An ordinary evening turned into a battleground over outdated gender roles, leaving my children and me without dinner. My husband Marcus, from a traditional family, and his father believed that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen.”
When my in-laws stayed with us, tensions rose. My father-in-law despised our modern lifestyle where both Marcus and I worked and shared home duties. One evening, I came home exhausted and expected dinner to be ready. But there was nothing. My father-in-law sneered, “You need to stop being LAZY and do your duty as a wife and cook for your family, AS A NORMAL WOMAN.”
I was speechless, and Marcus just nodded. Furious, I shot back, “Tradition won’t allow a man earning thirty-five thousand to support a family of five. You are too broke to be so sexist.” I then took my mother-in-law and kids out for dinner with the money I had been using to cover our expenses.
The next morning, my husband apologized, admitting he had let his father’s outdated views influence him. His father also apologized, saying, “I see now that respect and partnership are crucial. I will try to do better.” This experience brought us closer as a family, breaking free from outdated traditions and fostering respect and partnership.
In Sarah’s story, she stood up to her father-in-law. In the following story, Carmen questions whether teaching her in-law a lesson was the right move.
