I hate living with my in-laws

SAlam,

I do understand everyone's concerns. The funny thing is my parents have only one son too and I personally want him to live seperate from my parents. I love my parents to death, however, I know my parents drawbacks and I know my brother and his wife will be very unhappy living with them. EVery married couple deserves a home. If they are old enough to get married, they are old enough to have a house of their own, and especially for the wife to have a kitchen of her own. I just dont understand this.

I dont know how my father in law thinks it is my responsibility to take care of them. HE told me that I am to cater to them and that I have to sit with them and eat with them and even cook for them if asked to. When I said that its not my responsibility and that I only do it for the reward he told me I am seriously wrong and that I need to go back to my parents house and learn things that girls should learn before they get married. He said my mom didnt teach me anything and that he thought he would call my mom and tell her that. My mom was very offended when I told her this (she is my father in laws sister) and rightfully so. I am very upset. My sister in law's attitude is different everytime she talks to her mom. I can tell. I would think she would sympathize with my situation because she is also living with her in laws and I knwo she is not happy about it. Yet, she is not very nice to me. In front of my husband, my MIL and SIL are nice but when he is not looking they completely ignore me. Personally, I have nothing to talk to them about. ITs hard to make any conversation with them,especially my MIL. She is not the kind of person you can talk to about school, or education, or politics, or anything normal people talk about. She is incapable of making conversation beyond cheap sales, and food. I have even tried on numerous occasions to just talk about that but then I realised that she just doesnt want tot alk. When my husband is around she acts very friendly but she even stopped that and my husband started noticing that she is mean or wont acknowledge me. When my husband addressed this issue to his father, his father just told him that I need to change and that you clap with two hands. He said that I am not cooperative and since I am the younger one, I shoudl show respect whether I get respect back from them or not. I donot understand this concept. How can you contiuously try to respect someone who treats you like trash? I am not an angel and maybe I am not strong enough to keep going with something like this when I donot get respect back. I am sorry but I am human and this is a drawback. I am very upset today too. My sister in law came with her husband to stay at her parents house (where we are currently)Her parents are not here ofcourse. I tried to be nice to her today and make conversation. I told her how nice she looked. I feel sympathetic for her because I realise that maybe she just needs to get away from her inlaws and is here to relax. However, she has no courtesy. I am pregnant and I am in my first trimester. She doesnt want to talk to me about anything, even though I tried to make conversation. I feel like her mother tells her things and even tells her to come visit to see how I am keeping the house. I wont be surprised if the Sister in law is just being a spy for her mom. This is quite funny actually but it still makes me mad. I just dont know what to do when I am trying my best to be nice but I am getting no response. I am so emotional these days as it is. I have terrible nausea and I told my sister in law that when she cooks, if she could just spray airfreshner in the house, it would really help me out as I am getting really sensitive to smell and I have trouble sleeping. I was studying with my husband all day as I have finals these days and when I came back home, I dont know what she had cooked, I smelt it all night and couldnt sleep and threw up terribly. Maybe she forgot. Allahu3Alam. I dont know. I jjust dont understand why you wouldnt just be nice to a pregnant lady. FOrget that, to a woman who is carrying your brothers baby? She knows ive had a miscarriage before. All I want for my brother is to be happy, whether he does that living seperately or with my parents (Althought i always tell my parents and him that there is no need for them to live together, he can get a place very close by and visit but his wife should be given that right to keep peace in the house) and they agree. No young married girl comes in to her in laws house with bitter or evil intentions but I feel she turns evil when they aggravate her and hurt her soo much. Iw as so happy when i got married and was so excited that my in laws were my family members and now I am so bitter with them that I cant stand to look at their faces. My aunt has an only son and he married a girl from outside the family. My aunt and her, daughter in law even though im sure they have little nick nacks here and there, treat each other very well. They are always covering eachothers faults in front of other people and my aunt, does all her laundry and cooking becuase her daughter in law is in grad school with her husband and it is a very demanding program. Sometimes I wonder that she got the better deal.She is from outside the family so maybe thats why she gets more respect. I am from the family and maybe thats why my in laws take me for granted and dont feel the need to give importance to my parents or my family. May be I am being pessimistic, but when will this situation get better>? I keep having nightmares that soon after I have the baby or when my husbadn graduates, in a year and a half, and gets a good job they will tell us that we should live together. How will I prevent that? I cannot live with them and I know my husband will get stuck in the middle. I know he will have to deal with it, but what if he tells me that he is the only son and I have to live with his parents? HOw can i prevent that situation? I know I am looking further into the future, but I cant stop thin king these things.

As-salamu alaikum

dear rashidr, your story scares me to death.

I am going to marry my first cousin too. we were planning to live in a house of our own; howeve, his father died last month. now he changed his mind and decided that we should live with his mother and sisters since he is the oldest son in the family.

his mother is my aunt. In the past two years only she became nice to me when her son told her that he wants to marry me. I came to believe that the things will go the same way they went with you.

your husband's attitude is really selfish, sorry to say that. he should be just. If his mother is wrong he should tell her in a polit way that she should not interfere between you two. it is a must to respect the parents and never hurt their feelings; however, they are human beings and they make mistakes; they must realize their mistakes.

