I’m Mayu, in my second year of marriage to Kouta. We both work, so we share housework equally. He’s kind and gentle—but maybe just conflict-avoidant. I realized that after we got married. His family loves to gather, with dinners at least three times a year. Sometimes it’s just his parents and his brother’s family, other times extended relatives join too. Since we don’t live together, I thought, “It’s just a few dinners a year, no big deal…” But lately, something hasn’t felt quite right.
I did feel like saying something about how the men just sat and drank while the women did all the cooking.
But I figured every family has their own “rules,” and maybe it’s not my place to interfere… so I kept quiet. Still, I thought I should at least offer to help, so I asked, “Can I help with anything?” But they told me, “No,” so I just played with Yuna instead. And yet… there’s no meal for me?
Was this a misunderstanding on my mother-in-law’s part…?