“My Son Won’t Be a House Husband”: Mother-in-Law Yells at Daughter-in-Law
Victoria had just finished tidying up the living room when she heard the doorbell ring. She glanced at the clock; it was only 10 AM. She wasn’t expecting anyone. As she opened the door, she was greeted by her mother-in-law, Ellie, whose face was flushed with anger.
“Hello, Ellie,” Victoria said cautiously, stepping aside to let her in.
Ellie stormed past her without a word and made a beeline for the kitchen. Victoria followed, her heart pounding. She had a bad feeling about this visit.
“Where’s Nathan?” Ellie demanded, her voice trembling with barely contained rage.
“He’s upstairs, working,” Victoria replied, trying to keep her voice steady. Nathan had recently started working from home to help take care of their newborn daughter, Nova. It was a mutual decision they had made after much discussion.
Ellie slammed her hand on the kitchen counter. “My son won’t be a house husband!” she yelled, her eyes blazing with fury.
Victoria took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Ellie, Nathan and I made this decision together. It’s what’s best for our family right now.”
“Best for your family?” Ellie scoffed. “You mean best for you! You’re turning my son into a housewife while you go off to work!”
Victoria felt a surge of anger but forced herself to stay composed. “Ellie, it’s not like that. Nathan wanted to be here for Nova. We both agreed it was the right thing to do.”
Ellie shook her head vehemently. “No, this is not how I raised him! He should be out there, providing for his family, not changing diapers and cooking meals!”
Victoria’s patience was wearing thin. “Ellie, times have changed. It’s not about who does what anymore; it’s about partnership and supporting each other.”
Ellie glared at her. “Partnership? This is not a partnership! This is you taking advantage of my son!”
Before Victoria could respond, Nathan appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Nova in his arms. He had heard the commotion and decided it was time to intervene.
“Mom, what’s going on?” he asked, his voice calm but firm.
Ellie turned to him, her expression softening slightly. “Nathan, you need to stop this nonsense and go back to work. Let Victoria take care of the baby.”
Nathan sighed. “Mom, we’ve talked about this. This is what we both want. I’m happy being here for Nova.”
Ellie’s eyes filled with tears. “But Nathan, you’re wasting your potential! You have a degree, a career! You shouldn’t be stuck at home!”
Nathan walked down the stairs and handed Nova to Victoria before facing his mother. “Mom, I’m not wasting anything. I’m investing in my family. This is important to me.”
Ellie shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you’re letting this happen.”
Victoria felt a pang of guilt but stood her ground. “Ellie, we appreciate your concern, but this is our decision.”
Ellie looked at them both, her face a mixture of anger and sadness. “I can’t support this,” she said finally. “I can’t watch my son throw his life away.”
With that, she turned and walked out of the house, leaving Victoria and Nathan standing in stunned silence.
Nathan put his arm around Victoria’s shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Victoria nodded, though she felt far from okay. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I just wish she could understand.”
Nathan kissed the top of her head. “Me too,” he said. “Me too.”
As they stood there, holding each other and their daughter, they couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over.