The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-27
In-LazU' Is
Detrimental
philippines
by MARTHA LEE.

There are several problems that
are solved in only one way. That is
TO pick up the old hat and walk
them off. One of these, and from
the amount of letters received on
the subject. the most acute, is the
mother-in-law problem.
In other words, when there IS a
mother-in-laW problem. it is useless
to sit around trying TO figure the
thing out, because it just won't
work. The quickest, safest. surest
way of solving it is to get out from
u 'er it altogether.
If mothers only would stop to
consider, they never would consent
to making their homes with their
married children, under any con-
dition. Not only for the good Of
their children. but for their own
good as well.
If daughters and son only would
sit down and read up on little
psychology, or, if that is too deep,
just study a few statistics, they
would not endanger their homes
and happiness by ever suggesting
such ting.
Takes Miracle Woman
It take a miracle woman to sit
by and watch a quarrel or argument
going on without taking sides in it.
And it is woman nature for that
woman to side with her own flesh
and blood. She lis older, wiser,
more experienced, and she wants
her son and his wife, or her daugh-
ter and her husband, to profit by
her experience. which precisely is
which they will not do.
1t ofTends young peoples pride to
have their mothers and fathers
watching over them, as if they were
little ducks fresh from the shell,
after they have married. Men and
women like to have at least a SEM
, blance of guiding their own des-
r TIMES. And when mothers refuse
to unite them from the apron
strings, they are doing themselves,
their children and their childrens
mates grave injustice. There are
so many angles to this triangle of
mother. daughter and son-in-law
or mother, son and daughter-in-
law, that 1 want you to read
letter from a girl who, although she
has every reason to be happy with
her husband, is completely rliser-
able and just about ready to call
quits.
s Dear Miss Lee: I have a problem to
bring YOU, which to my mind. never has
been solved satisfactorily. and which to
me. if solved. would mean peace to the
rest of my existcnCe-the mother-in-law
problem.
1 haveNbeen childless ten years. married
10 the only child of a now widowed
mother. We always lived by ourselves
until my husbands father died two years
ago. He being an only child. the natural
thing for his mother to do was to come
with us.
Now. after I had kept house for ten
years. and cooked and taken care of her
son. she treats us both as though we
were children and knew absolutely Moth
ing. She tells me how to do everything.
watches every cent We spend. watches my
/every movement. remarks on everything
4 do always answers me when I ask my
/ husband a question, and rules in general.
When I try TO assert my rights. you
would think I was being ungrateful. cruel
and ill-mannered- I had worked for a
few years in an Office. but my husband
is so opposed to it that it will cause
trouble between us if I go back to that.
I I'm perfectly miserable. What is the
5 solution?
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.
There is only one solution, and
that is. make a change. Get back
into your own home. Those things
are terribly hard on marital happi-
ness. There is a solution to the
problem, and that is: Never live
with your mother-in-law!
There are rare cases in which
both the daughter-in-law and
mother-in-law are extraordinary
, folk, when the combination works.
But there are too many factors
against it all the way through to
take such a long chance.