I’m Chie, a full-time housewife living with my husband Yosuke and our 2-year-old daughter Yuna. I’ve always been good at communicating and make a point to join local events and parenting groups—I believe community matters! People often talk about clashes with in-laws, but I think it’s just a matter of handling things smartly. If you flatter your mother-in-law and let her talk, she’ll stay happy and things go smoothly. But my sister-in-law Mayu? She just offers help in a bossy tone, and if she’s turned down once, she backs off completely. Unbelievable! Even my mother-in-law doesn’t seem to like her much.
Mayu might be successful at work, managing a team and holding a respectable position. But if she can’t even handle her own mother-in-law, can she really call herself capable? I may be “just” a housewife, but I’ve built a good relationship with my mother-in-law and get along well with the neighbors too. Watching Mayu sit awkwardly, left out at family meals, I can’t help but feel—I’ve won.