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Friday 1 April 2016

Of moms and daughters in law

This is what runs in your mind when you read one too many blog posts about mom / daughter in law relations and also keep reading about 'leaning in'. The whole idea of 'lean in' is bent on women supporting women and both getting ahead, rather than women competing with women, especially for getting share of a man's mind.

If, for one day, all moms, daughters and sisters in law decided to support and stand by each other, it might even turn into a maternal dominated society overnight. Why do the wife and mother have to compete for getting attention from the husband / son? On a different note, if a man's wife and mother spoke the same language, he would be very happy. In fact, he would hardly have an option other than to comply. This may however, be difficult for a generation of ma in laws which has seen a different environment since their childhood and has been conditioned to treat their daughters in law in the same manner that their ma in laws treated them.

If the change were to start by the current generation who has a son, and if this whole generation of mothers in law, daughters in law and sisters in law collaborated instead of competing, we may be headed for a society where the crimes against women would go down significantly. And this doesn't need much, except for the will to do it.

And what are the cons? Some TV serials may not remain relevant anymore, but that's not much to give, is it? I'm actually reminded of a past TV serial called 'tu-tu, main-main', showing a different kind of MIL - DIL relationship. It showed the two having constant differences of opinion among themselves, but fiercely defending each other against anyone else. That's probably where the ideal ground lies.