comb her hair, wash her face.
– The house also likes cleanliness. Drawers are like pockets. Always everything in its place. And the floor must be clean, too. You threw a wrapper, and he gets nervous. A piece of paper tickles him, but no hands to scratch, – chirped Granny.
– Grandma, does the floor feel something? And the couch? Do we disturb him, too? – Surprised little granddaughter.
– No, the couch has a job – to guard our sleep. Everyone has their own job. Me, your parents, you. And every thing has a purpose.
Melissa always wondered about her mother-in-law. It was as if she did nothing, but it was easier to live with her. And all the neighbors treated the old woman with respect, asking for advice. One day Melissa came home from work early and heard the old ladies in the yard discussing their daughters-in-law.
– I have a good daughter-in-law. She does everything about the house herself, does not reproach me, and does not raise her voice. She also brings money into the house. My son is lucky. I’m glad God sent him such a wife,- said Melissa’s mother-in-law.
Melissa blushed. Either from happiness, or from embarrassment. Before her mother-in-law’s arrival she and her husband fought a lot, but here she was idyllic. It turns out that her relative brought peace and happiness to their home. My mother-in-law praised everyone and never provoked conflicts, and everything worked out well. And her daughter grew up smart. My parents could not have brought her up like that for lack of time. And here she reads and writes, and respects her elders.
– I can safely say that I have the best mother-in-law in the world. Not mother-in-law, a real miracle worker. I dread to think how we would have lived if she hadn’t moved in with us,- Melissa smiles.
