9 Valuable pieces of advice from Jordanian mothers-in-law

Lifestyle

Published: 2018-04-16 17:31

Last Updated: 2024-03-29 17:32


Editor: Arwad Khalifeh

Many MILs are sweet and caring. (The Mutton Club)
Many MILs are sweet and caring. (The Mutton Club)

A mother-in-law (MIL) is often portrayed as a monster-in-law in Western films and TV series.

Arabic productions are guilty of it too. In Jordan, we grew up watching Syrian and Egyptian shows which mostly portrayed MILs as naggers and schemers, and only sometimes as sweet and caring.

Surely all MILs can’t be the former? We’ve asked 20 Jordanian men and women about their relationship with their mother-in-law, and they all had one thing in common: a tight bond with their spouse’s mother.

Naturally, our next question was: what’s the best advice your MIL has ever given you? These were their answers.

 

1. Live in the moment

“Live in the present and don’t worry too much. Travel a lot and learn from other cultures and the way they live.”

 

2. Take it easy

“No matter how stressed out you are, you should have an on/off button to control your emotions, because that’s how life works; you shouldn’t let your emotions get the better of you.”

 

3. Keep it simple

“Don’t complicate things. If you keep things simple, even when they’re not, they’ll pass more quickly without too much headache.”

 

4. Family bond

“Treat me as if I were your own mother.”

 

5. Keep schtum

“Whatever problems you and your spouse are having, keep them to yourself and solve them together without involving anyone, not even your direct family.”

 

6. Love thy parents

“Pray and be kind to your parents.”

 

7. Dog-eat-dog world

“Be sure to take whatever is rightfully yours from others, even if you have to be a little vicious. But always, always be kind to your wife and kids.”

 

8. Jealousy

"If I'm a little bit jealous over my son, please bear with me; it's a bit difficult for me to give him away."

 

9. Flag

"Your husband is like a flag. I'm passing the flag on to you. There will be times when it will get very windy or very hot, and other times when you might think that you can't carry the flag anymore. But whatever you do, try to keep a firm grip on it and never let it fly away."