The Channel 46
…I realised that it was impossible to gauge what my in-laws’ expected from me because whatever I did always fell short of their expectations. I was taught everything by my parents – cooking various cuisines, even international ones, making the perfect roti – everything that made me a pro in the kitchen. But nothing was ever enough for them.
I would try to talk to my husband about it, but he too was immature back then. Instead of lending me his support, he would side with his parents, justifying their actions with the excuse that I was not getting tortured physically. If it wasn’t physical abuse, it meant all was good.
I was constantly told I was good for nothing and I ended up fighting all my battles alone. I tolerated all the odds against me for 12 years and after that, I was diagnosed with depression. Even then, the sneers didn’t stop.
Despite my diagnosis, my mother-in-law didn’t stop harassing me, egging me on towards trying to commit suicide twice.
I finally came out of depression after her (second daughter) birth. My mother-in-law’s words weren’t affecting me anymore. I grew stronger, I could find just enough courage to speak up now. I wasn’t going to let anyone make me feel degraded.
The Channel 46