Dear GhanaWeb,

My daughter got married four years ago. Everything seemed perfect until a year into the marriage, when her husband lost his job. We all thought it was just a temporary setback.

We encouraged him, prayed with him, and believed he would find another job within a few months. But those few months have stretched into three years.

During this time, my daughter has carried the entire family on her shoulders. She pays the rent, electricity, and water bills, buys food, and covers school fees for their two children. She literally takes care of every financial responsibility in the household.

The painful part is that she has never complained. Whenever I ask how she’s coping, she smiles and says they’re fine. But I know my daughter. I see the exhaustion on her face every time she visits me.

She’s always tired, constantly working overtime because one income is not enough for a family of four. She’s even pushing hard for a promotion at work just so her salary can increase.

It breaks my heart because she hardly gets time to rest. To be fair to my son-in-law, he isn’t lazy around the house.

He cooks, cleans, washes, and takes care of the children whenever my daughter is at work. By the time she gets home, food is ready and the house is clean.

I appreciate him for that, because many men wouldn’t even do half of what he does. But domestic chores alone cannot sustain a family forever.

Every time I ask him about work, he tells me he’s trying his best. I’ve heard those words for three years now.

I don’t know whether the job market has truly become that difficult or whether he isn’t putting in enough effort to find employment.

I don’t want to be the mother-in-law who causes problems in my daughter’s marriage.

At the same time, I hate watching her slowly burn herself out while carrying responsibilities that should be shared. She’s keeping everything together, but I can tell the pressure is taking a toll on her.

Should I keep minding my business and trust that things will eventually get better? Or should I step in before my daughter completely wears herself out?

What do I do now?


FG/EB


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