Most of us either have a mother-in-law or will be one. It_s not a role most women take on gladly. Mothers-in-law are traditionally the butt of jokes and the scapegoats for family squabbles. But are they really as nasty, possessive and interfering as their reputation suggests? Luisa Dillner looks beyond the stereotype of the mother-in-law and finds they come in many different varieties; from loveable and loyal to lonely, ferocious, and scheming. There are brave mothers-in-laws such as the explorer and missionary David Livingstone_s who trekked hundreds of miles across Africa to help out with the grandchildren, impossible ones like the actress Judy Garland, who picked her own son-in-law and Royal ones such as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II who both found controlling their sons and daughters-in-law their hardest job of all.Luisa Dillner traces the history of mothers-in-law, from Ancient Greece and Rome to modern times. In many cultures they are revered; some have their own rules for interaction with mothers-in-law and their own language for speaking to them. Mothers-in-law pop up in fairy tales, usually as villains but sometimes as the victims of evil daughters-in-law and today the internet has a host of sites where there are passionate accounts of all sorts of mothers-in-law.
Far from being all bad, mothers-in-law have many redeeming features and can be sources of help and support for their sons and daughters-in-law. With a bit of understanding and a good dollop of tolerance this relationship can be one of the most rewarding of your adult life.