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A daughter-in-law is never considered equal to the daughter...there are so many instances when my in laws treated me like an outsider; secrets were kept from me.
A daughter-in-law is never considered equal to the daughter…there are so many instances when my in laws treated me like an outsider; secrets were kept from me.
I have spent 2 years of my married life with my in laws. The day I got married my mom told me “treat your mom-in-law as your own mother”, but the day I entered my sasural I realized that the situation was different; she was not my mom… She showed extra love and care to her daughter in front of me. I don’t know why, and what she wanted to show.
Then came the time when my sister-in-law’s marriage was going to get fixed, so her would be husband and his family was visiting to see her. By chance I was at my mother’s place at the time, and I was not to be informed about those people; that they were coming to see her, because I might tell my parents!
I was shocked to hear from my sister-in-law that her mother (my MIL) told her not to inform me because ”abhi jab tak date nhi nikal jati kisi ko nhi batana.” (Until a date is fixed, don’t tell anyone). Ohhh god, I was not considered as part of the family!
Had this happened with my sister-in-law too, when her parents were searching for a girl for her brother? No! She is the daughter of the house, so she should know who was to be her sister-in-law or bhabi…
This was not the first time I was treated like an outsider. One instance which I remembered was when I was sitting in my mom-in-law’s room and she had to take out some money to give my sister-in-law for shopping. She didn’t open the almirah in front of me and asked me to to out…as if I was going to steal her things…
After all I am the daughter-in-law…. I am an outsider!
Image source: a still from the short film Ghar ki Murgi
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
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