I (Ayano) am raising my two children, Kou (4) and Mimi (2), with my husband, Hiroshi. Since my sister-in-law, Kyoko, got divorced, every outing with my in-laws has included her and her children (Taro, 8, and Jiro, 5). It seems my in-laws and sister-in-law want my husband to act as a “father” figure for her kids. I’m also frustrated with my husband for not being able to say no. I told him, “Let’s talk about our future when we get home,” and took the kids home.
There were times when I felt depressed, wondering why I was so small-minded that I couldn’t just accept hanging out with my nephews once a month. But when I really stopped to think about it, that wasn’t what was actually bothering me.
My sister-in-law doesn’t “sacrifice” anything herself; she just forces us to make sacrifices so she can have things her way. So why is everyone so indifferent to my own need for compromise? And why do my in-laws and even my husband all try to build my nephews’ happiness on top of my own sacrifices? I just couldn’t wrap my head around that kind of mentality.