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 couldn’t handle the complete mess anymore—with the house smelling awful and covered in pee and poop—so I decided to take refuge at my parents’ place with my mom, Rie, and dad, Hiroshi. But then, I suddenly got an SOS call from my daughter saying something was wrong with the dog…
After getting the call from my daughter about the dog, I rushed to the vet with her and my dad. The vet examined the dog and confirmed she was injured. On the drive back, my dad gave my daughter a stern lecture about the responsibility of caring for a living creature. Seeing her usually gentle grandpa so angry really seemed to hit home, and she looked genuinely remorseful. When I asked her how the dog got hurt, she revealed that my mother-in-law had been hitting her. Worse yet, my daughter admitted she had hit the dog too, and my husband had just ignored it, claiming it was for discipline. Both my dad and I are completely appalled by what’s been going on behind my back.