My mother-in-law called Jack every day and asked us to visit them in their village. She claimed that she missed her grandchildren and hadn’t seen them for months. However, it was a four-hour drive to her place, and traveling with two young children wasn’t easy. Both of us understood the challenges involved, but my husband’s mother insisted, and we eventually agreed to make the trip.
My husband took time off work to make it possible. We planned to leave for her place on a Friday morning and return on Monday. We informed my mother-in-law about our arrival, and she assured us that she would be waiting and even mentioned that she would prepare pastries for us.
We made several stops during the journey to let the kids stretch their legs and had lunch at a cafe. Altogether, we spent almost 8 hours on the road. When we arrived at my mother-in-law’s place in the evening, she welcomed us warmly. We had dinner, and the kids went to bed early due to exhaustion from the journey.
The next morning, Jane, my husband’s sister, informed us that we needed to leave immediately because her brother-in-law’s wedding was that day. My mother-in-law, well-dressed, left her room and hurried to her daughter. She told us to make ourselves at home, as there was food in the fridge, and she had prepared some dishes. There were tomatoes and cabbage in the cellar, along with some canned food. Potatoes were stored there too, which we could use.
We found it rather surprising. If she had missed her grandchildren so much, why had she left so early? She didn’t even bother to explain or apologize for the change in plans. In the evening, my mother-in-law called and said she would stay overnight to continue celebrating. My husband suggested that it might be easier for us to leave on Sunday night, as the children would sleep during the journey, making it less tiring for me. So, we began preparing to leave.
On Sunday evening, my mother-in-law returned. We were loading our belongings into the car, and she was visibly upset. She questioned why we were leaving early, despite saying we would stay until Monday. My husband explained that if she truly missed her grandchildren, she could visit us instead. We had brought gifts for her and her sister, which were now sitting on the terrace. We said our goodbyes, and she appeared to be offended.
My mother-in-law is now angry with us, not speaking to me at all, and barely communicating with my husband. We’re left wondering what we did wrong.
