I’m Mariko, in my 40s, and I live with my husband, Takayoshi, and our eighth-grade daughter, Sari. Both of our families live nearby, but I’ve never gotten along with my mother-in-law, Sanae. Lately, our daughter has hit her rebellious phase, and her attitude and mouth keep getting worse. To top it off, she and my husband forced a dog into our lives, knowing full well I can’t stand dogs, and then dumped all the chores on me. I ended up running to my parents’ place, and after venting to my mom and dad, I went back home for a work shift. The house was an absolute disaster area… so I’m planning to stay at my parents’ for a while.
While taking refuge at my parents’ house, I got a call from my mother-in-law. Apparently, my husband asked her to help out, so she’s been doing the housework and taking care of the dog. She went on an endless rant, nagging and throwing shade at me, before basically calling me a failure as a mother. Then she handed the phone to my daughter, who sided completely with her grandmother and coldly pushed me away. As if that wasn’t enough, it turns out my daughter has been crying at school, telling everyone she’s being neglected and that I’m abusing the dog. Just as I was dealing with a mix of pure frustration at my daughter and a tiny bit of guilt for walking out, my phone rang. It was my daughter, sounding panicked, saying something was wrong with the dog. I have a really bad feeling about this.