Blood froze in my veins when I heard the click of the lock on our front door. It was her again – without warning, without a phone call, like a ghost from the past materializing in my new life. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to set boundaries – Galina Petrovna always found a way to break through them, like water seeping through cracks in a dam. In that moment, I swore to myself that this visit would be the last straw. I would figure out how to put an end to this exhausting war with my mother-in-law, even if it meant taking extreme measures.
For almost ten years, Galina Petrovna and I had managed to avoid frequent meetings. After the wedding, Anton and I moved to a country house that I inherited from my great-grandmother. It was there that our Kiryuusha was born. The remoteness of our home was truly a blessing – my mother-in-law had to travel a considerable distance to visit us. Our rare meetings were enough to form a complete picture of this woman’s character.
— Alena, when was the last time you cleaned? – Galina Petrovna inquired during one of her visits.
— What’s the problem?
— All my shoes are covered in dust, that’s the problem! Do you even have floor rags?
— Galina Petrovna, we don’t have rags, but we have a modern mop. And by the way, we have a Labrador, so there’s more dirt than usual. Don’t worry, I clean twice a week, and the automatic vacuum runs every day.
— You bought all these gadgets, and the result is nothing! You need to clean everything yourself, wipe every inch with a cloth. These fancy mops leave the dirt behind. And these robots – they’re a waste of money.
— Everything works perfectly, Galina Petrovna. That’s why I offered you house slippers, because light-colored socks get dirty instantly in our house.
— Maybe I only wear them! You’re a terrible housekeeper, I see. The house should always be spotless so that white socks remain perfectly clean, as if they just came out of the washing machine.
— I’ll take note of that.
— You should listen to me, Alena. I have more experience than you. If you follow my advice, your home will always be perfect.
— Mm-hmm.
Galina Petrovna constantly annoyed me with her unsolicited advice. And she did this not out of a genuine desire to help, but with a sense of superiority, as though my role as her son’s wife was that of a completely useless person. Fortunately, this happened so rarely that I learned to ignore her words. If my mother-in-law loved giving advice, let her enjoy herself. I would still do things my way.
But Galina Petrovna’s true nature fully revealed itself when Anton and I decided to buy an apartment in the city.
— Tosh, maybe we should move to the city center? – I suggested to my husband.
— What’s wrong with our house?
— It’s depressing here, – I sighed. It’s a real rural backwater. Kiryuusha has to travel forever to get to school, and there are hardly any kids his age around here. Of course, it’s nice for people who only value solitude. They go out into the garden, play with plants – and that’s enough. But I want life to be more interesting for us too, and for our child to have more opportunities. There are hardly any clubs here that our son would actually want to attend.
— Kiryuusha doesn’t seem bored here.
— He stays home all day because there are no friends nearby, Tosh! And he’s such a talented child, he could go to a specialized school. Maybe he’d even lose some weight with a more active city life.
— I don’t know… – Anton hesitated.
— Let’s at least discuss the possibility! I’ve spent most of my life in a village, where the only attractions are a small shop and an abandoned house. I want some dynamics, new connections…
— Okay, let’s think it through and weigh the pros and cons.
About four months later, we finally decided to buy an apartment in the city and move to the metropolis. Kiryuusha finished fourth grade, which perfectly coincided with the beginning of a new chapter in our family’s history.
Anton mostly worked from home, but now he could regularly visit the office instead of staying indoors all day or traveling to the city for several days. I quickly found a suitable position in a sewing workshop. Sewing had always been my calling. We decided to rent out the country house, as it was economically beneficial for us.
— So, how’s the housewarming, lucky people! – my mother-in-law barged in on the very first evening. – Alena, set the table!
— Mom, what kind of feast? – Anton interrupted. – We just moved in, give us some time to settle.
— We must celebrate the new apartment! Are you really going to send your own mother away?
— Alright, alright, come in. But no more than half an hour, we have a lot to do.
