I’m Kaori. I live with my husband Shinichi and our 3-year-old daughter, Karin. My in-laws live about 30 minutes away by car—my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and grandmother-in-law all share a roof. Grandma has a habit of pushing her own values on everyone and constantly butts in. Whenever my husband or I are in a bind, my mother-in-law is always the first to act as our shield. But in return, she’s the one constantly getting earfuls of nasty remarks from Grandma. I’ve always wondered… why on earth does she keep living with her?
I was really worried about my mother-in-law. It turns out my husband and father-in-law felt the same way. Apparently, they had tried talking to her about it many times in the past. But she never once said she wanted to change her situation. When she’s the one telling you, “Don’t worry about it” or “Stay out of it,” I can see why they felt like their hands were tied. Maybe she doesn’t even want us to feel “sorry” for her in the first place. It’s heartbreaking, but is watching from the sidelines really all I can do? I just couldn’t shake this restless, unsettled feeling.