**“My Mother-in-Law Made All the Decisions for Me”**
*”What do you mean, ‘it’s already sorted’?”* Emily’s voice trembled with frustration. *”Sorted with who? About what?”*
*”Emily, love, just calm down,”* Margaret adjusted her glasses and took a pointed sip of tea from her favourite rose-patterned cup. *”I only want what’s best for you. Is it really so bad that your daughter will attend a good school?”*
*”Mum, just explain it to her properly,”* interjected David, his voice quiet as usual when caught between his wife and mother.
*”Explain what?”* Emily turned to her husband. *”That your mother enrolled Lily in a grammar school behind my back? That she went to the interview herself? That she’s already paid the tuition?”*
*”Emily, darling,”* Margaret set down her cup and folded her hands on the table. *”You’ve been so torn about where to send Lily. Up and down, fretting over it. And then this opportunity just fell into our laps.”*
*”What opportunity? I never asked for this!”*
*”My friend Janet—you remember her, don’t you? She works in the council’s education department. She said this school’s places fill up fast, the waiting list is miles long. But suddenly, one spot opened up.”*
Emily leaned against the kitchen cabinets and closed her eyes. Anger and helplessness made her head spin. *Again.* Again, her mother-in-law bulldozed into their lives and made decisions for her.
*”And it never crossed your mind to ask me first?”* Emily said quietly.
*”What was there to ask?”* Margaret threw up her hands. *”It’s a top-rated school, walking distance from home, advanced curriculum. Lily’s bright—she’ll thrive there.”*
*”She’s my daughter!”*
*”And my granddaughter!”* Margaret raised her voice. *”Might I remind you who looked after her while you were at work? Who helped with homework? Who took her to the GP?”*
Emily clenched her fists. This argument was Margaret’s go-to whenever she wanted to prove a point. Yes, she’d helped with Lily. But did that give her the right to decide for her?
*”Mum, maybe you should’ve talked to us first,”* David ventured cautiously.
*”Talk to whom? You?”* Margaret turned to her son. *”You never make decisions—always buried in your laptop. And time’s running out. Applications close tomorrow.”*
*”What if I don’t want Lily going there?”*
*”Why on earth wouldn’t you?”* Margaret looked baffled. *”Give me one good reason.”*
Emily faltered. She didn’t have one. The school *was* excellent, the curriculum strong, the location ideal. But that wasn’t the point.
*”I wanted to choose my child’s school myself,”* she said.
*”Well, now you don’t have to agonise over it,”* Margaret said brightly. *”It’s all settled.”*
Just then, Lily burst into the kitchen, her hair tousled, grinning.
*”Mum, Grandma says I’m going to a new school! They have pretty uniforms and a swimming pool!”*
Emily looked from her daughter to her mother-in-law. Margaret had already told Lily.
*”Sweetheart, do you like your current school?”* Emily asked.
*”It’s alright,”* Lily shrugged. *”But Grandma says the new one’s better. They do French, not German.”*
*”See?”* Margaret said triumphantly. *”She’s happy.”*
Something inside Emily snapped. For months—years—her mother-in-law had meddled in their lives. Dictating meals, Lily’s clothes, even holiday plans. And David? He’d stayed silent. Always silent.
*”Lily, go do your homework,”* Emily said.
*”But Mum—”*
*”Now, love. The grown-ups are talking.”*
Lily scowled but left. Once her footsteps faded, Emily turned to Margaret.
*”Margaret, you need to understand something, once and for all. This is my family. My child. *I* make the decisions.”*
*”You’ve become so tense,”* Margaret sighed. *”You never used to be like this. David, do you hear how your wife speaks to your mother?”*
David shifted uncomfortably.
*”Emily, don’t overreact. Mum meant well.”*
*”Meant well?”* Emily couldn’t believe he was siding with her again. *”David, do you realise what’s happening? Your mother decided where *our* child goes to school!”*
*”It’s hardly the end of the world,”* Margaret waved a hand. *”The school’s outstanding. I checked—the headteacher’s brilliant, the staff are experienced.”*
*”And if it had been a terrible school? If I’d said no?”*
*”But it isn’t,”* Margaret shrugged. *”And you’re not refusing. You’re just being stubborn.”*
Emily sank into a chair. She had no energy left to argue. What was the point, with someone who didn’t respect boundaries? Who thought she knew best?
*”Fine,”* she said quietly. *”Lily can go to that school.”*
*”There’s a good girl,”* Margaret beamed. *”You’ll see—Lily will thank you for it.”*
*”Where do we get the uniform?”* David asked.
*”Already bought it,”* Margaret said. *”From that shop on High Street. Fitted it while you were at work.”*
Emily’s head shot up.
*”You *what*? When?”*
*”The day before yesterday. Picked Lily up from school, popped into the shop. She chose it herself—loved it.”*
*”You took my daughter shopping without asking me?”*
*”Emily, really,”* Margaret tutted. *”I’m her grandmother. Besides, the uniform’s needed by September—no time to dally.”*
*”Mum, what if Emily had other plans?”* David tried.
*”What plans? She was at work. And a child shouldn’t be left alone.”*
Emily stood up. If she didn’t leave now, she’d say something she’d regret.
*”I’m going for a walk,”* she said.
*”What about dinner?”* David asked.
*”Margaret can cook. She’s making all the other decisions.”*
She grabbed her jacket and left. The stairwell was cool and quiet. She lingered, listening to muffled voices—Margaret’s lecturing tone, David’s vague replies.
Outside, the evening air was fresh. Kids played in the square; elderly neighbours chatted on benches. A perfectly ordinary scene.
She reached the playground and sat on a bench where she’d often brought Lily as a toddler. The swings, the slide—all the same, except Lily had grown.
*”Emily?”*
She turned. Sarah, an old neighbour, approached. They’d been close before marriage, then drifted apart.
*”Hey,”* Emily slid over.
*”You look fed up,”* Sarah sat beside her. *”Trouble?”*
*”Just family stuff.”*
*”Margaret again?”* Sarah guessed. *”You mentioned her before.”*
Emily nodded. It was odd—a near-stranger remembered her struggles, but her husband acted oblivious.
*”She enrolled Lily in school without telling me,”* she admitted.
*”Seriously?”*
*”Yep. Handed in the forms, paid the fees. Says she ‘only wanted to help.’”*
*”And David?”*
*”What about David?”* Emily scoffed. *”He just nods along. Claims she’s being ‘helpful.’”*
Sarah shook her head.
*”Do you *want* to change things? Or just keep putting up with it?”*
*”What can I do? She’s his mother. He’ll never stand up to her.”*
*”Try talking to him properly. Make him see it’s unsustainable.”*
*”I’ve tried. A hundred times. He agrees, then nothing changes.”*
Sarah was quiet for a moment, watching the kids play.
*”I had issues with my mother-in-law too. Always interfering.”*
*”What did you do?”*
*”We moved. Bought a place across town. Now we only see her weekends.”*
Emily sighed. *Easier said than done.* They barely scraped by as it was.
*”And if moving’s not an option?”*
*”Then set boundaries. Firm ones. Or she’ll boss you around forever.”*
They talked a while longer before Sarah left. Emily stayed as lights twinkled in windows, the air cooling.
*Set boundaries.* Simple in theory. But Margaret wasn’t one to back down. And David enabled her, blindly or not.
SheAs Emily walked home, the weight of her decision settled in her chest—she would finally stand her ground, for herself and for Lily.