Malaysian Woman Shares Her ‘Clingy Mother-in-law’ Never Lets Her Have Couple’s Trip

The concept of rifts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is so deep rooted in Indian culture, that an entire genre of TV shows was named after it as ‘saas bahu’ serials. It looks like this ‘saas bahu’ thing is not only a concern in the Indian subcontinent. A Facebook post by a Malaysian woman is gaining a lot of attention these days, where she speaks of her extremely clingy mother-in-law, who does not leave her alone with her husband for even a minute. There is a Facebook page for Malaysian users, where people can share their ordeals anonymously, asking for advice or suggestions. The woman confessed about her disturbed married life on the page.

In the post, she said, “I have a mother-in-law who doesn’t know how to behave properly! After being married for 10 years and having four children, we live with my in-laws. My husband, being the head of the family, takes the whole family abroad every year, including his brothers, children, workers, and maids. Every time we go abroad, it’s a huge group. Because my mother-in-law gets jealous and upset, we’ve never had a couple’s trip. There have been times, even during the New Year, when my husband and I go back to my parents’ home, and my mother-in-law insists on coming along. I feel like we have no personal space or privacy, and she follows us everywhere. In these 10 years, we’ve never taken the children abroad alone; it’s always been a large group trip, and the expenses are always covered by my husband. Finally, my husband agreed to let us have a family trip just with the children. When my mother-in-law found out, she said she would pay for herself to join us and invited some relatives to come along as well. I know that opposing this will only make things difficult for my husband. I just want to have a proper family trip for us. Who is at fault here? Am I not being generous enough?"

Several people have responded to her post. One person attributed the issue to her husband, who always agrees with his mother. Another suggested that since she and her husband are quite modest, they should plan future trips without informing anyone. A third person recommended that they arrange everything discreetly and only announce the trip on the departure day. Lastly, someone mentioned that the husband needs to realise that trips should be limited to just the couple and their children.