The Mother-in-Law.

My heart is filled with pride as I have watched my sons, now grown, stepping into new chapters of their lives and forming the bond of marriage and starting families.

This puts me into a category of women that many times is not highly looked upon.  I am now the Mother-in-Law. The sad reality is that most of our society views the in-laws as annoying and difficult to get along with, like in the TV show “Everybody Loves Raymond.” 

We welcomed these 2 wonderful young women into our family and I feel blessed to call them my daughters.  In-law carries too many negative vibes so I prefer using “daughter”  and “mom”. And I am rebelling from the societal norm.  I am going to work to give the whole in-law relationship a makeover with a positive twist. 
 

Actually, that line of thinking came straight from my mother-in-law who, by the way, is a bright spot in my life rather than the stereotypical difficult-to-get-along-with-mother-in-law.  She told me a long time ago that she preferred to be my second mom and I her second daughter and leave the whole in-law business out of it. Preferring the term “Mother-in-love”, she has been a wonderful example to me of what God had in mind for a mother-in-law to be.  Loving.  Encouraging.  Guiding.  Helpful.  A friend. 
 

Those words remind me of my own mom as well.  She has loved me, faults and all, saw the good in me and encouraged growth, at times and in ways only a mom can.  I have had a great example lived out in front of me, an example of a loving wife, devoted mom, and a good mother-in-law each day of my life. 

 

Many women feel stress from their husband’s mother, but in God’s plan, this is not how it should be. We can be a blessing in their lives. God has given me two amazing moms that I can learn from and have been so blessed by them. 

 

I plan on continuing the tradition.  I pray I will be a bright spot in Renae’s and Kara’s lives. I want to pass on the encouragement and love I have received and bless their lives.  It won’t be a difficult task, they have chosen the path of love as well. 

My daughter is also now a daughter-in-law. She has been welcomed into a new family and gained a second mom instead of the typical mother-in-law. God has blessed her with a truly loving and godly second mom who will be a source of encouragement and blessing to her. And I know she will be a blessing in return.

How have you worked to be a blessing in your mother-in-law's life? How has your mother-in-law been a blessing in yours? If your relationship with her is less than good, what is one change you can make to take it a step towards positive? How can you be a blessing in her life in 2014?  Let's turn this in-law thing around.