I heard this conversation and mentally cringed because I absolutely didn’t plan any tea parties or small talk. I wanted my mother-in-law to leave as soon as possible so we could peacefully settle into our new apartment, but I had to politely agree to the housewarming idea.
— Kiryuusha! Come eat the sweets, Grandma brought them! – my mother-in-law called my son.
— Galina Petrovna, next time, please give the sweets to us, Kiryuusha can’t have too many, – I asked.
— Why not?
— You can see for yourself that Kiryuusha is overweight. We’re gradually teaching him not to eat so many sweets, it’s bad for his health.
— My goodness, one candy won’t hurt! I didn’t realize you were so harsh and heartless. You can’t even let the child have a treat!
— Please understand, he always eats a huge amount of sweets. We bought him a jar of chocolate spread, and he finished it in minutes! His teeth will decay and hurt if he keeps this up. I’m concerned about his health!
At that moment, Kiryuusha appeared, and Galina Petrovna ignored my words and handed him an entire bag, telling him to go to his room and eat every last candy.
I was furious, but I remained silent. One candy wouldn’t really cause harm, but there were about twenty in that bag, which was a different matter. A few minutes later, I quietly slipped into Kiryuusha’s room and carefully took the remaining sweets, gently explaining to him that from now on, I would only give him one candy at a time. Naturally, he was upset but stayed silent.
Perhaps I was being too demanding, but I was doing it for the child. He was little and didn’t understand how cruel other children and adults could be. I was trying to protect him. But my mother-in-law seemed determined to spoil him.
Moreover, after our move, Galina Petrovna became unexpectedly active. She started showing up multiple times a week, which drove me crazy. And it was all because of my husband, who had for some reason handed her a duplicate of our keys.
— What if something happens? I’ll be able to come to help at any moment, – my mother-in-law explained.
Of course, I couldn’t imagine what could possibly happen that would require Galina Petrovna’s urgent help, but I couldn’t change the situation. The fact remained.
— Alena, did you forget about the dish in the oven? – my mother-in-law asked.
— I haven’t forgotten, Galina Petrovna. It’s under control, just 20 more minutes.
— Is that all? I think it should be much less time.
— Galina Petrovna, the situation is under control.
Despite my control over the process, my mother-in-law still acted on her own.
— Why did you take the baking tray out? It’s not ready yet, – I exclaimed.
— I’ve checked, it’s perfect. If you leave it in too long, the flavor will suffer. I know better how to do it.
— Galina Petrovna, with all due respect, I know the recipe perfectly well, and this dish needs to stew for at least another 10 minutes.
— Are you trying to teach me how to cook? You’re inexperienced, you don’t understand life. You should listen to me! Don’t argue with me!
No matter what I did, it was always criticized. I cooked wrong, cleaned wrong, did laundry wrong. For my mother-in-law, everything I did was wrong. She had comments every time she stepped through our door. Moreover, she systematically came over before Anton and I returned. It seemed like her only purpose was to impose her rules in our home.
She regularly baked Kiryuusha large portions of golden-brown stuffed buns, half of which my son immediately devoured. Of course, I didn’t object to the treats themselves, but I had repeatedly asked my mother-in-law not to overfeed the child with such food. However, my requests were always ignored.
— Tosh, can you drop me off at the shopping district after work tomorrow? – I asked my husband. – I need to pick up some suits from a client, and I can’t carry them all myself.
— It will be hard for me to leave my work schedule tomorrow.
— Tosh, please, without your help I won’t manage. It’ll only take half an hour.
— Alena, stop distracting my son from his professional duties. You’re perfectly capable and can do it yourself, – my mother-in-law intervened.
— Galina Petrovna, let us decide the most convenient option ourselves?
— I care about my son. He’ll just waste precious time on your whims. He already told you that he can’t make it.
— He never said anything like that. – I looked at Anton, waiting for his reaction.
He remained silent, avoiding my gaze.
— I see, I’ll take care of everything myself.
