Developing a Relationship

Nita was recently married and had started living in a joint family with her husband and in-laws. After a few days, she started to realize that she is not able to get along with her mother-in-law.  Nita’s mother-in-law was conservative whereas Nita was liberal with a modern lifestyle.  Soon they both started quarreling due to differences in opinions and lifestyles. As days and months passed, none of them changed their behavior.

Nita became very aggressive over time and started to hate her mother-in-law. She started to think about how to get rid of her mother-in-law.  Once, as usual, when she quarreled with her mother-in-law and her husband took his mother’s side, she became where angry and left for her father’s home.  Nita’s father was a chemist and her…

He also told her, “Because no one should have doubt about you, from today onwards, you will not fight at all with your mother in law but instead you will be very caring towards her, even if she says something which you don’t like, you will not be rude, you will simply be polite only”.  Nita agreed thinking she will be free from her mother in law’s quarreling in a few months and came back to her in-laws as advised by her father, she started mixing the powder in her mother in law’s meals and behaved very caring and polite whenever her mother in law said something.

As time started to pass, Nita’s mother-in-law’s nature also started to change.  Because Nita was very caring towards her, she too started to be affectionate towards her. Five months passed and Nita had been mixing the powder but the atmosphere of the house was changed.  There were no quarrels, both were praising each while talking to neighbors.  They got very attached to each other like a mother and daughter. Now, Nita started to get worried thinking due to the powder, her mother-in-law may die soon.

She ran to her father’s home and told him, “Dad!  Please give me the antidote to cure the effect of that poisonous powder you gave!  I don’t want to lose my mother-in-law, she is just like my mom and I love her very much”.  Her father smiled and said, “Which poison?  I had simply given you a sweetener!”

Moral:  Each person is different which may be due to their own circumstances.  This can often lead to many differences.  However, we must try to understand each other and adjust a little to make a healthy relationship with each other.  And, when such differences arise between persons, it is the duty of their loved ones to keep them calm and guide them towards the right path.