I hope your psycological condition becomes much much better very soon

Salam Musimah07

I really appreciated your email and heard eveyrthing you said. I absolutely agree with you and am 100% sure that what you said is accurate. I am not someone who gets oppressed easily and that bothers my mother in law. Believe me sister, there have been  many times where I have threatened to leave my husband and have even come to a point wheere I booked my flight back home and told him I would not come back. My parents tried to work things out with my in laws but even they got sick of it and asked me to reutrn if thats what I thought was best. They told me they would support me either way. The sad part of it was, that my husband was the one who got upset and got trapped in the middle. HE admitted to me his parents are very wrong and he promised me a place of my own which alhumdullilah we got. We got the keys a few days ago and move in first week of january. He said that if I left than noone would suffer but him. He thinks I will find another person and his parents will just continue their foolishness even with another wife, if he marries again. He said he's the only one who will be left alone. That's when I realised that he is on my side. HE is trying his best not to be mean to his parents becuase that is something he says he cannot do. On the other hand however, he is trying ot give me everything that is my right. He asks that I be kind to his parents in return for as long as I can, which I am trying to do but ofcourse, it's immensel;y difficult.

As for being pregnant, it was absolutely not planned but Alhumdullilah Allah blessed us. We wwere using precaution but subhanAllah it still happened. SO I take it as a blessing from Allah. I have no reason to be stuck to his parents even if I have a baby. If I am treated wrong, I am always readyt o walk out but I stop becuase of my husband, becase he is kind to me and takes care of me regardless of what his parents say. They try to turn him against me in some ways but still he is kind to me and does realise what his parents are doing. He just does not have the courage to mistreat them and I would not want him to. I dont have to do anything, it is already clear to me that he sees right through his parents. Eventualy he will be sick of his parents the way his father was and is sick of his mother and his father. Its the circle of life. He always saw his father take care of his mother and his grandfather (who he lived with) take care of his grandmother.He knows he has to take care of his wife. In my culture marrying again or marrying a second wife is looked down upon and he does not even think about that. I donot agree with this opinion ofcourse but that is the way he was raised. I do pray to Allahg and so far this child has beena  blessing. My husband had become more on my side and is even nicer and more caring. He talks about he his family (my child and I )are so important and how he finally has a family now. He does nto include his parents in HIS family. SO I am just resting. Taking it one step at a time and realise that this child has already made my position stronger with him. InshaAllah just pray for me. This will inshaAllah work in my favor.

Salaam Sister Rashidr,

You so sound so much more Peaceful now. You sound very calm, as if a big burden has been lifted off your shoulders. Alhumduallah, you finally got the keys to your own apartment! You are finally gaining your Freedom, and that is such a blessing. I am proud of you for standing up for your rights--and look, now you have your own home.  

There is a saying, "a Beehive can only have 1 Queen".  So, move forward into your new home, and don't look back to the old life. You are an adult, soon to be a Mother and a college graduate. You're a  Woman now. Live your life in Freedom and Peace. Decorate and enjoy your new home, and do the things that make you happy. Maybe you can join some Muslim Mothers Groups or Halaqua, so that way you'll have a new friends (outside of family) and new things to do. Live your Own Life. Be Happy.

I agree with your husband for being kind to his Parents. That is our obligation to Allah; and may Allah forgive me if I made it appear that he should be disrespectful to his parents. He is right in that regard. And he did the right thing by giving you your own home.

Now that you have your own home, I hope the time alone with your husband will strengthen your bond and bring you both happiness.

You know, I was thinking about something. You said that you have dreams that in a few years, you will have to move back in with his Parents. And you said that your husband has said that he will move back in with them, and never say "no" if they ask... Maybe in a few weeks, you should have a long talk with your husband. When I was growing up--my mom taught me this about marriage: She said, "You will either live your life on "his terms", or "your terms"--always live life on "your terms". Rashidr, Its clear that your husband's family belives their daughter-in-laws are obligated to "take care of them" and "serve them". That is their family/cultural tradition.  But, you made it clear that is Not how you want to live your life, and you absolutely have that right...Sister, You should let your husband know that unless his mother and father are very ill--you will not agree to let them live in your home , and you will not move back in with them under no circumstances. Calmly sit down, and calmly have a long heart-to-heart talk and tell him this. You should get this on the table now and make an Agreement with your husband, so that 2 years from now, you won't be moving back in with them.   (Or, they wont be moving in with you after you get a great job and move into a big new house.)

If your husband tells you that he yes, he WILL give up his home and move back in with them if his parents ask him to come back- even if you do not want that  ;  then Sister, know that those are "his terms". If he says that, he is only being honest and telling you truthfully what he will do. If so, you need to accept that as a reality and Decide if you can live on those terms.

But, inshallah--he may take your side, and realise that unless his mother or father have an illness, it's best for his wife and child to live in your own home in Peace. Hopefully, he will see that is best.

(Also keep in mind that sometimes its good to place distance between you and difficult relatives by moving to another state--and that does not mean you're "abandoning them". I've seen in my own family how when some relatives cant get along--one of them moving to another state actually makes them grow closer since "distance makes the heart grow fonder".. Maybe after you get that degree, you and your husband can make plans on moving to another State in 1 year.)

Salaam and Enjoy your New Home

Let us know how things go.

Salaam