Galina Petrovna loved to intrude in our conversations and give her precious opinions. It seemed like she intentionally provoked conflicts between us. This tactic extended to things like purchases. For example, when we needed to replace the washing machine, ours broke down, and my mother-in-law suddenly suggested we buy a second-hand budget model. I categorically refused, as second-hand appliances were likely to break down soon, and it was more logical to invest in a new one. She persistently urged me to listen to her advice, but I stood firm on this matter.
Her behavior became increasingly irritating. However, one incident finally pushed me over the edge, and I couldn’t maintain my composure anymore.
When I got home, I immediately noticed Galina Petrovna’s presence. The smell of fried potatoes wafted through the entire apartment as soon as I stepped inside.
— Did you throw away the lunch I specifically prepared for my son?! – I exclaimed, finding the contents of the containers in the trash bin.
— Why are you feeding my heir some nonsense? He’s a future man! Let him enjoy real potatoes.
— Galina Petrovna, how many times do I have to repeat that Kiryuusha shouldn’t consume too much fatty and sweet food! You even gave him cake! This is crossing the line. Look at all the oil in your dish.
— What are you starting now? Everything in this dish is beneficial for my grandson. Let him eat properly, not your diet concoctions.
— It’s called a balanced diet, Galina Petrovna. I’m preparing all of this for my own child, not so you can ruin it later!
— And now I’m the one at fault? Alenochka, change your tone! I’m his grandmother and much older than you. I know best what my grandson needs!
— I see, you think you know everything better than anyone else!
— Naturally, how else would it be?
— Enough! This is the last straw!
I went to the bedroom to calm down. I could no longer tolerate my mother-in-law’s constant presence and her complete disregard for my requests.
A couple of days later, the phone rang from Galina Petrovna. I was at home and suddenly heard someone trying persistently to unlock our front door.
— Alena, I can’t seem to get into your apartment, the key doesn’t turn at all, – my mother-in-law complained. – Call a specialist immediately.
— Unfortunately, I can’t help you, Galina Petrovna, – I said with undisguised satisfaction.
— What do you mean by that?!
— I changed the locks, so your keys won’t work anymore, – I told my mother-in-law.
— What have you done?! Oh, you heartless person!
— It’s so you won’t show up at our place without notice anymore, dear mother-in-law.
— Let me in immediately! I know you’re home!
— Do what you think is best. It doesn’t bother me one bit.
I ended the conversation, internally rejoicing at my mother-in-law’s reaction. She continued shouting at the door, but I had no intention of getting up to let her in.
In the evening, when Anton came home from work, his mother called him. I didn’t need speakerphone to guess the topic of their conversation.
— Mom, this is crossing all acceptable boundaries… Yes, we really changed the locks, and I fully support this decision… No, of course, you are important to me, but you’ve been visiting us way too often. You’ve worn Alena down with your constant complaints and comments. Plus, you’ve been feeding our son unsuitable food even though Alena asked you not to… Mom, please stop raising your voice. Just accept that if you want to visit us, you need to arrange it in advance, not show up whenever you feel like it.
From the way the conversation between my husband and mother-in-law ended abruptly, I realized she had fallen into a state of extreme indignation and categorically rejected the changes that had occurred.
— So, what’s the result? – I asked my husband.
— She’s offended by what we did with the locks, – Anton stated.
— You understand that our actions were right, don’t you? Your mom had no right to behave like this. Every time she visited, it was accompanied by lectures and overstepping boundaries.
— Of course I understand. What upset me most was how she kept overfeeding our son, despite our decision to focus on his health. She shouldn’t have ignored our parenting rules.
— That’s exactly what I’m saying.
After this incident, my mother-in-law stopped communicating with us altogether. Anton tried to contact her by phone and messages, but either she ignored him, or responded sharply and coldly. On one hand, I truly felt sorry for my husband and his relationship with his mother, but on the other hand, I clearly understood the inevitability of this outcome. Anton understood it too. Now we finally had the chance to live our lives peacefully and make decisions without external interference.
