ミサキは夫と息子との3人家族で、義実家とのイベントごとがしばしばありました。義母から義祖母の介護グループに入れられ、違和感を感じます。家族という言葉に疑問を持ち、夫にも意見を述べます。義母の強引さに抜けるものの状況は解決しません。夫に自分の気持ちを伝え、家族として話し合いを重ねたいと思います。義母の立場を考えながら、積極的にサポートしていきたいと感じています。
Continuing from last time. My name is Misaki. I am part of a family of three with my husband Tomoya and our son Atsuto (a first-grader). Since my in-laws live not too far away, it has become a tradition for us to gather at their place for events. Though I have sometimes found it bothersome to gather at my in-laws’ place since getting married, I have tried to maintain a good relationship with my husband’s family within my limits. I have been asked to help out during events, but the frequency hasn’t been too high, and I have kept a comfortable distance in our interactions. However, one day I received a message from my mother-in-law, informing me that I had been included in the caregiving team for my grandmother-in-law! Naturally, I declined and asked to be removed from the group, but as I thought more about it, I began to feel a sense of sadness realizing that my mother-in-law, who is also caring for her own mother-in-law, must be going through a lot.
“Misaki, you left the group that mom created without asking, didn’t you? She contacted me about it,” said my husband.
The discomfort I was feeling can be summed up in one word – “why?”
Is it only my husband who, in times like these, insists on using the word “family”? While I believe that a sense of mutual help and consideration is important, I think it’s wrong to use the word “family” to try to control someone. Both May and I were originally strangers. It’s not that we don’t want to help, it’s more about not wanting to be taken for granted that bothers us.
From Tomoya’s behavior so far, it feels like he’s treating this as “someone else’s problem”. So, isn’t it strange for him to suddenly ask me to cooperate?
I was surprised to be abruptly placed into the caregiving group by my mother-in-law. But as I thought about it more, I realized that my mother-in-law must be going through a lot. Why aren’t the close family members offering a helping hand?
“It’s because I have a job, and mom will take care of it. Tomoya’s statements are quite problematic.”
“I told Tomoya straight up about the questions and anger I was feeling. We need to realize that we are not just strangers to each other. We need to have a sense of responsibility as grandchildren!”
Original Concept: Mama Star Community Script: Tae Watanabe Art: Yoshihana Editor: Moe Tsukada