Pesky Mother-in-law?

Mother-in-laws! Sometimes they are great and supportive, sometimes you get one that despises you. Unfortunately, I got the latter. I love my husband, but his mother is absolutely the thorn in my side. She is very judgmental, selfish, and opinionated. I am a young mother to a wonderful 22-month-old boy. I am also a full-time college student. I don't work right now because my husband and I both agreed that I should focus on my studies and our son. My mother-in-law hates that I stay home. She is one of those types of people that you can never please though. Right now, her argument is that if I stay home, we will miss out on the extra income. But if I went back to work she would hate the daycare I choose, or think I'm not spending enough time on my son.

I hate when she comes to my home because she always finds SOMETHING wrong with it. There is too much laundry in the hamper, or the tile in my bathroom needs a better scrubbing. Eye roll. I personally work my butt off. I wake up at 7:30 AM (before my husband who works does), I take care of my son, take my dog on a walk, start laundry, and make breakfast all before my husband even gets out of the shower in the morning. After he leaves, I wash dishes and set my son up to play while I do any bill paying I may need to do. Then we have outside play time, followed by lunch and nap time. During nap time I clean and do homework. In the afternoons I teach my son things like ABCs and colors and start dinner. After my husband comes home, I leave for class with no dinner. At about 9 PM, I get home and eat. Then it is bath and bedtime for my son. Then I sit down and fold laundry and put it away. I may watch a show on the television for a bit or do some more homework. After this I shower and do a final walkthrough of my home to tidy up. I usually lay down in bed at around 11 PM. I never sleep right away though because I am typically plagued by the stress of the day.

With all of this going on, having the added pressure of a mother-in-law who doesn't seem to think that I am a good enough mom or wife was just devastating to me. I would run myself ragged trying to please her, until I stopped. So, how do you stop her you may ask? The answer? You can’t. You can, however, stop yourself from letting her destroy you. I used to spend so much time trying to please her, that I had no time left for me. To be a good wife and mom, you need to be the best you can be. This starts with loving yourself. Give yourself a break! Your life isn't all diaper changes, floor scrubbing, dinner cooking, and laundry folding. Your house will NEVER be completely clean. But guess what! You. Are. Good. Enough! I see you. I see the effort that you are putting in for your family. I see that you are tired. I see you. So, the next time your mother-in-law (or anybody else) is trying to put you or your attempt at taking care of your family down, take a deep breath and tell yourself "I am good enough." Say it 100 or 1000 times a day if you need to, because if you can't love yourself, nobody else can...or you can just tell her to kiss your a**! That works, too.