October 28 is Mother-in-Law Day

| October 22, 2012 | 11 Comments

2 women cookingOctober 28 marks Mother-in-Law Day, a day to appreciate and spend time with your spouse’s mom. Many of us have a tumultuous relationship with our mothers-in-law, while some of us have great relationships and love them as much as our natural moms. In most cases, it’s a good idea to pursue a familial bond with the woman who raised your husband up from a little boy into the man he is now. Here are some ways that you might spend the day:

  • Have a mom/daughter bonding day. Go out for lunch, get pedicures, see a movie you’ve both been wanting to see. This will be particularly meaningful if you don’t usually see your mom-in-law without your husband and kids. You might get the chance for conversations that you wouldn’t normally have. It might be a good time for your husband and his dad to spend a few hours hanging out with the kids, too!
  • Start to make amends if you have had a rocky relationship in the past. A heartfelt letter or phone call might be the first step needed in order to repair your rift. If your mother-in-law isn’t someone with whom you want to pursue a relationship, you could still send a card or even have the kids draw her some pictures in order to at least make some contact.
  • If your mom-in-law lives far away, gather everyone up for a Skype or other video call. Many moms, in-law or otherwise, love to hear from their faraway kids and grandkids, so this might be one of the best gifts that you could get her.
  • Send a small gift or gift certificate if you can’t be there for her special day. It could be something just for her, such as a bath and body set or a candle, or it might be a gift certificate for her to spend some time with her husband, such as for a dinner out.
  • Don’t forget about your husband’s relationship with your mom! If the two of them are friendly, then he could take her out to lunch or dinner. If their relationship is strained, encourage him to reach out and make some contact for good family relations.

Remember, no matter what your relationship with your mother-in-law is like, one day you will probably be a mom-in-law yourself, so take mental notes on what works and what doesn’t so that someday, with any luck, you’ll have a good relationship with your kids’ spouses!

Comments (11)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Ana Cláudia says:

    did not know this day, but it is very good

  2. Rachel says:

    I got lucky, I adore my MIL. I’ll have to call her today.

  3. Tanya Park says:

    did not know about this i will have to something special for her tonight at our family dinner- thanks for the heads up 🙂

  4. Holly S. says:

    I didn’t know there was a MIL Day. I’m lucky to have gotten such a great one! I’ll have to call to wish her a belated MIL Day now!!!

  5. Heather says:

    I was not aware this day existed! I will be sure to take out my MIL next year on this day. My MIL has truly been a blessing in my life, and do not know how I would have gotten through the past few years without her.

  6. Rebecca Sinclair says:

    Oh man…I totally missed this. I had no idea there was a MIL day. I’ll have to pay better attention next year. 🙂

  7. Michelle F. says:

    I never knew. I will be celebrating it right next year.

  8. bianca roman says:

    I didn’t even know there was a ‘day’!! I’m not married, so I can’t say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ if I like my MIL or not..but it’s great for the ones that adore theirs!!

  9. Viv Sluys says:

    I didn’t know that there was such a thing as ‘mother-in-law day’! We always celebrate both our moms on mother’s day. I spent the day with her on Sunday anyhow though since relatives were visiting from the other side of the country. My mother-in-la is wonderful and we have a very good relationship 🙂

  10. Kiy says:

    I wish I had known about mother-in-law day when mine was still here. We lost her a year ago this past summer. I miss her every day, she was an amazing woman.

  11. Nena Sinclair says:

    I didn’t know they had a Mother-in-Laws Day! I’ll have to speak to my Son-in-Law and ask him why I didn’t hear from him that day! Lol 🙂

Leave a Reply